Home > About HEFCE > Introduction > Working in partnership > Partner organisations > Related bodies
Our related bodies
HEFCE's objectives are based on the principles of ‘opportunity, choice and excellence’, and are described in our strategy statement. They are delivered in part through organisations through which significant levels of funding are distributed or activities promoted. We describe these organisations as ‘related bodies’.
There are differences in how we relate to these organisations, in their constitutions and their business models, but the activities of each related body form an important part of the policy objectives of the HEFCE directorate to which it is assigned. They are listed below, according to the HEFCE directorate responsible for each related body's oversight, accountability and relationship management.
List of related bodies
Finance and corporate resources
Equality Challenge Unit
Furthers and supports equality and diversity for staff and students in higher education.
Funding agreement
Higher Education Statistics Agency
The official agency for the collection, analysis and dissemination of quantitative information about higher education.
Leadership Foundation for Higher Education
Provides support and advice on leadership, governance and management to UK universities and higher education colleges.
Funding agreement
Education, participation and students
Higher Education Academy
Identifies and shares effective teaching practices in order to provide the best possible learning experience for all students.
Funding agreement
Jisc
Jisc is an independent advisory body which is a jointly owned operation with the other UK further and higher education funding organisations. In autumn 2012 JISC was established as a new legal entity which resulted in it becoming a Related Body of HEFCE.
Funding agreement
Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA)
Assures standards and improves quality of UK higher education.
Contract for services
Definition of a 'related body'
The term ‘related body’ describes an entity that is not a higher education institution or further education college, whose mission and activities are congruent with the broad strategic objectives of HEFCE and with whom HEFCE has a formal grant-funding relationship or where the organisation is delivering a statutory function to HEFCE.
In terms of corporate governance and operational management, most related bodies are entirely independent of HEFCE, which has no power of control over them. The exceptions are:
- the Higher Education Policy Institute, which is classed as a subsidiary of HEFCE, and
- JISC Collections and JISC Advance which are classed as associates of HEFCE.
On the basis of materiality these three organisations are not consolidated by HEFCE.
The related bodies oversight framework
Nine related bodies receive public funding from us, from other public funding bodies, and indirectly on a basis of subscription from higher and further education institutions in receipt of grant. The framework underpins our assurance on regularity of expenditure, performance and delivery of value for money.
We acknowledge that, where other public bodies provide funding to these organisations, they generally rely (at least partially) on our oversight for assurance that public funds are being used for the purposes provided.
Agreements with related bodies
Related bodies must meet certain accountability requirements in return for the public funding provided to them. The accountability arrangements will normally be described in a funding agreement or a service-level agreement between HEFCE and the related body. These are available to download in the list above.
Page last updated 12 March 2013
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