Funding reforms could result in ‘brain drain’ to London

The Government has been warned that reforms to the University funding system could result in a “brain drain” to London and the South East.

Concerns have been raised by Universities UK, who have been told that they will need to make a “robust case” in support of the current funding system.

At present, this system provides two streams of funding to universities which ensures that researchers in all fields of study at all institutions have financial support.

Under this system, universities are given quality related funding, which is unrestricted income and can be spent however the university chooses. Institutions also receive additional funding for major research projects from research councils based on the quality of their research which is judged by the Research Excellence Framework (REF).

Professor Geoff Rodgers, vice-chancellor of Brunel University, stated: “The research council money is more strategic, about national priorities, and the quality research money sustains the base. It can support ancient Greek while also allowing investment in new areas. We think that a change would diminish the research base in the UK.”

However, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has revealed plans to centralise all university funding to research councils. According to one vice-chancellor, this would potentially limit funding to unfashionable areas of study.

Critics have suggested that the reforms would only benefit the existing science and technology research centres, such as Oxford, Imperial and Kings College, which all ranked highly in the recent REF.

Further concerns were raised as most of the highest scoring institutions were based in London, which has caused fears over a potential “brain drain” to the capital. This concern follows suggestions that academics would move to London based institutions in order to secure guaranteed research funding.

A recent article in the Research Fortnight magazine revealed that 12.7 percent of the £2 billion of the available research funding over the next six years will be given to Kings College, UCL and Imperial based on their REF results.

Liam Byrne, the shadow universities minister, commented that a system reform could accelerate a tendency for expertise to centralise in the South East. He noted that 85 percent of the jobs created in hi-tech manufacturing, IT, life sciences, telecoms and professional services between 2009 to 2013 were in London and the South East.

Meanwhile, these “knowledge economy” sectors experienced shrinkage in the North East, West Midlands and Scotland.

Mr Byrne commented: “We need our universities to become powerhouses of the knowledge economy all over Britain, not just in London and the south-east.

“We’ve got to take incredible care we do nothing to strip out what’s left of research departments in Britain’s regions. Regional research bases need to be bigger, not smaller.”

Warwick’s director of press and policy, Peter Dunn, is not worried about the university’s prospective funding based on its REF results. He stated: “Our REF performance saw us being ranked seventh overall, joint with UCL in London.

“This was exactly where we ranked last time and this was not an issue for us then, and we do not expect it to be this time either.”