A new £100 million investment fund to support research partnerships between universities, businesses, charities and philanthropic donors will open for bids on Monday, Universities and Science Minister David Willetts will announce today.
The Research Partnership Investment Fund will be open to UK universities for investment in long-term capital projects that leverage in significant private funding. Universities

A range of ways to help students gain vital international experience from overseas study and work placements was set out today in a report commissioned by Universities and Science Minister David Willetts.
The report by Professor Colin Riordan, Chair of the UK HE International Unit, looks at the incentives and obstacles to students studying and working

Changes announced today to the allocation of university places increase the focus on putting students at the heart of system.
• Uncapped recruitment for high achieving students will be further eased in 2013/14. The A-level threshold will lower from AAB+ to ABB+.
• A further 5,000 places will be allocated through a competitive core and margin to

Skills Minister John Hayes today announced that Frank McLoughlin CBE, Principal of City and Islington College, will chair the independent Commission on adult education and vocational pedagogy.
As announced by the Government in New Challenges, New Chances last December, the Commission will have the aim of improving adult vocational education; setting out recommendations to ensure that

A group of enterprising teenagers enjoyed a visit to Parliament today with Business and Enterprise Minister Mark Prisk. The team from St George’s school in Blackpool won the Premier League’s Enterprise Challenge.
The team had to come up with an idea to enhance the match day experience of supporters at a Premier League football match. Their

A report published today calls for universities to be at the heart of the economy to promote growth in the UK and improve the employability of our graduates.
The former vice-chancellor of the University of Hertfordshire and HEFCE board member Professor Sir Tim Wilson was asked by the Government to undertake a review into how universities

Following consultation, the Government has today announced there will be no charge on graduates repaying their loans early.
In a consultation document published last June the Government asked whether there should be a charge for early repayment, and if so, what form such a charge would take. Most respondents did not favour the introduction of a

Skills Minister John Hayes today set out the funding available to those undertaking initial teacher education (ITE) to teach in the Further Education (FE) and Skills sector.
For 2012 – 13, bursaries of £1,000 will be introduced to enable up to 10,000 trainees to take either the Higher Education Institution (HEI)-accredited Diploma in Teaching in the

Reducing the costs universities face will enable them to focus more of their resources on world-class teaching and research.
Delivering the Politeia Winter Address today, Universities and Science Minister David Willetts will say our universities are precious national institutions which the Government wants to see well supported.
He will say an agreement reached with Her Majesty’s Treasury

Speaking at today’s Association of Colleges Annual Conference, Skills Minister John Hayes set out a vision for a stronger, more flexible and more independent further education sector.
Mr Hayes said that colleges will be given more freedoms to deliver the learning that meets the needs of local people and employers through simplified governance, quality assurance and