Universities Scotland have submitted evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Finance and Constitution Committee’s inquiry into the Funding of EU Structural Fund Priorities in Scotland, post-Brexit. Structural funds from the European Union have been important for universities in Scotland. After Brexit, there will be a need to replace structural funds. The UK Government is due to…
Briefings & Evidence
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Universities Scotland response to Teaching Excellence Framework consultation
Universities Scotland has responded to a call for evidence from the UK Department for Education (DfE) to inform a review of the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF). The review will report in summer 2019 and the recommendations will be considered before the implementation subject-level TEF. Currently, five Scottish institutions participate in institutional-level TEF,…
Briefing for Scottish Government Statement: Update on the Impact of Brexit on the Scottish Further and Higher Education Sectors
On Thursday 14 March 2019, the Scottish Government provided the Scottish Parliament with an update statement on the impact of Brexit on Scotland’s Further and Higher Education sectors. We took the opportunity to brief MSPs on our concerns as well as actions that could be taken by the UK and Scottish Governments to mitigate the…
Universities Scotland responds to Knowledge Exchange Framework consultation
Universities Scotland has responded to a consultation on the Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF). Research England consulted on the proposed design and implementation of the first iteration of the KEF, focused on metrics. This particularly focuses on the clustering of institutions for fair comparison, the metrics used to underpin the assessment and how the metrics are…
Universities Scotland submission to Education and Skills Committee inquiry into Subject choice
Universities Scotland have responded to the Scottish Parliament’s Education and Skills Committee inquiry into Subject choice. Our submission focuses on the work of the Learner Journey and the impact of Subject choice on the sector’s work on widening access. You can read our submission here.
Independent Review of Scottish Funding Council’s Research Pooling Initiative
The SFC’s pooling initiative was developed to support Scottish HEIs to establish collaborative research pools with the aim of growing critical mass of excellent research in Scotland. The pooling initiative will be reviewed by an independent panel. Universities Scotland responded to the call for evidence to highlight support for the pools amongst the sector and…
Draft Scottish Government Budget 2019-20
On Wednesday 16 January, the Scottish Parliament’s Education and Skills Committee will take evidence from the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, John Swinney on the Scottish Government’s Draft Budget for 2019-20. We provided evidence to the Committee about our concerns related to the budget as currently drafted which we believe…
Briefing for Scottish Government Debate: Safeguarding Scotland’s International Research Collaborations and Reputation for Scientific Excellence from the Threat of Brexit
On 7 November 2018, the Scottish Parliament held a Scottish Government Debate on Safeguarding Scotland’s International Research Collaborations and Reputation for Scientific Excellence from the Threat of Brexit. Higher education is one of several sectors that will be impacted highly by changes brought about after Brexit. Staff from within the EU make a tremendous contribution to…
REF 2021 consultation on the draft guidance and criteria
The four UK funding bodies are consulting on the detailed arrangements for the next Research Excellence Framework (REF), as set out in the draft guidance and criteria. Universities Scotland has responded to this consultation to: flag our concerns that the approach to staff circumstances could have negative equality and diversity implications; highlight the challenging timeframes…
Universities Scotland submission of evidence to Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee inquiry on Article 50: Preparedness
Universities Scotland has responded to the Scottish Parliament’s Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee inquiry into Article 50: Preparedness. Our submission focuses on the issues that would arise as a result of a ‘no deal’ Brexit and the implications of such an outcome on our membership. Read our consultation response here.