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By Tracy Allan. The second day of HEFCE’s 2015 conference, on 5 February, focussed on the theme of higher education and local growth. First at the lectern was Andy Street, Managing Director of the John Lewis Partnership and Chair of one of England’s 39 local economic partnerships (LEPs). More...

By Davina Madden. How many new innovation tools are being pioneered in UK universities? Does higher education have an adequate innovation system of its own? Do our higher education institutions know What Works? More...

By Janet Ilieva. At first glance of the Higher Education Statistical Agency’s data on student enrolments for 2013-14 I breathed a great sigh of relief. International student demand is showing strong signs of recovery. The numbers of EU students look positive, although levels are still below those in 2010.  Demand from India seems to have levelled off at undergraduate level and there’s almost no change in student numbers from Pakistan. More...

By Janet Ilieva. The difference is traditionally attributed to students’ socio-economic background, family and work commitments, age profile among others. HEFCE’s latest report, ‘Directions of travel’, shows that these student groups are increasingly converging. More...

By Steven Hill. Next week the wait will be over, the results of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) will be released to the world. In the run up to the big announcement it isn’t surprising that there is plenty of commentary about the REF, its perceived strengths and weaknesses, its costs and benefits, the funding outcomes, and of course the future of and planning for the next exercise. More...

By Steven Hill. Earlier this week the Nuffield Council on Bioethics launched the report of its enquiry into scientific research culture. HEFCE’s Steven Hill was invited to respond to the report at the launch event, and this post is a summary of his comments. More...

By Steven Hill. The cost of implementing open access policies in the UK remains a hot topic. It is part of the deliberations of the review of RCUK policy of which I am a member, and the question of costs continues to be raised in the context of the open access requirements for the next Research Excellence Framework. More...

By Steven Hill. The construction industry is one of the most dangerous sectors, but over the last decade the rate of serious injuries has more than halved in the UK. Research carried out in the engineering department of Loughborough University has played an important role in developing frameworks and practices that underpin this improvement. More...

By Ed Hughes. The Association of Colleges’ (AoC) annual HE conference is one of the main opportunities in the year to consider the important role college-based higher education plays within the HE system. In the months ahead of a general election – where the provision of higher technical skills and cost of higher education seem set to play a major part – this was an excellent opportunity to hear from experts in the field, and from politicians, on the likely shape of colleges’ contribution to tertiary education in the coming years. More...

By Rachel Tyrrell. In short, yes. In our report : Research to Assess the Nature and Annual Value of Student Start-Ups, focusing on student start-ups and students involved in spin-outs, students who studied within art and design and computer science are far more likely to start up a business. More...