HEFCE News : 2000

20 December
HEFCE consults on extra funding to reward, retain and develop staff in higher education
HEFCE consults higher education institutions on how to allocate an additional £80 million for rewarding, retaining, and developing staff.

18 December
HEFCE makes final allocation to JREI: £100 million for scientific research
HEFCE announces the results of the Joint Research Equipment Initiative (JREI) for 2000. The 32 awards made in this round represent a total investment this year of £15.6 million.

6 December
Professor Sir Howard Newby appointed Chief Executive of the HEFCE
Professor Sir Howard Newby, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Southampton, has been appointed Chief Executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) with effect from 1 October 2001. He succeeds Sir Brian Fender.

30 November
Higher Education funding for 2001-2002 and beyond
The Secretary of State for Education and Employment has set out the resources and priorities for higher education for 2001-02 and beyond.

28 November
Student pioneers to enrol on 40 foundation degree courses
Universities, colleges and employers have joined forces to provide 2,000 additional places next autumn for student pioneers wishing to enrol on a new type of two year foundation degree course designed to equip them for tomorrow’s jobs market.

16 November
Additional funding for higher education
HEFCE welcomes almost one billion pounds in additional funding for higher education

2 November
Widening participation
The HEFCE has issued proposals for expenditure to encourage widened participation in higher education.

9 October 2000
HEFCE launches e-University business model
The HEFCE has recently published the business model for an innovative and dynamic new way of delivering high quality higher education to students via the internet – the e-University.

6 October 2000
UK retains leading international position for student completion rates
Universities and colleges in the United Kingdom are able to continue monitoring their performances on student non-completion rates and widening participation by using the second set of performance indicators published today.

31 August 2000
Report aims to bolster UK’s leading position in research
Proposals published today aim to maintain and develop the position of universities and colleges in England at the forefront of international academic research.

23 August 2000
Better accountability will ease burdens for higher education
HEFCE today published a major review making recommendations for improving the effectiveness of accountability by universities and colleges for the public funding they receive.

31 July 2000
HEFCE funds 50 projects for universities and colleges to enhance their interaction with business
HEFCE today announced that it will distribute over £20 million to 50 projects which will help universities and colleges work more closely with business and the community.

18 July 2000
HEFCE welcomes additional funding for widening opportunities for students and investing in research
The HEFCE warmly welcomed the additional funding the Government is providing in 2001-02 for the first year of the Spending Review.

10 July 2000
HEFCE invites proposals for development of foundation degrees
The HEFCE invites partnerships of higher education institutions, employers and further education colleges to bid to develop foundation degrees to start in 2001-02.

5 July 2000
Widening access and employability given priority in allocating 52,000 new student places
The HEFCE anounces it will allocate over 52,000 new student places in the next academic year (2000-01).

3 July 2000
Providing the technology for leading-edge research: The Joint Research Equipment Initiative
The JREI is a source of funding for state-of-the-art equipment, underpinning the development of important areas of scientific research, and HEFCE has just announced this year’s round of awards.

16 June 2000
New university medical schools announced
Two new medical schools will be set up in England to meet a national need for more doctors.

10 May 2000
HEFCE allocates £4.4 million to support better management in HE
The HEFCE is allocating £4.4 million for 31 projects under the first year of a £10 million initiative to support good management in universities and colleges.

17 April 2000
New equality action group for higher education
Plans have been announced today to set up an Equal Opportunities Action Group to promote equal opportunities in the higher education sector.

4 April 2000
£129 Million cash boost for UK University research
Announcement of the third round of the Joint Infrastructure Fund (JIF) awards.

30 March 2000
Strategic Alliance announced
A strategic alliance to improve planning and better target investment in health and social care research was announced by Health Minister, Lord Hunt.

14 March 2000
Hero embarks on epic voyage
An Internet portal called Hero is to be launched this autumn, providing a high quality information service at home and overseas to all those interested in UK higher education.

2 March 2000
HEFCE provides £4.38 billion for teaching and research in 2000-01
The HEFCE today announced the recurrent grants which it will allocate in 2000-01 to fund higher education across the country.

29 February 2000
HEFCE funds over 1,400 extra student places for Cumbria
The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) will fund an additional 1,422 higher education places in universities and colleges across Cumbria.

15 February 2000
Major project launched to develop higher education on the internet
The first steps are being taken to establish a new way of providing higher education programmes through web-based learning. The project’s working title is "e-University".

15 February 2000
New path to higher education will focus on preparing students for careers.
The HEFCE welcomed today’s announcement by the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, David Blunkett, of the consultation on two-year foundation degrees.

12 January 2000
Expert team will help to widen access to higher education
As part of its drive to enable as many people as possible to benefit from higher education, the HEFCE announces the formation of a group, 'Action on Access', to co-ordinate its efforts to widen participation.