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16 September 2003

Consortium appointed to help make space a top priority for universities and colleges

UK funding councils today announced an investment of £400,000 into a unique three-year research project which aims to work with higher education institutions (HEIs) to help them understand the business benefits of combining the effective management of space within their academic and financial strategies.

The UK Higher Education Space Management Group - managed on behalf of the sector by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) - recently appointed a consortium led by consultants Kilner Planning, and including policy advisers London Economics and Professor Ronald Barnett of the Institute of Education, to take forward the project.

The consortium has been appointed to test the feasibility of a model of the affordable estate which can eventually be used by HEIs for business planning and assessing space needs. It also aims to:

• consider all types of higher education space
• assess existing space management tools
• build on and develop good practice guidelines
• assess the full economic cost of space
• research future trends in higher education and their impact on space needs and practice.

A new dedicated web site www.smg.ac.uk has also been launched to communicate developments throughout the sector.

Project consultant, Sian Kilner (Kilner Planning) said:

'The team is delighted to be appointed to work with the Space Management Group. The project is about working with institutions to develop tools to make the best use of space and plan for the future. With estates costs being the second largest area of institutional expenditure, good space management is a key factor affecting the sector's financial health and overall performance.'

Roger Williams, Chairman of Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) and Chairman of the UK HE Space Management Group said:

'This is a very exciting and comprehensive project and we are delighted to be working with Kilner Planning and their consortium. There are big dividends to be gained from providing operationally effective space use and we need to do all we can to encourage and help this, within the context of an appropriate academic environment for students. Space management needs to combine effectively with academic and financial strategies so that there is an effective plan for the sector and for the individual institutions within it.'