New HEPI +City St George’s Report: ”We believe this is the way to do it’: Exploring the City St George’s merger

HEPI and City St George’s new report examines the most significant UK university merger in over a decade, offering rare, practical insight into how large-scale institutional consolidation actually unfolds.

‘We believe this is the way to do it’: Exploring the City St George’s Merger (HEPI Report 197) draws on in-depth interviews with the senior leaders who steered the process, distilling lessons for a sector increasingly confronting financial pressure, workforce demands and structural reform. For leaders contemplating shared services, strategic alliances or full mergers, this is grounded guidance rather than abstract theory.

The report sets out what must be in place long before legal consolidation: clear governance, phased milestones, rigorous due diligence, shared financial planning and early investment in professional change management. It also confronts the harder realities – that cultural integration takes time, that uncertainty affects staff and students deeply and that academic purpose must remain central even amid operational strain. The creation of a new School of Health & Medical Sciences, uniting complementary strengths across healthcare and medical science, illustrates how strategic fit can translate into enhanced scale, interdisciplinary opportunity and societal impact.

At a moment when resilience and collaboration are moving up the policy agenda, the City St George’s experience provides a practical blueprint for others navigating similar choices. Click here to read the press release and find a link to the report.