Researchers in post-Soviet states seeking out international funds Analysis of publication data since break-up of Soviet Union suggests collaboration could be making up for a lack of domestic resources By Simon Baker 17 November
Michelle Donelan: ‘not useful to talk targets’ on HE enrolment Minister sidesteps question of whether she wants participation cut, while saying rapid Covid tests will be deployed for post-Christmas campus returns By John Morgan 17 November
English universities plan charter to tackle ‘low-quality’ courses Move will include guidance around when to close, merge or reform courses, but Universities UK points out difficulty of assessing courses’ value By Ellie Bothwell 16 November
Universities may ‘struggle’ to run mass Covid tests, v-cs warn Sector leaders raise questions over timing of pre-Christmas plans and workload involved By Anna McKie 16 November
Russian politics ‘plagued by PhD plagiarism’ Half of regional governors’ dissertations contained copied text, and these plagiarists went on to perform worse in government, research suggests By David Matthews 16 November
New book provides self-help for those struggling in academe Being Well in Academia offers guidance on ‘bullying, conflict, death, poverty, racism and violence’, says author and ‘agony aunt’ Petra Boynton By Matthew Reisz 15 November
We need to talk about student homelessness UK universities must investigate how many of their students are affected by homelessness – and what can be done about it, says Ricardo Visinho By Ricardo Visinho 15 November
Williamson confirms plan to consider post-qualification admissions Education secretary says use of predicted grades in English system ‘breeds low aspiration and unfairness’ By Chris Havergal 13 November
Universities and pension bosses at loggerheads over USS future Vice-chancellors criticise level of contributions proposed by Universities Superannuation Scheme By Chris Havergal 13 November
Universities ‘moving closer to the centre’ of political conflict UK’s chief scientific adviser for national security says threat to universities’ values is most significant risk By Ellie Bothwell 13 November
Call for mission-focused ‘collaboration zones’ to boost UK R&D Vice-chancellors and business leaders urge tighter focus and fresh funding incentives to drive up industry-academia innovation By Chris Havergal 13 November
V-cs back ‘post-qualification offers’ admissions system for UK Vice-chancellors say confirming offers after results day would increase ‘fairness for applicants’, with switch proposed for 2023 By Anna McKie 13 November
