On 29 October 2020, the Scottish Parliament heard from the Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science, Richard Lochhead MSP about the impact of Brexit on the further and higher education sectors. To help inform MSPs in their questioning of the Minister after the statement, we prepared a briefing focusing on the two main…
Briefings & Evidence
Get in touch for more information on these, or any other, areas of activity
Universities Scotland submission to Finance and Constitution Committee inquiry into UK Internal Market Bill
Universities Scotland has responded to a consultation by the Scottish Parliament’s Finance and Constitution Committee on the UK Internal Market Bill. The Committee is scrutinising the Bill to determine its impact on the Devolution Settlement and how the Internal Market will operate in practice. Given the remit of our organisation, we limit our response to…
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee’s inquiry into UK Industrial Strategy
Universities Scotland has responsed to a consultation by the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee (BEIS) on the UK’s Industrial Strategy. The inquiry examines key Industrial Strategy issues such as priorities, deliverability and the Grand Challenge missions. The inquiry forms part of the Committee’s overall ‘super-inquiry’ into Post-Pandemic Economic Growth. Our submission highlights universities’ key role…
Update on the impact of COVID-19 on universities for the Education and Skills Committee
Ahead of the Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science, Richard Lochhead MSP, giving evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Education and Skills Committee on Wednesday 2 September 2020, Universities Scotland provided evidence to update the Committee on the impact of COVID-19 on the university sector. The evidence covers: the implications of the SQA examination…
Universities Scotland response to Scottish Funding Council’s Review of Coherent Provision and Sustainability
Universities Scotland has submitted a response to the Scottish Funding Council’s Review of Coherent Provision and Sustainability. Commissioned by Richard Lochhead MSP, Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science, the Review considers how best SFC can fulfil its mission of securing coherent provision by post-16 education bodies, and the undertaking of research, in the…
Universities in Advanced Economies: Recovery and Transformation
Last year we commissioned BiGGAR Economics to analyse the role of universities in advanced economies, in particular their role in productivity growth and the fiscal returns on investment. Reporting in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, the findings provide a timely reminder of universities’ fundamental importance to advanced economies. The analysis demonstrates that a thriving…
Scotland’s Recovery
Post-pandemic the university sector will be a key part of Scotland’s recovery. The world-leading research and teaching that we offer will be strategically deployed to accelerate the recovery. Scotland will face severe challenges as we look beyond the coronavirus emergency. Its universities will co-develop an agile response with government, agencies, business and wider partners across…
Universities Scotland submission to the Advisory Group on Economic Recovery
Universities Scotland responded to a call for evidence from the Scottish Government’s Advisory Group on Economic Recovery, the body providing expert advice on Scotland’s economic recovery from COVID-19. The Group will bring forward solutions to enable a swift economic recovery and one that also ensures the Scottish economy emerges from the pandemic stronger and more…
Universities Scotland briefing on the UK Government’s introduction of Temporary Student Number Controls
Universities Scotland has produced a briefing on a sudden and disruptive policy change that has the potential to negatively impact on the recruitment of English undergraduate students for the 2020 and 2021 intake. This will be introduced by the Department for Education on 1 June without any consultation with institutions in Scotland. The potential impact…
Education and Skills Committee inquiry on the impact of COVID-19 on higher education
• Universities Scotland is clear that universities will need decisive and strategic action from both the Scottish and UK Government to get them through this crisis. The scale of the financial challenge is greater than the Scottish Government can meet from its existing budget. This is not a political point and this is not a time for politicking. Universities want to work in lock step with both Governments and believe this matches their objective during this time.