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1) Focus on internationalising higher education
"Internationalisation is an important element in universities' role in economic growth – whether from the outstanding research being undertaken by overseas academics working in the UK, and the economic translation of this – the impact that internationalisation has on expanding individuals minds and challenging perceptions which are essential features for employees in a globalised employment arena, all the way to the more than £10bn contributed through international students studying in this country." (Alex Bols, 1994 Group)
"More needs to be done to tackle the feeling in some parts of the world that Britain doesn't want more foreign students. It is also why we should encourage our graduates to have an international outlook by supporting study abroad initiatives. Businesses everywhere want graduates and researchers with a global view." (Nic Mitchell, commenter)
2) Ensure our soft and hard skillsbase is world class
"The curriculum should not only provide students with hard skills, but should include elements that further develop students' soft skills. Emerging economies also need to be taken into consideration as they compete with developed countries in producing high-skilled graduates and developing research centres. Companies can, as they previously did with low-skilled jobs, outsource high-skilled labour. By doing so they lower their costs. That includes a downward pressure on incomes of skilled workers in all developed countries." (ReinersA, commenter)
3) Measure and explain the impact of research
"Universities' research is directed primarily at new discoveries-often without any expected application or benefit. Nobody else does this, so itis crucial we nurture and defend this role. However, our broader mission and the public investment universities receive, mean that we also recognise the importance of our impact, and we must facilitate the application of our discoveries for benefit to the economy and society. Our business partners do not want us to be second-rate corporate labs – it's the commitment to discovery and creativity that attracts them in the first place." (Luke Georghiou, University of Manchester)
"Some funding is much more industry oriented, for example Technology Strategy Board and Local Enterprise Parnterships funding. Research Council and some European funding streams offer greater opportunity for 'fundamental' research but there is still some emphasis on support from industry. Perhaps we should as academics be thinking about how we better explain to industry the value of fundamental research – as a precursor, but vital first stage, to applied research?" (Sara Walker, commenter)
4) Collaborate more with business
"The movement of university graduates into firms and other occupations is the single most important way that we transfer the results of our research as well as our teaching. As well as taking the ideas with them, we can also establish lines of communication with our alumni that keep those links going and form the basis for collaborative projects and other ways of working together." (Luke Georghiou)
"There is room for improvement in how universities work with industry to commercialise ideas and contribute to our economic growth, but I worry about how we prevent research becoming too commercialised and too close to business that we stop actually researching things which can actually advance the human race and just become focussed on research which contributes to increased consumerism and economic growth for the sake of growth. (Guardian commenter)
5) Focus on your local economic impact
"If you think about towns and cities and their graduate retention, schemes that utilise the skills of graduates will naturally grow a local economy. This can be seen with the City of Liverpool and the Liverpool ONE project. I don't think actual output is the only impact a university has on a locale, it has to be about the psychological effect of living near an institution. One of my most used lines is that 'universities need to become the university FOR location' – the impact of regionally routed HEIs is huge." (Dom Anderson, National Union of Students)
6) Never lose sight of our commitment to excellence and academic freedom
"Although it was excluded from the Witty review, it's re-assuring to see education (as an export) as a key strand of the emerging governmental industrial strategy. I don't think we should underestimate the high regard in which the UK's higher education system is held. Even with "home grown" competition, there's still a role for us to play in helping shape overseas emerging higher education landscapes, including foci on teaching quality and professional development frameworks." (Adam Powell, Bath Spa University)
"High quality is key. It may mean tension between a high quality experience for the student and maintaining the standards you refer to. Sometimes we cannot give students what they wish for fear of not maintaining standards. Equally we need to ensure this is not an excuse for poor academic support for students." (Anna Vignoles, University of Cambridge)
7) Help students navigate the system
"We must ensure that students have the information to navigate their way through different types of providers to identify the right course and institution for them. This is particularly important for new providers of higher education, which may have a shorter track-record of high quality provision. They provide this information to students and provide reassurances that they meet the various regulations to ensure high quality provision." (Alex Bols)
8) Nurture graduates of all shapes and sizes
"It used to be that investment in infrastructure and physical capital (big machinery) was the best way to drive economic growth. We are now living in a world where human capital is the primary indicator of economic growth. In the words of president Obama: 'Those who out-educate us today will out-perform us tomorrow.' Despite all the rhetoric in the UK about too many graduates, too many universities, needing more apprenticeships etc, the evidence suggests that it is the size and quality of our graduate output that will determine our future economic prosperity as a nation." (Libby Hackett, University Alliance)
9) Get those ideas out there
"I think we went through a decade where policy makers got excitied about the financial returns to universities through the exploitation of IP before they realised that they were incentivising the wrong thing - not that there can't be considerable returns but only in a minority of cases and even for insitutions that take it very seriously it generates a tiny proportion of their income. The greater benefit to the economy is by getting ideas out there - so encouraging universities to maximise the financial returns is counter-productive." (Vivienne Stern, Universities UK)
10) Understand what different degrees do for students
"Not all higher education is the same from an economic perspective, certainly not all degrees are as beneficial economically. So it may be nearer the mark to say the economy needs more graduates but only of a minimum quality and with particular skills. Many degrees and their graduates massively enrich our cultural and social life. We do need more understanding though about what different degrees do for students, both in terms of job opportunity and earnings. While there is clear evidence that degrees benefit individuals, the overall impact of higher education on economic growth is harder to detect. So maximising the impact of our sector on the local and national economy is crucial and better links with industry are clearly key." (Anna Vignoles).
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