In response to the written ministerial statement issued a short time ago by the Home Office, Alastair Sim, Director of Universities Scotland said: “After months of speculation, we have clarity from the UK Government. We welcome the commitment to retaining the post-study work visa which benefits both students and employers. It also helps retain talent…
News
May
16
2023
International students boost Scottish economy by £4.75bn
New figures show economic benefit of international students in Scotland is £4.75 billion. Aside from London, international students in Scotland are among those to deliver the greatest financial contributions across the UK On average, each of the 59 UK Parliamentary constituencies in the Scotland is £71m (per constituency) better off because of international students –…
May
05
2023
Universities facing further cuts as the Scottish Government withdraw £20m
This week, the Scottish Government announced the withdrawal of the additional £20 million resource for universities it announced in the December budget. This has caused deep concern as universities in Scotland are facing real terms cuts and remain under resourced as further cuts take place. Universities Scotland Convener, Professor Dame Sally Mapstone, Principal of the…
May
02
2023
£20m cut “extremely disappointing”
This afternoon (Tuesday 2 May), Principals of Scotland’s universities were informed by the Scottish Funding Council that the £20 million of additional resource funding allocated to the sector in December’s budget by the Scottish Government is now “not available for distribution and has been identified as a necessary saving”. Universities were told that Scottish Government…
April
28
2023
Ensuring good governance in higher education remains fit for purpose
Universities Scotland has welcomed the updated Scottish Code of Good HE Governance following a scheduled review undertaken on behalf of the Committee of Scottish Chairs in consultation with stakeholders. The review fulfils the commitment of the Committee of Scottish Chairs to achieve continual enhancement of good governance, together with transparency, inclusion and accountability. This is…
April
25
2023
AI in higher education – friend or foe?
The topic of Artifical Intelligence has been of huge interest in the early months of 2023. Our latest blog sees Abertay University Principal, Professor Liz Bacon, discuss the role AI could have in higher education reflecting on her decades of work in this area. With the disruption navigated by our universities during Covid-19 thankfully beginning to…
April
20
2023
Students’ hopes, uncertainties and university support revealed to Minister on visit to Queen Margaret University
Students attending universities from across Edinburgh met the Minister for Higher and Further Education; and Minister for Veterans, Graeme Dey MSP, to share the range of challenges and opportunities they face as undergraduates, in a visit to Queen Margaret University Edinburgh on Thursday 20 April. Universities across Scotland offer active support to their students in…
Horizon membership: a deal that works for Scotland, the UK and EU
Professor Iain Gillespie is the Convener of our Research and Knowledge Exchange Committee and Principal at the University of Dundee. In an opinion piece for The Herald which ran in its Monday 17 April 2023 edition, he outlines why it’s imperative a deal to secure Horizon membership for the UK is vital. Last month week…
April
13
2023
Response to Scottish Funding Council indicative allocations
This afternoon (Thursday 13 April), the Scottish Funding Council published their Indicative university funding allocations AY 2023-24. This follows the passing of the Scottish Government Budget for 2023-24. Today’s indicative allocations set out the funding available to specific university grants for teaching, research and innovation and clarify the specific funding available to individual institutions for…
April
10
2023
New innovation record set for universities’ work with business
New official statistics have been published that demonstrate the importance of innovation links between the business and higher education as Scotland’s universities continue to play their part in the economic recovery from the pandemic. The HE business and community interaction survey (HE-BCI) published by The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) show that Scottish universities in…