Oxford start-up hub aims to help create 4,000 jobs Research England throws weight behind new innovation project that promises to raise nearly £1 billion in private capital By Jack Grove 24 January
Number of researchers in REF ‘up 43 per cent’ under new rules Big increase would represent less than three-quarters of eligible headcount suggested by official data By Jack Grove 23 January
UK universities ‘increasingly reliant’ on Chinese fee income Chinese students worth at least £1.7 billion to sector, representing more than 10 per cent of revenue at several institutions By Simon Baker 23 January
V-c calls for admissions quotas to create mixed-ability campuses Open University head says that students should be randomly allocated if a university is oversubscribed By Anna McKie 23 January
We need to know which widening participation initiatives actually work There is evidence of success in changing attitudes, but effects on admissions remain woefully under-explored, says David Robinson By David Robinson 23 January
Ex-Richmond v-c files complaint against charitable funder Complaint to Charity Commission alleges that funding to university was suspended, but foundation chair rejects claims as ‘without merit’ By John Morgan 22 January
French business schools sell luxury lifestyle to Chinese recruits Institutions launch courses focused on top brands and spirits to boost international recruitment By Anna McKie 22 January
SOAS blames ‘challenging’ finances as research leave cancelled Union condemns ‘short-sighted’ suspension of institution-funded research leave, saying move amounts to ‘institutional self-sabotage’ By Jack Grove 21 January
Kate Barker to succeed David Eastwood as USS chair Birmingham v-c to step down from pension fund board this August By Chris Havergal 21 January
Backlash over call for ‘Darwinism’ in French research funding Ahead of a new law that critics fear will reduce tenure rights, French scientists have opposed CNRS chief’s full-throated support for competition By David Matthews 21 January
The DfE’s policy responses mix weak soup with meaty steak Augar’s questions remain largely unanswered but proposals for further education are largely comprehensive and coherent, says Nick Hillman By Nick Hillman 21 January
British professor quits as external examiner over passport check UCL academic ‘staggered by the levels of mistrust’ shown as institutions ‘over-comply’ with É«ºÐÖ±²¥ Office policy By Anna McKie 21 January
