fEC 'Dogs of War' Unleashed

'Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war!' bellowed RCUK, as they launched their fEC task force this week. Well, not quite. The wheels of funder bureaucracy move less dramatically, more slowly and much, much more carefully than that. Following its review that concluded in April (!) , RCUK and Universities UK (UUK) are teaming up with the Financial Sustainability Strategy Group and the TRAC Development Group to establishing a group to come up with proposals on how to implement the review’s recommendations. The group is expected to report its proposals by the end of April 2010.
But somehow that doesn't quite have the same ring as 'cry havoc...'
The full list of the fEC dogs of war is available here.

UUK Sings the Blues

Paul Clark, Director of Policy at Universities UK (UUK), has confirmed the gloomy outlook for public funding for 'the course of at least 2 Parliaments.' At a conference hosted by the Charted Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) which examined costing and pricing issues for HEIs, Clark offered his assessment of funding in higher education. 'On a TRAC-adjusted basis, the whole sector is significantly in deficit, suggesting problems for the medium-term,' he said. He suggested that there may be cuts of around 5%, and that investment was required in order to sustain quality. 'Income will be less predictable.'

In addition he noted the politicisation of research funding. 'Funding for research has become more directional in the recent past, related to Government priorities: this trend is likely to continue into the future.'

Finally, he rejected the suggestion that the dual support mechanism be changed (as reported in this post). '[It] is critical to the success of the UK research base. Both streams (RCUK and QR funding) are vital to the strength of the sector.'