Call for proposals from higher education institutions to host the National Higher Education Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Programme

November 2008 | ref: Circular letter 30/2008

To:

Heads of HEFCE-funded higher education institutions

Dear Vice-Chancellor or Principal

1. We wish to invite higher education institutions (HEIs) to submit proposals to host a National Higher Education (HE) Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Programme from August 2009.

2. The successful institution would be expected to host the programme for a period of three years from 2009-10 to 2011-12. In the shorter term, the HEI would play a key role in working with the existing HEFCE-funded STEM demand-raising projects to shape and develop the bid for the integrated national programme. We would make an appropriate amount of funding available to the successful institution specifically for the bid development phase. This bid would then be submitted to the Council's Board for approval in spring 2009.

Background

3. In 2005 HEFCE wrote to a number of professional bodies/learned societies inviting them to develop pilot projects to raise demand for HE provision in chemistry, physics, engineering and mathematics. Four projects were subsequently funded:

Chemistry for our Future, led by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Stimulating Physics, led by the Institute of Physics
London Engineering Project, led by the Royal Academy of Engineering
More Maths Grads, led by the Mathematics, Statistics and Operational Research Subject Centre on behalf of the mathematical societies.

4. HEFCE's commitment to date for the above projects is £15 million. We have also committed a further £100 million over four years as a time-limited addition to core funding for very high-cost and vulnerable, laboratory-based subjects (chemistry; physics; chemical engineering; and minerals, metallurgy and materials engineering).

5. The above projects were developed as pilot schemes, concentrating activity in a small number of regions with a view to rolling them out nationally at the end of the pilot period subject to positively evaluated outcomes. However, since originally approving the projects, other developments in HE generally and STEM more specifically have led to the decision to develop a more holistic, integrated approach to our STEM demand-raising activity.

6. The pilot projects (with the exception of More Maths Grads) will come to an end in July 2009. From August 2009, it is our intention to integrate the projects and deliver a national HE STEM programme with a potential investment of £20 million over three years.

7. The development of an integrated National HE STEM Programme will need to address four key issues:

The four existing projects are currently delivering a range of subject-based activity that will need to be rationalised and integrated for national roll-out.
The need for a continued focus on widening participation.
A need to address high-level skills and employer engagement priorities.
A need to design a structure that would facilitate the successful governance, management and accountability of the programme.

8. It is important when considering how best to continue our activity in STEM to ensure that we take full account of the broader context, especially in terms of the work being undertaken by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and its national STEM programme. There are many different organisations offering STEM enhancement and enrichment activities to schools and colleges, and part of the DCSF programme's remit is to bring some level of coherence and co-ordination to the plethora of projects and initiatives currently on offer. The HEFCE-funded projects are all active in schools and colleges and so it is important to ensure that what they deliver has added value and does not simply duplicate work being undertaken by others.

9. In addition, the National HE STEM Programme also needs to take account of broader changes in the HE policy environment. While strategically important and vulnerable subjects (and STEM in particular) remain a priority for the Council and Government, there has been an increasing emphasis on the need for HE STEM education to deliver high-level skills and engage with employers. A number of government reports/reviews¹ have placed STEM skills as key to a competitive and innovative national economy that is able to compete globally. Such reports acknowledge the important role that STEM graduates play in creating a culture of innovation and progress in the workplace.

10. These two policy environments mean that the HE STEM Programme will need to rationalise and prioritise the activity undertaken with schools and colleges to that which is HE-specific and brings real added value. It will also need to embrace the evolving agenda for HE that is more flexible and responsive both to the needs of employers and of employees.

Developing the programme

11. In developing the national programme we do not see the two foci mentioned in paragraph 10 as mutually exclusive. Rather they form a continuum of activity with both aspects leading to enhancements and innovations in practice and provision across HE STEM education.

12. Also key to the development of the national programme is the need to build on the successes of the existing pilot projects and retain the expertise and knowledge that they have generated. Consequently, we are keen to ensure that the organisations currently delivering the projects play a significant role in the development and subsequent delivery of the programme. However, all of the organisations involved in the current projects are aligned to specific disciplines and would not necessarily be best placed to manage an integrated programme. In addition, HEFCE will not be able to provide special initiative funding for this activity indefinitely. There is therefore a need for the national programme to develop a sustainability strategy that firmly locates the work it undertakes within HEIs.

13. In view of the above, we believe that the governance of the national programme has to rest with both the sector and the current project lead organisations, facilitated through the creation of a Programme Board. This Board would be responsible for strategically steering the programme, responding to national priorities and approving returns to HEFCE. The day-to-day management of the programme would be undertaken by a programme director and team located within the host HEI. Key assessment criteria

14. There are a number of elements that we would wish to see reflected in the proposals submitted to us, some of which specifically relate to the bid development phase (December 2008 to July 2009) and some that span both the bid development phase and the three years of the programme itself.

Both bid development phase and programme phase

It is essential that the host institution has sustainable provision in all four of the key subject disciplines (chemistry, physics, engineering and mathematics). As a measure of sustainability, we will apply the same methodology used for the allocation of the additional funding for high-cost and vulnerable, laboratory-based subjects - that is, a minimum of 30 full-time equivalent students registered on an eligible award within a relevant cost centre.
The proposal should have the full backing and support of the senior management of the institution, particularly the endorsement of the vice-chancellor or principal.
Given the need for the programme to develop an employer engagement/high-level skills focus, it would be helpful if institutions could demonstrate their activity or experience more broadly in these priority areas.

Bid development phase

The proposal should provide a clear indication of how the HEI will ensure that a senior figure either from within the institution or recruited externally will be available to start working on the development of the programme bid immediately the HEFCE grant is awarded for the bid development phase.
It would be beneficial if the individual identified by the HEI to take forward the development of the programme bid had a demonstrable track record in the strategic development and delivery of national programmes, and knowledge of the STEM environment without necessarily being strongly aligned to one particular STEM discipline.
The proposal should include an indication of the cost to the HEI of developing the programme bid between December 2008 and July 2009.

Programme phase (August 2009 to July 2012)

The proposal should outline the infrastructural support that the institution would be able to make available to the central programme team.
It should indicate how the programme would continue to be supported at senior management level within the institution.
It should outline how the institution will add value to the programme.
There should be an indication of how the institution will calculate the cost of hosting the programme. We are looking for an indication of the overhead cost to the institution of providing infrastructural support to the programme for the three years because the costs associated with running the programme activity, including the salaries of the programme director and central team, will form part of the main programme bid, to be delivered to HEFCE in spring 2009.

15. Institutions are encouraged to contact Sarah Howls (tel 0117 931 7073) to discuss our requirements further before submitting their proposals.

16. Institutions should submit their proposals to us by noon on Friday 28 November 2008. Please e-mail them to Sarah Howls at s.howls@hefce.ac.uk.

17. Submitted proposals will be assessed against the key criteria outlined above and a shortlist created. Shortlisted institutions will then be contacted to discuss any elements that require further information or clarification. A final decision will be delivered by 8 December 2008.

Yours sincerely

Professor David Eastwood
Chief Executive

Note

1. See for example 'The race to the top: a review of Government's science and innovation policies', Lord Sainsbury (2007), available on HM Treasury web-site under Independent Reviews/The Sainsbury Review, and the 2008 White Paper ‘Innovation Nation’, which can be read on the DIUS web-site under Policy/Innovation.