HEFCE Boosts Physics Collaboration in South East England
Education Guardian, 7th April 2008 HEFCE has approved funding of £12.5 million to bring together, promote and sustain physics provision in six departments in South East England so that they can develop and support the regional and national economy. Total additional funding over the next seven years including resources provided by the universities and partner organisations will be £27.8 million.
Professor David Eastwood, Chief Executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, told the HEFCE annual conference today (7 April 2007) that the Council's support for the six physics departments in the South East was the latest in a series of collaborative projects designed to strengthen research, teaching and knowledge transfer in science in different parts of the country involving 12 universities nationally.
In a message: 'HEFCE sustains science', Professor Eastwood said the Council was supporting a new organisation called the South East Physics Network (SEPNET). This involved the University of Kent, Queen Mary University of London, Royal Holloway University of London, Southampton University, University of Surrey and University of Sussex acting together to promote Physics in the region, nationally and internationally.
The consortium will be led by an independent chair and will support four main collaborative research themes. It will also have a graduate school; an outreach programme to stimulate interest in the subject among pupils in the region's schools, and a knowledge transfer programme which will include a one-stop shop to regional employers with a special focus on small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Professor Eastwood said a review undertaken by HEFCE in 2006 indicated that all the departments faced deficits if they continued to operate in isolation. 'The key to unlocking their potential has been to facilitate and support their collaboration so that they can secure greater levels of activities and leverage additional funds. By working in collaboration they can raise the quality of teaching and research, building on the strengths of the individual departments, and broaden the contribution of physics both through research and the development of highly skilled students.'
Professor Eastwood told the HEFCE conference at the University of Warwick that as well as supporting greater research collaboration HEFCE was making impressive progress in working with partners to stimulate interest in science subjects. HEFCE had provided £15 million for demand raising work. Four projects: Chemistry for our future led by the Royal Society of Chemistry; Stimulating Physics led by the Institute of Physics; the London Engineering Project led by the Royal Academy of Engineering; and More Maths Grads led by the Maths, Stats and Operational Research subject centre were all successfully involved in pilot projects engaged in enhancing and enriching activities with schools and colleges in partnership with universities and employers.
'The health of these subjects and their contribution to the economy depend on their ability to attract and retain increasing numbers of students. Although it is too early to judge the long term success of the projects we are supporting, early signs are very encouraging with significant increases in UCAS applications. We remain committed to developing an integrated national higher education programme in STEM subjects which will bring together the four separate projects we currently fund so that they become firmly embedded within and across the education sectors,' he said.