On 11 March 2025, University Alliance hosted a parliamentary event showcasing the role of UA’s leading professional and technical universities across four themes: opportunity, community and civic impact, innovation and growth and skills. The event, which was partly intended as an introduction to UA for new parliamentarians following the 2024 general election, was attended by MPs […]
University Alliance has made its submission to the Treasury ahead of this year’s Spending Review. The submission highlights how professional and technical universities are critical to delivering the government’s decade of renewal, and focuses on three of the government’s missions: kickstarting economic growth, building an NHS fit for the future and breaking down the barriers […]
In a new publication, University Alliance has set out a range of impactful priority actions for the government to take in their first 100 days in power. UA’s latest policy briefing ‘Let’s Get Technical: The First 100 Days’ identifies policies that are cost-neutral or low-cost to deliver that could help professional and technical universities deliver […]
18 leaders from Chambers of Commerce and business networks from across the UK have collectively written to the Chancellor to warn against watering down or scrapping the graduate visa route. The letter, which was coordinated by the University Alliance group of universities, has also been signed by leaders from the Russell Group and Universities UK. […]
In a letter to the Financial Times, University Alliance CEO Vanessa Wilson talks about what’s missing in the conversations about the current challenges facing the higher education sector. “Robert Shrimsley’s piece on the crisis in higher education (Opinion, January 18) summarises the financial challenges facing universities in England well. There’s something missing however in the […]
Note: in July 2024, following the election of a new Labour government, University Alliance has published an updated publication Let’s Get Technical: The First 100 Days. This sets out our recommendations for the government’s first 100 days in office, and in the long-term. University Alliance, an association of the UK’s leading professional and technical universities, […]
University Alliance has responded to the announcement that the UK is to re-join Horizon Europe. Commenting on the news, Vanessa Wilson, CEO of University Alliance, said: “We are delighted and relieved that, after many years of uncertainty, the UK has associated fully with Horizon Europe. Collaborations with international partners are vital to harnessing the […]
In response to the initial proposed changes to the Research Excellence Framework (REF), Vanessa Wilson CEO of University Alliance said: “We welcome the initial proposed changes to the next Research Excellence Framework. In our consultation response to the Future Research Assessment Programme, we outlined concerns that REF would become a more frequent exercise. We […]
On 6 April 2023, the Government released a prospectus for a potential UK alternative to the Horizon Europe, named Pioneer. In response, Vanessa Wilson, CEO of University Alliance, said: “The whole Higher Education sector has been unanimous that association with Horizon Europe will always be our preference ahead of any alternative scheme. That said, University […]
University Alliance, the association of the UK’s leading professional and technical universities, has today responded to the Chancellor’s spring budget statement. Commenting on the statement, Vanessa Wilson, University Alliance CEO, said: On investment zones: “The Chancellor has clearly recognised the role universities play in driving growth in the Spring budget today. We are pleased that […]