The UK higher education sector is committed to developing robust mechanisms for evidencing its success in delivering efficiency and cost savings. Universities need to invest to deliver excellence in research and teaching while demonstrating transparency and value to students and the public.
Sir Ian Diamond’s report on Efficiency, Effectiveness and Value for Money makes recommendations for establishing a robust and proportionate framework for capturing value for money metrics from universities and reporting annually. This work will be done by UUK, Hefce and other sector stakeholders.
Watch this video of Geraint Johnes, director of the Work Foundation, talking about the challenges of determining efficiency in higher education.
See also
- About the efficiency in higher education agenda
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Posts
Sharing research equipment boosts industry in the north
The N8 Research Partnership has improved and updated its equipment-sharing database. This will make it easier to share apparatus from the region’s most research-intensive universities. Nick Goldspink, interim co-director at N8, explains how the database's improvements will be a massive step forward to academics and to Northern industry, saving money, boosting efficiency and aiding research.- We want to hear your views about the Efficiency Exchange
Efficiency Exchange is a place for higher education professionals to swap great ideas that work. We have hundreds of blogs, case studies and interviews focusing on efficiency and best practice. We’d like to know what you think of them and if there are topics you think we should cover. Please take time to fill in our short survey. - Value for money: what’s that and how do you show it?
The government wants to introduce more structured, mandatory, value for money reporting. More than a dozen HE providers met to talk about their concerns and how it could be implemented. Steve Butcher from HEFCE summarises what was discussed. - Sir Ian Diamond: ‘We can improve… by sharing best practice’.
In an interview with Efficiency Exchange, Professor Sir Ian Diamond reflects on how universities have adapted to become more efficient. - Helping you get to grips with the efficiency agenda
The Leadership Foundation is preparing a guide to help university governors get a better understanding of the efficiency agenda and of the responsibilities that it places on them. Author Simon Perks is keen to hear your views. - Support UUK’s social media campaign to promote the impact of universities
UUK invites Efficiency Exchange readers to join a campaign to promote the wider impact of universities on the economy, society and individuals. UUK campaign manager Ian Morton explains. 
Efficiency Measurement Model survey open
The Efficiency Measurement Model survey from HEFCE is now open along with a free webinar for anyone who wants or needs additional guidance available. Heads of procurement, or another person responsible for completing the survey will now have received an e mail from Emma Keenan at HEPA confirming their username and password. The closing date for the survey is 31 January.- UK universities invited to take part in Europe-wide efficiency survey
The European University Association (EUA) is seeking contributions to a survey focused on three dimensions of efficiency in universities: institutional framework, implementation practices and impact. The responses will help determine how universities understand and achieve efficiency savings whilst maintaining high levels of effectiveness. The deadline for responses is Monday 16 January 2017. - The importance of evidencing improvement
How do you evidence the benefits of work you have done to improve processes in your institution? The University of Strathclyde has developed a guide and training on evidencing benefits and business improvement manager Nicola Cairns shares some of that expertise in this post. - Making it easier to discover new approaches to efficiency
Need help navigating the higher education efficiency agenda? The redesigned Efficiency Exchange website will guide you towards the right place to find help. - Letter from BIS to HEFCE calls for annual efficiency reports
HEFCE has been urged to work with Universities UK and the sector to deliver the recommendations of Professor Sir Ian Diamond’s efficiency reviews, in the latest letter from the business secretary. The letter also calls for the production of annual reports monitoring progress on efficiency, both for the sector as a whole and from individual institutions. - Universities failing to evidence the benefits of business improvement, survey revealsA recent survey by the University of Strathclyde reveals that universities are not successfully evidencing the benefits of business process improvement. Strathclyde's Heather Lawrence introduces the findings of the research.
- 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. - How do you demonstrate the success of efficiency projects?
The University of Strathclyde is gathering information about how higher education practitioners demonstrate the success of their business improvement projects. The university’s business improvement manager Heather Lawrence explains how you can help. - Hefce survey reveals bigger procurement savings
English universities’ procurement efficiencies have saved tens of millions of pounds in a year, according to a survey by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce). - University plans for student-friendly financial information – due 31 October
Universities are being asked to publish income and expenditure information drawn from their financial statements on their websites in a way that is useful and accessible to students. The deadline for informing Hefce how they intend to do this is 31 October, ready to publish details from their 2013-14 audited accounts by January 2015. - Survey update available from HEPA
The September edition of HEPA News is now ready to read on its website. It includes an update on the efficiency measurement model (EMM) survey, HEPA face-to-face training, e-learning and the inaugural conference. - Efficiency in Education
Academics, researchers, practitioners and policy-makers interested in analysing performance in education are invited to attend a two-day academic workshop at Lancaster University to celebrate 25 year's experience in evaluating performance indicators and efficiency. - Monitoring efficiency and effectiveness in Swedish higher educationHow does the Swedish approach to monitoring efficiency and effectiveness in higher education differ from the UK? Andrea Amft, Max Kesselberg and Anders Viberg of the Swedish Higher Education Authority reflect on their visit to Universities UK and HESA.
