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>> So in the UK we have a number of universities, all
of whom are carrying out research,
all of whom are carrying out teaching.
But in this day and age
where things are a little more financially stretched,
we need to think about differentiation
of mission of universities.
The research-intensive universities are ideally placed
to make these major breakthroughs
in understanding the challenges that face the world.
We're able to train the next generation of research leaders,
and we're also able to interact with industry and commerce
in a very effective fashion.
I think we need to think about restructuring the models
for universities in Britain.
We have to perhaps think about changing the way
that they're funded so that research-intensive areas are
protected, so that they can make these contributions
to the economy and to the global system.
We also have to perhaps think about the way
in which students are trained in universities,
recognising that we want to broaden the mobility of students
so that students perhaps can migrate from one university
where they've studied for a couple of years, and then move
to another university which is more research-intensive,
where their more advanced studies might be most
appropriately carried out.
Britain's research-intensive universities carry
out research, we do teaching. But the research that we carry
out is world-leading, and the limited resources
that we have available
to support research must now be concentrated
so that we can recognise
and support the world-leading activities which we have
in these half a dozen or so universities in the UK,
which really are
at the pioneering age of global discovery.
Our research and our research funding in Britain needs
to be concentrated in order
to maintain its world-leading position.
We must consider sharing resources in Britain
to make full use of the intellectual capital
that we have and the investment that we've made
into equipment and facilities.
And therefore research-intensive universities should also be seen
as national centres for collaboration
so that we have a hub and a spoke relationship;
that there can be a number of adjunct relationships
between researchers in different universities enjoying the full
research activity and strength
of the major multi-discipline research centres.
If the funding doesn't come
to the research-intensive universities
in the next few years, we'll lose the world-leading staff
because we're playing in a globally competitive market.
We'll also fail to attract the international students that come
to Britain to study because they know that a degree
from a British university is a mark of excellence
because we are world-leading universities.
And so we would lose both the capability in the United Kingdom
for developing ideas and implementing those ideas,
and translating those ideas into industry, as well
as losing the advantage of being an attraction
for incoming international students.
So we really are now at a crossroads.
Britain can carry on declining gently, I suppose,
good researchers becoming mediocre researchers
as they get older and lose responsibility and net funding,
or we can have a transformation in our funding environment
and our research environment so that we can sustain the jewels
in the crown, we can sustain the world-leading institutions
that we have, and we can keep Britain at the cutting edge
of research and education in this world.