IP victory won in EU
Members of the European Parliament have rejected amendments to a European directive that universities claim would have stopped them from exploiting their intellectual property. The amendments would...
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FE strike action halted
Further education lecturers' union leaders called off threatened strike action this week after discussions with employers that are expected to lead to a better pay offer. The further education...
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Pay talks to restart
London's vice-chancellors have agreed to fresh talks over lecturers' cost-of-living allowance, as unions prepare for the second in a series of five planned one-day shut-downs next week. Members of...
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Teaching academy could doom ILT
The national teaching academy proposed in last week's white paper could sound the death-knell for the Institute for Learning and Teaching. The institute's 14,000 members will be asked in the next two...
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Turf war feared in two-year provision
Heads of further education colleges that deliver higher education courses are worried that white paper proposals will pit them against universities in a fight for foundation degree students. Members...
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Credit ratings boosted
The creditworthiness of top-tier, "traditional" universities will improve as a result of last week's white paper, according to ratings agency Standard & Poor's. But the agency warns that the...
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V-cs warn of threat to pay rises
A surfeit of centrally planned initiatives threatens to cut the cash available for teaching and minimise pay increases for staff, vice-chancellors warned this week. Pay rises for staff in new...
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Only 7% qualify for 'miserly' grants
Only 7 per cent of families that have a child approaching university age would qualify for the government's new £1,000 student grant, according to official figures. The Office for National Statistics...
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In the news: Paul Farrelly
An MP for all of 19 months, Paul Farrelly is already the focus of a looming Labour backbench rebellion against the government's plans for higher education. Mr Farrelly's early-day motion condemning...
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Appointments
* Mark Walport has been named the next director of the Wellcome Trust. He takes over in June from Mike Dexter, who stands down after five years. Professor Walport, 50, is currently head of the...
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'Curb top-up fees or face greater doctor shortage,' medical schools warn
Doctors and medical academics have warned that top-up fees could drive away the medical students needed by the National Health Service to meet its recruitment targets. The white paper made no...
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Worried Clarke pegs loan interest
Eleventh-hour negotiations between education secretary Charles Clarke and chancellor Gordon Brown saved graduates from paying higher rates of interest on their student loans, it emerged this week. Mr...
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Welsh push for financial control
Uncertainty over higher education funding in Wales is causing anxiety among vice-chancellors and student leaders. The Welsh Assembly has promised to increase its efforts to complete negotiations with...
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Ministers battle to sell policy to the Labour Party faithful
The government may have to introduce top-up fees in direct contravention of Labour Party policy. Ministers are engaged in a desperate battle to win Labour hearts and minds over top-ups. Education...
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Scots reject top-up fees but face funding deficit
Scotland's first minister Jack McConnell has ruled out top-up fees north of the border. But, despite welcoming the decision, Scottish higher education institutions warned that without a cash...