HEFCE Annual Conference Tim Melville-Ross Chair Royal Holloway

HEFCE Annual Conference Tim Melville-Ross Chair Royal Holloway, University of London 1 and 2 April 2009

Current issues 1. The 2008 RAE 8. Widening participation 2. Research issues going 9. Employer engagement forward 10. STEM 3. The recurrent grants 11. Capital funding 4. Learning and teaching 12. Regulation 5. Knowledge transfer 13. HEFCE’s role 6. Future funding 14. Taking the planning process forward. 7. Growth and ASNs

The 2008 RAE (1) UK research remains at the forefront in the world… • • • 17% submitted activity assessed as world leading (4*) 37% assessed as internationally excellent (3*) 9% of submissions contained at least 50% 3* and 4* with the rest internationally recognised.

The 2008 RAE (2) Strength across the sector… • 150 of 159 HEIs have at least 5% world leading research in at least one of their submissions …as well as in depth… • 24 institutions have at least 40% of research activity in 3* or 4* in all of their submissions.

Recurrent grants • • • £ 7, 994 million available for 2009 -10 Overall cash increase of 4% £ 4, 782 million teaching funding, up 2. 5% Total research funding of £ 1, 572 million, up 7. 7% Reduction in special funding from £ 411 million in 2008 -09 to £ 316 million in 2009 -10.

Future funding ‘HEFCE provides QR research funding to English universities. The CSR 07 allocations are: £ 1, 444 million in 2008 -09; £ 1, 509 million in 2009 -10; and £ 1, 634 million in 2010 -11. The 2010 -11 figures are indicative and will be finalised in early 2010’ David Lammy, House of Commons, 16 March 2009

Employer engagement • • £ 99. 4 million allocated to support infrastructure developments • Economic Challenge Investment Fund launched, £ 50 million – half from HEFCE. 10, 700 new co-funded places for 2008 -09; 15, 900 for 2009 -10 Average rate of employer co-funding in 2009 -09 just over 30% 60 lead universities and FE colleges delivering co-funded provision

STEM subjects • £ 350 million six year demand raising and capacity building programme • Additional £ 25 million per annum continues for very high cost laboratory subjects • Signs of success in accepted UCAS applicants in 2007 -08 compared to 2006 -07: – – – Physics and chemistry both increased by 3. 2% Maths increased by 8. 3% Engineering increased by 8. 5%

Key issues • • • The importance of having an intermediary body Maintaining the autonomy of the sector Managing change in an age of uncertainty