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  • HEPI comment on the Budget and Spending Review

    27 October 2021 by Nick Hillman

    Nick Hillman, the Director of the Higher Education Policy Institute, said: The slowdown in planned public spending on research and development is disappointing. Unlike other areas of government spending, when it comes to research, public funding “crowds in” rather than “crowds out” private funding. So the road towards the long-standing…

  • Expect the unexpected? Six things to look out for in the Spending Review

    25 October 2021 by Nick Hillman

    HEPI Director, Nick Hillman, looks forward to this week’s Spending Review. If you made me bet hard cash, I would say it currently seems unlikely that anything positive to do with higher education and research will make up the main story coming out of this week’s Spending Review. On research…

  • New report says R&D spending should focus on the regions as part of ‘levelling up’

    21 October 2021

    Catching the wave: harnessing regional research and development to level up (HEPI Report 144) by Professor Mary Stuart and Liz Shutt shows how university research and innovation activities can play a major part in developing regional economies. The authors argue for encouraging engagement between universities and local employers and their…

  • International students need more relevant careers support if UK is to remain a destination of choice

    14 October 2021 by Nick Hillman

    The Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) and Kaplan are publishing new research on the expectations and experiences of international students in relation to careers support and employability. Paying more for less? Employability support for international students at UK universities (HEPI Report 143) includes specially commissioned new research from the Careers Research…

  • The state of higher education at the start of the 2021 academic year

    8 October 2021 by Nick Hillman

    These are the remarks made by Nick Hillman, HEPI’s Director, last night to the University Marketing Forum’s dinner. Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak to you. I know this meeting has jumped around in our diaries for a year or more, so isn’t it wonderful to be able…

  • HEPI announces the next stage in its development

    1 October 2021 by Nick Hillman

    The Higher Education Policy Institute is an influential Oxford-based think tank and charity established in 2002 to improve the higher education debate using evidence. Today, HEPI is delighted to announce: a new Chair of Trustees and a new Trustee; three new Advisory Board members; and a new Director for Policy…

  • How to boost higher education and cut public spending by David Willetts

    30 September 2021

    In a new paper published by the Higher Education Policy Institute, the Rt Hon. the Lord (David) Willetts, the former Minister for Universities and Science (2010-14), considers how to overcome challenges currently facing the higher education sector as well as how to save public spending on higher education at the…

  • Improving the fortunes of the humanities means thinking about post-16 qualifications

    23 September 2021

    The humanities are often said to be in crisis. But while the crisis narrative obscures many areas of growth and success, the modern humanities nevertheless face real challenges relating to enrolment, graduate employment, and funding. The Humanities in Modern Britain: Challenges and Opportunities (HEPI Report 141) by Dr Gabriel Roberts, which…

  • International students are worth £28.8 billion to the UK

    9 September 2021 by Nick Hillman

    In-depth analysis reveals the huge contribution of international students to the UK’s economic prosperity. Every part of the UK is financially better off – on average by £390 per person – because of international students. International students in Sheffield, Nottingham, London, Cardiff, Glasgow and Newcastle are among those to deliver…