Responding to the result of the referendum on Scottish independence, as declared on 19 September 2014, Professor Pete Downes, the Convener of Universities Scotland, said: “The electorate has made its choice and we fully respect the decision they have made for Scotland’s future. “The university sector is proud to be rooted firmly in Scotland and…
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Universities: the ‘can do’ sector
Earlier this year the Scottish Government published, ‘Scotland Can Do’, its framework to make Scotland a world-leading innovative nation. Universities are at the heart of that aim. A key sector of the economy in its own right, with an economic impact of over £6bn each year, Scotland has more world class universities per head of…
Scotland’s students and graduates record phenomenal medal success as part of Team Scotland
Universities Scotland has today, Tuesday 5 August, revealed that 19 Scottish university students and graduates won medals for Team Scotland during the XX Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The student and graduate athletes brought home a total of 23 medals between them, including eight Gold, nine Silver and six Bronze. An analysis published as the Games…
Great day for Scots as over 1,000 more students accepted into university
Over 1,000 more Scots had secured a place at university in Scotland as of midnight last night [Monday 4 August] compared to the same time last year. 23,780 Scots had been placed at universities across Scotland, compared with 22,770 in 2013. This equates to an increase of four per cent compared to the same time…
New analysis finds that more than one third of Team Scotland athletes are Scottish university students or graduates
Universities Scotland has today, Monday 21 July, thrown its full support behind Team Scotland for success at the XX Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and revealed the high level of Team Scotland athletes with a Scottish higher education background. An incredible 114 out of 310 Team Scotland athletes, some 36.77%, have links to Scottish universities as…
Scotland’s twenty-first century research breakthroughs on show to the world
The ability to transmit the internet through a light-bulb, a low-cost, portable eye examination kit capable of preventing blindness in the world’s poorest countries, new health advice for those with diabetes and the creative process behind the design of the medals for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. These are some of the research breakthroughs and…
Scotland’s universities proud to continue to offer their graduates the best prospects in the UK
Official National Statistics released today [26 June] on graduate destinations by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) showed that graduates from Scotland’s 19 higher education institutions have better prospects within six months of graduation than their peers in the rest of the UK. The statistics showed: Graduates from Scottish universities had the highest rate of…
HE sector bands together to take on global competitors and support ambition for 50% export growth
Connected Scotland, a new collaborative approach to promote Scotland’s higher education sector internationally, has been launched today [Monday 16 June] to support the ambitious goal of increasing the sector’s export revenue by more than 50 per cent in six years. The partnership commits eight different higher education organisations, enterprise agencies and funding bodies,[1] as well…
Third set of university outcome agreements show progress across the board
The third set of university Outcome Agreements, published today [Wednesday, 14 May], gives the first glimpse of what has been achieved as a result of the first round, agreed back in 2012, as data is now available for academic year 2012/13. The Outcome Agreements show progress across the board with the majority of measures moving in the right…
Universities Scotland responds to Scottish Government paper on Higher Education Research in an Independent Scotland
The Scottish Government has today, Wednesday 30 April, published a paper entitled Scotland’s Future Higher Education Research in an Independent Scotland. In response to publication of the paper Professor Pete Downes, Convener, Universities Scotland said: “We welcome the publication of today’s paper which builds on the statements made on university research in the white paper…