Message from Alan Langlands, Chief Executive (November 2012)

07 November 2012

October marks the beginning of the academic year for many higher education institutions. In the past few weeks I have visited the Universities of Keele and Hertfordshire, and met with representatives of the University Alliance, the Russell Group and Universities for the North East to discuss their priorities for the first year of the new fees regime.

In response to the large number of high-quality submissions to the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF), the Government has announced an additional £200 million of public funding. This will enable HEFCE to support more projects from the current submissions, and to invite a second round of bids. The fund will deliver more than £1 billion of investment in higher education research facilities from Government, industry and charities. 

A £15.5 million programme to support quantitative methods training for social science undergraduates will fund up to 15 specialist centres and other institutional activity to encourage the development and delivery of high-quality quantitative skills training in universities. HEFCE is delighted to be collaborating with the Nuffield Foundation and the Economic and Social Research Council on this initiative, which builds on the extra support we have announced during the past year for the highest cost STEM subjects, modern languages and the year abroad, and postgraduate taught programmes. 

The task force to support London Metropolitan University students affected by the revocation of the university’s Tier 4 sponsor licence has stood down.  London Metropolitan University and the UK Border Agency are continuing to work closely together to resolve any residual issues for students, and HEFCE will continue to process applications to the £2 million student support fund. The task force will be publishing a summary of the main events relating to the revocation and the work of the task force later this month. 

HEFCE’s Annual Meeting will be held in London on Thursday 22 November. Please contact Kathryn Mills (k.mills@hefce.ac.uk; 0117 9317035) if you would like to attend.

Page last updated 7 November 2012