Today the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) have announced support for seven university-led projects which will drive innovation, collaboration and long-term sustainability through the SFC’s University Transformation Framework (UTF).
The SFC established the framework to enable the redirection of some core funding to give universities greater flexibility in developing innovative approaches to transformation and strengthen partnerships across the tertiary sector.
Commenting on the announcement, a spokesperson at Universities Scotland said;
“Today’s announcement of transformation funding is not new money; it comes from a repurposing of existing core university grants. What the successful bids show, very positively, is that universities have multiple creative and collaborative ideas for new ways of working and responding to changing circumstances. We welcome the support to enable several resourceful initiatives to progress.
“It is really important to be clear-eyed about the extent of the financial challenge facing the sector, and equally clear that successful transformation, at scale, requires very considerable resource, backed by multi-year commitments.
“The University Transformation Framework was new this year and whilst there may be a second tranche of allocations to come in the near future, it’s not clear whether further funding will be available in future years. Going forward, if resource is available, we’d welcome the opportunity to reflect with the Council on the associated criteria and wider process.”
Read more about the UTF on the SFC’s website.
Notes:
- The funding used to support the University Transformation Framework (UTF) is not new money for universities in addition to previous budget announcements so it does not represent an increase to universities’ baseline funding. It is a repurposing of baselined core grant from 2023/24 which was recovered from a few institutions due to very specific and time-limited circumstances relating to student recruitment.
- The University Transformation Framework is new, and this represents the first set of allocations. It is unclear if resource will be available in future years. Given the Framework is new and the application and award process was new for both institutions and the Council, it would be helpful if the Council worked with institutions in a light-touch review of the process as part of continuous enhancement.