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 to highlight the changing research funding environment and the need to orientate to challenge-led funding and better engage a wider range of disciplines, especially social sciences, around challenges. We also highlighted challenges facing the sector, particularly as international competitors significantly increase investment in their HE sectors.

Read our evidence here.