Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Chris Parr

Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 18h

Breaking: Tories would slash university places by 100k.

Student numbers cap plan billed as saving £3 billion to invest in apprenticeship funding.

Tomorrow, Badenoch will unveil plans to limit student numbers across all subjects.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

Tories would slash university places by 100,000 - Research Professional News

Student numbers cap plan billed as saving £3 billion to invest in “doubled” apprenticeship funding

www.researchprofessionalnews.com

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Reposted by Chris Parr

Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 1d

Rocketing visa costs ‘squeeze university research budgets’.

Research-intensive institutions forced to hike spending on immigration fees, freedom of information requests show.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

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Chris Parr @chrisjparr.bsky.social · 23h

Great day 1 at the Hidden REF Festival 2025.

Really friendly vibe, and really interesting discussions about non-traditional research outputs. @hiddenref.bsky.social

Write-up: www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

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Chris Parr @chrisjparr.bsky.social · 1d

Risk-averse universities “hindering REF performance” by ignoring non-traditional research.

Institutions should “pull their socks up”, @nataliejessic10.bsky.social tells the 2025 Hidden REF Festival (@hiddenref.bsky.social).

Free to read: www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

Risk-averse universities ‘hindering own REF performance’ - Research Professional News

Hidden REF Festival: Institutions urged to “pull their socks up” and submit more non-traditional outputs

www.researchprofessionalnews.com

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Chris Parr @chrisjparr.bsky.social · 1d

Excellent address by the Uni of Liverpool's Natalie Wallis at #HiddenREF festival (@hiddenref.bsky.social). Report to follow.

In the meantime, here's something Wallis wrote for @resprofnews.bsky.social recently on non-traditional research outputs:

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...

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Chris Parr @chrisjparr.bsky.social · 1d

Excited to be at day 1 of the Hidden REF festival (@hiddenref.bsky.social).

Fair to say it's an interesting time for research assessment. #hiddenref

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Reposted by Chris Parr

Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 5d

Rocketing visa costs have forced UK research-intensive universities to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds extra to recruit international staff over the last two years—with costs at individual institutions reaching as high as £2 million a year.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

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Reposted by Chris Parr

Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 6d

‘It’s bananas’: why student fee levy spells trouble for research.

Funding maintenance grants through money raised from international fees leaves universities facing “awkward questions”.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

‘It’s bananas’: why student fee levy spells trouble for research - Research Professional News

Funding maintenance grants through money raised from international fees leaves universities facing “awkward questions”

www.researchprofessionalnews.com

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Reposted by Chris Parr

Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 6d

It was a busy Labour Party conference for HE and R&D, with major announcements in the main hall and a lively fringe programme.🌹

Here is a rundown of our coverage, starting with news that a fee levy will fund maintenance grants in England. #Lab25

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

Labour to bring back maintenance grants, funded by levy - Research Professional News

Labour 2025: International fee levy will fund grants for disadvantaged students, education secretary announces

www.researchprofessionalnews.com

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Chris Parr @chrisjparr.bsky.social · 6d

Rising UK visa fees have forced research-intensive universities into spending hundreds of thousands of pounds extra to recruit international staff over the last two years—with costs at individual institutions reaching as high as £2 million a year.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

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Chris Parr @chrisjparr.bsky.social · 7d

Some great quotes in this #Lab25 fringe.

Sussex VC says some journalists are on a “relentless campaign against universities” because they see them as “generators of woke ideology” (despite benefitting from university and expecting it for their kids).
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

UK academic quality ‘in imminent danger from political climate’ - Research Professional News

Labour 2025: Sussex vice-chancellor blames hostile media for impression that universities lack public support

www.researchprofessionalnews.com

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Chris Parr @chrisjparr.bsky.social · 7d

This was really interesting to look at. The creep, creep creep of higher visa costs means that in the space of 2 years, at least 5 Russell Group universities have seen their spending on visa costs rise by more than £100,000.

Meanwhile, it's not as if we are in halcyon days for university funding.

Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 7d

Rocketing visa costs ‘squeeze university research budgets’.

Research-intensive institutions forced to hike spending on immigration fees, freedom of information requests show.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

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Reposted by Chris Parr

Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 8d

Universities ‘must not forget EDI obligations’ amid REF 2029 pause.

University of Oxford’s chief diversity officer says most Britons “believe EDI is a good thing”. #Lab25

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

Universities ‘must not forget EDI obligations’ amid REF pause - Research Professional News

Labour 2025: Oxford’s chief diversity officer says most Britons “believe EDI is a good thing”

www.researchprofessionalnews.com

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Chris Parr @chrisjparr.bsky.social · 8d

Keir Starmer ‘scraps 50 per cent university access’ target.

Starmer two years ago: “I never thought I would hear a modern Conservative prime minister say that 50 per cent of our children going to university was a ‘false dream’.”

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

Keir Starmer ‘scraps 50 per cent university access’ target - Research Professional News

Labour 2025: Prime minister sets wider goal including apprenticeships, misquoting target set by Tony Blair

www.researchprofessionalnews.com

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Chris Parr @chrisjparr.bsky.social · 8d

But it was never a target of "50% to uni" in the first place. It was that 50% should do some form of "higher education". Which is different.

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Chris Parr @chrisjparr.bsky.social · 8d

"I can announce we will scrap that target and replace it with a new ambition that two thirds of our children should go either to university or take a gold standard apprenticeship." #Lab25

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Chris Parr @chrisjparr.bsky.social · 8d

Keir Starmer: "I don't think the way we currently measure success in education. That ambition to get 50% of kids to uni. I don't think that's right for our times."
#Lab25

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Chris Parr @chrisjparr.bsky.social · 9d

Universities in England will be chuffed that they will have an international fee levy imposed but not rest of UK.

Newcastle VC says charging students 6% more to cover the cost seems less likely than simply taking cash from he bottom line:
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

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Chris Parr @chrisjparr.bsky.social · 9d

More details - free to read.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

Labour government to bring back student maintenance grants - Research Professional News

Labour 2025: Return of grants will be funded by international fee levy, education secretary announces

www.researchprofessionalnews.com

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Chris Parr @chrisjparr.bsky.social · 9d

Labour government to bring back student maintenance grants, says education sec.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

Labour government to bring back student maintenance grants - Research Professional News

Labour 2025: Education secretary Bridget Phillipson says grants will help “those who need them most”

www.researchprofessionalnews.com

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Chris Parr @chrisjparr.bsky.social · 9d

Big HE announcement does come in Bridget Phillipson speech at #Lab25.

Labour will introduce "new targeted maintenance grants for students who need them most".

More details to follow.

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Chris Parr @chrisjparr.bsky.social · 9d

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson rattling off education achievements of the Labour government at #LabourConference.

Nothing on higher education yet.

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Chris Parr @chrisjparr.bsky.social · 9d

It was a lively session. Refreshingly frank statements from panellists and audience alike.

Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 9d

Labour MP Alex Sobel describes government fee levy plan as “stupid”, and also says ministers should never have implemented free speech act.

Meanwhile, Russell Group VC describes fee levy as “utterly bonkers”.

Lively session at #Lab25.

Full story:
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

Labour MP describes government fee levy plan as ‘stupid’ - Research Professional News

Labour 2025: Alex Sobel also says ministers “should never should have implemented free speech act”

www.researchprofessionalnews.com

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Reposted by Chris Parr

Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 9d

Lowering entry grades ‘may come back to bite selective universities’.

#LabourConference 2025: UUK president warns high-tariff institutions could struggle to meet student needs.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

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Chris Parr @chrisjparr.bsky.social · 9d

Nice to be in Liverpool in the sunshine for #LabourConference. Big difference from last year's downpours (so far 🤞). #Lab25

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