The Russell Group
The Russell Group represents the 20 leading UK universities which are committed to maintaining the very best research, an outstanding teaching and learning experience and unrivalled links with business and the public sector.
New report reveals that the international standing of UK universities is under threat from underfunding
The Russell Group's new independently-researched report, Staying on top: The challenge of sustaining world-class higher education in the UK, outlines the dangers of underinvestment in Britain’s leading research-intensive universities and the wider implications for the health of the UK economy.
Commenting on this new report the Director General of The Russell Group, Dr Wendy Piatt, said:
“The UK now stands at a crossroads – without more investment in higher education, the UK risks jeopardising the competitive advantage which has made its universities the envy of the world. University underfunding also has serious consequences for the nation. As the UK’s economic competitiveness becomes increasingly dependent upon high-tech industries and skilled graduates, our leading research-intensive universities will be of increasing and crucial importance in driving future growth and prosperity.
“UK universities currently punch well above their weight in the international sphere. But research-intensive institutions are under-resourced in comparison with their international competitors. While universities in the UK are bracing themselves for a period of austerity and uncertainty, other nations are rightly pouring investment into their universities at this key time before the world economy picks up. Our competitors know that this investment will be crucial to their future success in a global knowledge economy.
“In the balance for the UK lies not only the preservation of an outstanding sector of which we can be proud; also at stake is the UK’s future as a really successful, dynamic and prosperous nation.”
Curiosity-driven research creates big economic pay-offs
Blue skies research produces the biggest economic pay-offs in the long run, says a report published by the Russell Group of 20 leading research universities.
The report looks at a wide range of economic impacts from spin-out companies and licences to consultancies and collaborations between universities and businesses. A sample of 66 breakthrough discoveries at Russell Group institutions analysed in the report have generated combined wealth of almost £2bn.
The report, The economic impact of research conducted in Russell Group universities, comes at a time when universities are acutely concerned about the possibility of future cutbacks in research funding as the government seeks large savings in public expenditure.
Dr Wendy Piatt, Director General of the Russell Group, says: “Public investment in research at Russell Group universities has resulted in far-reaching benefits which have been shared by the UK’s businesses, the government, and by the taxpayer.
“This report demonstrates that investment in leading research is not a luxury to be set to one side in times of increased stringency. Instead, it is an indispensible component of the UK’s economic competitiveness, and the key to its future growth."
Download the report
Russell Group and 1994 Group universities launch £4 million scholarships scheme
The Russell Group and 1994 Group of universities have launched a groundbreaking £1000 scholarship for students who wish to study science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects at university.
The ‘Eliahou Dangoor Scholarships’, launched with a £3 million donation over three years, will be one of the largest private bursary or scholarship schemes in the UK, and will be administered across Russell Group and 1994 Group universities. Matched funding from government is expected to bring the total funding available to over £4 million. You can learn more about the scholarship and hear from previous Dangoor scholars in this video.
Thanks to the generous donation from Dr Naim Dangoor this scholarship will assist up to 4000 students, most from under-privileged backgrounds, to study vital science and maths-based subjects at the UK’s leading research-intensive universities.
Dr Dangoor has said that this scholarship, named in honour of his father Eliahou Dangoor, is his way of thanking the country that gave him refuge after he left Iraq in the 1960s. It is hoped that this ambitious scheme will encourage more young people to consider studying STEM subjects at one of the country’s leading universities.
More information on the scholarships and the universities involved in the scheme is available here