Government relations

Scheme that places researchers at heart of policymaking set to be expanded, but can evidence-based advice really make a difference in heat of politics?

Research, innovation and education are recognised in the European Commission president’s manifesto, but let’s assert their wider relevance, says Jan Palmowski

Labour’s planned decentralisation of power will strengthen universities’ standing and ability to contribute to local prosperity, says Diana Beech

Modern universities make up over half of the UK sector, yet their vital work flies under journalists’ and politicians’ radars, says Amanda Broderick

Scholars see opportunities to influence Labour’s thinking on universities and beyond as power of thinktanks wanes

A decade of rule by the Hindu-nationalist BJP has seen a combustible mixture of technocratic reform and political interference in higher education. But the party’s below-par showing in this month’s general election has left some academics daring to hope for quieter days ahead. Helen Packer reports

UK universities’ image is better than many in the sector suppose, but we should be wary of being seen as profit-obsessed, says Bobby Duffy

Preventing publication of two major taxpayer-funded studies into bullying and homelessness is wrong, say academics left in limbo

England’s Department for Education has deaccredited some universities while approving a range of alternative providers and strictly defining course contents. But while defenders hail an evidence-based push for quality, others decry a level of political overreach that could spread to other disciplines

Competitors can be friends when government acts like your enemy, Sydney round table hears

After a career spent switching between academia and the White House, Joseph Nye admits that returning to Harvard left him feeling flat

The science secretary’s demand that UKRI take action against its EDI committee underlines how far UK science’s independence has slipped, says Fiona Fox

Most students want universities, first and foremost, to boost employability. Underplaying that purpose will only alienate them, says Samuel Abrams

The Covid Inquiry underlines the need to train political leaders to identify the best options under pressure, says former NAO director David Finlay

Mexican president Andrés Manuel López-Obrador has expanded university access but is accused of ideological attacks on institutions, overly zealous corruption clampdowns and a misguided power grab over research policy. Ahead of next year’s election, Tom Williams assesses the mood in Mexico City

Singling out particular disciplines makes no sense, but we need cross-subject standards that are recognisable to employers, says Ian Pace

Dame Angela McLean hints that long-observed separation between science and government on research funding decisions is fraying

Ministers’ communications with their scientific advisers have been revealed, shining a light on how such relationships work, but will wide-ranging exercise change how research informs policy in the future?

Recruitment of domestic school-leavers is stagnant amid concerns over rising graduate debt levels and weak employment outcomes. With ministers keen to turbocharge enrolment to upskill the nation, John Ross examines how higher education institutions can win back a disaffected generation

With helping students and graduates the likely priority, universities will have to make concessions for a share of any spare cash, says Jonathan Simons

Government micromanagement of teacher education is unprecedented interference in day-to-day academia. Will your subject be next, asks Viv Ellis

Both boards approved the case for the amalgamated Adelaide University – but politicians still formed a scrutiny committee, say Peter Høj and David Lloyd

The UK government should be doing more to help students survive the cost-of-living crisis, not dissuading them from studying, says Zahir Irani

Amid concerns about value for money and the supposed liberal bias of certain humanities and social science subjects, conservative politicians are increasingly intervening in curricular decisions. Do such subjects still have a place at public universities – and who should get to decide, asks Paul Basken

The UK government is freezing ‘troublemaking’ educationalists out of policymaking. Universities should model better forms of debate, says Clare Brooks

As higher education minister in the Blair government, Alan Johnson steered plans for top-up fees of £3,000 through Parliament. As he returns to the sector in a new role, the former postman talks to John Morgan about why fee-funded university expansion remains the best hope for creating a fairer UK

Some politicians are using the supposed ideological character of research to justify imposing greater control over it, says Martyn Hammersley

BJP ministers and supporters are largely limiting themselves to discrediting and suppressing evidence of government failings, says an academic

Rationalising resources is the official reason for proposed mergers, but Albanian history suggests a darker motive, says Arjan Shahini

Government steps up scrutiny of university over BJP-critical paper while academics urge Ashoka to reinstate its author

Possibility of tensions flaring again on first anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death sparks attempts to keep students away from campuses

As attentions turn to manifestos for the coming election, higher education should ramp up communication with MPs and ministers, says Anne Milton

Jeopardising local universities with rhetoric about rip-off degrees is the last thing the UK needs. A new funding settlement is vital, says Martin Jones 

The fact that most graduates credit their professional success to their degrees is a neat counter to the government’s rip-off rhetoric, says Vivienne Stern

Such talk replaces pride of place with ‘know your place’. But if you want to see levelling up made flesh, come and meet our graduates, says John Raftery 

Regardless of its merits, the bill barring state agencies from boycotting Israel cannot apply to universities, says Graham Virgo

Universities face criticism for getting into financial difficulties – but deliberate policy decisions are leaving the squeezed middle high and dry

Higher Education Commission could be given control over v-c appointments at public universities, with ‘disastrous consequences’ for autonomy

Once built, aerospace institute on southern island of Hainan will become first solo campus run by Russian institution inside Asian superpower

Ron DeSantis’ appointment of political operators as trustees risks compromising universities’ pursuit of the truth, says Richard Joseph 

Former political advisers say frequently used figures to advocate for research funding do not sway government thinking

Discovery of classified Biden papers inside university’s Washington office threatens to reverse reputational high from its seemingly prescient political cultivation

After a tumultuous 2022, what will the new year bring for higher education? Some of the UK sector’s respected crystal-ball gazers offer their predictions for 2023

Central government representatives are increasingly rejecting candidates selected by political foes in state governments, says Mukhtar Ahmad

Social science papers employ more rigour than policy documents do but need to be more reader-friendly, says Tim Blackman

New university pathway meant to boost talent, but academics concerned over graduate retention

Move seen as a way of strengthening links between academia and policymakers to ensure parliamentarians have access to latest scholarship

Difficult decisions require uncomfortable truths, epidemiologist tells Pacific Rim universities

If the sector is to tackle the existential threats facing the world, it must rediscover its practical idealism about itself, says Nigel Thrift

Universities have done themselves a disservice by playing politics and overlooking the public mood, chancellors say

As companies seek to supplant university courses, Nobelist fears policymakers blinded by promises of cheap and easy

A national curriculum relating to vital knowledge and skills could also help assure equal access to high-quality courses, says Ian Pace

Aleks Subic suggests UK universities need to be ‘an active collaborator’ with government, rather than going on the defensive

Proactively pushing a more positive, focused agenda around quality and value will win more public and political support, says Vivienne Stern

Easing student caps is a ‘step in the right direction’ but doesn’t solve issue of talent leaving for higher pay in other nations, academics say

Marketisation has compromised higher education, leaving it unsure how to rebut criticism like Kemi Badenoch’s, says Steven Jones

Enormous surpluses underline the extent to which universities prioritise their own welfare over that of future graduates, says Hannah Forsyth

ETH Zurich president discusses building public trust in science, supporting apprenticeship schemes and a downside of Einstein’s legacy

Fears that resources will be spread too thinly as ministries and research organisations back majority of possible priorities for the scheme

Taxi drivers are a good source of inspiration on profound questions of alien life, intergalactic travel and deep space exploration, says British scientist