July - September 2010

The Quality matters series complements other QAA publications, including factual reports, audits and reviews, to reflect what has been learnt from them. The papers in the series have either been written or commissioned by QAA, as well as being offered by other authors. Whilst many papers are concerned with, and support, the evolving quality assurance/enhancement debates within the UK, this series will also seek to include international perspectives.

Deep cuts in the UK science budget will harm the research base, universities and the economy, the heads of six leading universities have warned.

UKCGE launches the programme for the first event of the 2010/11 academic year.

The brochure ‘Service to Society’, which describes the way higher education benefits wider society, is available for download from the HEFCE web-site.

The report concludes that the UK and its employers of research would benefit from a unified approach to issue surrounding research integrity and recommends that a new system for research integrity in the UK should be development which builds on the UK’s existing strength in this area

Universities UK has published a range of reports looking at the consequences of the recession, and subsequent cuts in public funding, for the higher education (HE) sector.

A supply of highly skilled people is critical to the economic growth and social wellbeing of the UK. A new report released by Vitae presents for the first time, the career destinations and impact of research graduates three years after graduation

The August UKCGE Newsletter is now available to download.

A new CGS survey on international graduate admissions trends in the US has found that offers of admission from US graduate schools to prospective international students increased 3% from 2009 to 2010. The growth reverses last year's 1% decline.

Vitae and UKCGE call for comments on the Salzburg II statement.

The Higher Education Academy is pleased to confirm that its Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) will run in 2011 for the third consecutive year.

Universities UK have published a report aimed at informing government spending and policy decisions which will have a significant impact on UK universities’ ability to continue to deliver world-leading research.

Research Councils UK (RCUK) have released the report of the Review of e-Infrastructure.

Research Councils UK (RCUK) welcome the publication of the Researcher Development Statement, a reference document that sets out the knowledge, behaviours and attitudes of effective and highly skilled researchers.

Following the success of the the first International Conference on Professional Doctorates in November 2009, the Council and Middlesex University are delighted to announce details of the second conference in April 2011.

A new report commissioned by Research Councils UK (RCUK) shows collaboration between UK and Indian researchers is growing and suggests that India will become increasingly important to the global research community.

Research Councils UK have released the Large Facilities Roadmap 2010. This Roadmap is an overview of research facilities that are under construction or planned by RCUK and of other emerging facilities, in the UK and overseas, that are currently considered to be priorities for UK research.

This is the second in a series of HEFCE publications showing qualification rates of students on research degree programmes in individual higher education institutions in England and for the first time includes data on part-time and mode-switch students.

A letter issued this week by the RCUK sets out how the Research Councils expect research organisations to recover costs from all funders, and how the Research Councils will be embedding researcher development funding into their normal funding mechanisms.

HEFCE have now launched the fifth in a series of additional research working papers on knowledge exchange in the higher education (HE) sector.

Call to fund a world-class system rather than just a few world-class universities.

Reports focus on "Confidentiality of PhD Theses in the UK" and "Professional Doctorate Awards in the UK".

Following a period of consultation, HEFCE has set out a revised funding agreement with the institutions it funds which will come into effect on 1st August 2010.

Minister yet to be convinced by measure as Labour attacks coalition cuts - Times Higher Education report.

Erasmus Mundus gets glowing plaudits from international students. Yet British graduates still seem reluctant to leave home.