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10 February 2010

million+ gives evidence to Select Committee on impact of cuts


Professor Les Ebdon, Chair of million+ and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire, today gave evidence to the Science and Technology Select Committee’s inquiry on the impact of spending cuts on scientific research. Professor Ebdon made clear that, even in difficult economic times, world-leading research should be funded wherever it is found and argued that there is no case to support the concentration of postgraduate doctoral students in just a handful of universities.

Professor Ebdon said: “Any move towards an increase in research concentration would be a false economy: a handful of universities cannot possibly deliver the dynamic and innovative research base which the UK needs and which DBIS should be promoting. The recent increase in concentration may have been described by Hefce as an “initial” step but it could become a slippery slope.”

“Many modern universities are hugely productive in their postgraduate provisions, on very low levels of funding, and with highly successful research groups that are relatively small in size. There is no robust evidence that postgraduate doctoral provision is dependent on a ‘critical mass’ of world-leading research or that this produces greater efficiency and better outcomes. Expanding excellence, innovation and opportunity should be at the heart of postgraduate provision in the UK. Sacrificing this idea, to supposedly preserve quality, is just what those who would cut higher education budgets further want to hear. All universities need to make clear that the result would be a narrowing of opportunities for students and graduates.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

  1. million+ is a leading university think-tank, working to solve the complex problems in higher education www.millionplus.ac.uk
  2. Professor Ebdon gave oral evidence to the Science & Technology Select Committee on Wednesday 10 February. (Professor Michael Arthur, Chair, The Russell Group, Professor Janet Beer, Chair, University Alliance and Professor Paul Wellings, Chair, The 1994 Group gave evidence at the same session).
  3. million+’s written evidence submitted to the committee can be downloaded here.
  4. Full details of the inquiry, including its terms of reference, can be found here.
  5. For more information please contact Victoria Mills on 0207 7171655 or 07900 277819