This week saw UUK publishing their blueprint for higher education.

Opportunity, growth and partnership – A blueprint for change from the UK’s universities

We stand at a fork in the road in the history of the UK’s universities. There is now a clear choice. We can allow our distinguished, globally competitive higher education system to slide into decline. Or we can act together, as institutions and with government, to ensure that higher education is able to deliver for the nation into the 2030s.

It is 143 pages long, so for the recommendations, head to page 128.

I did participate in the process of contributing to the report, in the main chapter six.

In relation to my work, there are two recommendations worth noting.

• removing VAT on higher education shared services
• introducing a transformation fund to enable and accelerate changes to universities’ operating and business models in order to achieve greater efficiency

It is a frustration for many higher education institutions that if they decide to outsource or collaborate on a shared service, then the institution has to pay VAT on the costs of that. Whereas if they decide to undertake the service in-house they obviously do not need to pay VAT. So even if there are savings to be had from shared services or collaboration, the reality is that any such savings are wiped out by the additional VAT costs.

I recently wrote about the need for universities to change.

So universities may know and realise that they need to change, but they can’t afford to make those changes now. As a result they may never change.

So, it was welcome to read in the UUK report about introducing a transformation fund to enable and accelerate changes to universities’ operating and business models in order to achieve greater efficiency.

I have been reviewing and commenting on the draft of a report I have been working on.

Undertook some organising and planning for HEAnet Group Advisory Forum which is happening next week.

I also had a preparatory meeting for Education Summit presentation and conference, where I am presenting on the Intelligent Campus.