The higher education estate – investing in quality
Research for the efficiency review shows that University buildings are in better condition and more fit for purpose, compared with the previous decade. But as Sian Kilner explains, effective estate management will be vital for meeting the challenges to come.
Latest data highlights transformation in higher education procurement
New research shows improvements in procurement across England's higher education sector over the last five years have resulted in a rise in savings and efficiencies of more than 50%. The findings come in the latest survey of Efficiency Measurement Model (EMM) data carried out by North Western Universities Purchasing Consortium (NWUPC) on behalf of Procurement England Ltd (PEL), a company that brings together the four English purchasing consortia.
Developing and supporting a sharing culture
Collaboration has led to efficiencies in areas such as procurement and shared services, but it can be a challenge to embed this culture. The University of Nottingham’s Paul Greatrix shares his experiences of a successful collaboration with the University of Birmingham.
Open data opportunities in higher education
Sharing data openly offers huge benefits for higher education and institutions must make the most of it, says Ian Powling, Digital Programmes Lead at Universities UK.
Eight lessons from the private sector for universities investing in technology-enhanced learning
Universities are increasingly investing in technology-enhanced learning, but education consultant Peter Chatterton writes that to get the maximum benefit from this investment, they should learn from experiences beyond the sector.
Efficient sharing of university data is closer than you think
Open data is enabling higher education institutions to discover and make the most of opportunities to collaborate, share equipment and expertise. Adrian Cox, project manager at equipment.data, writes about how how this kind of collaboration is helping to achieve efficiencies.
Sir David Bell: efficiency is crucial for serving universities’ core mission
As we anticipate the publication of the efficiency review, vice chancellor Sir David Bell explains to Rosie Niven that a university’s core mission is learning and research, and that efficiency is never an end in itself.
Only connect: UCL’s vision for greater synergy between research and education
Institutions across the world are increasingly looking at fresh possibilities of making connections between their research and students educations. Dilly Fung explains three new, interrelated initiatives at UCL that are designed to make research and education inspire and strengthen each other.
In pictures: the fourth Efficiency in Higher Education Conference
The fourth Efficiency in Higher Education Conference on 25 March brought together some of the individuals working to make higher education more efficient and effective to share their experiences and knowledge with others. Here are some images from the day.
Raising the return: the benefits and opportunities from equipment sharing
Sharing equipment will be a key theme in Professor Sir Ian Diamond’s forthcoming report on efficiency in higher education. Sarah Jackson and Luke Georgiou introduce findings from the study of this activity which show that it is helping to advance scientific research while delivering value to the public purse.
