29.11.07
Scottish universities face 'their most difficult three years financially since the early 1990s', says Universities Scotland
This gloomy assessment is a result of the three-year Scottish Government Spending Review, which was announced this month. Instead of the £168 million (15%) increase the sector was lobbying for, it got only £30 million (2.9%), a figure which it sees as translating into a real term cut of 0.2% in 2008-9.
Lack of growth in research
Predicting 'adverse consequences of varying degrees of severity for individual institutions', the representative body for Scottish universities points out that 'it is difficult to see how there can be any real growth in innovative research until the next decade.'
In current circumstances it is difficult to see a bright side, however, faced with the prospect of going to war with the new SNP administration, Universities Scotland is advocating a conciliatory approach in the hope of jam tomorrow.
The body is pointing to the broad perception that universities were hard done by in the Spending Review, something which it believes augers well for the next one.
First in the queue...
It has also been reassured by the setting up of a joint industry-government Future Thinking Taskforce that will look at the funding of higher education over the next decade or more.
And it has been given to understand that the universities will be first in the queue if there is any under-spend in other areas over the next three years.
Nevertheless, everyone is well aware that another result like this one would be a disaster.