26 May 2015 
Matt Sisson, Projects and Membership Manager
University funding reform may be high on the political agenda, but Alistair Jarvis, Director of Comms & External Engagement at Universities UK, argues that it is the forthcoming EU referendum, rather than any HE-specific legislation, that will have the biggest impact on UK HE. Writing on the Wonk HE website, he says that "Free movement of staff and students allows UK universities to access to talent from across Europe..." while "UK universities accessed over £870 million in research funding in 2013 alone". He also adds a cautionary note that "Making the case for EU membership based solely on the direct benefit to universities is missing a bigger and more important argument".
The main indirect benefit, he argues, is from “collaborations, mobility, and networks enabled by the EU, and through the businesses, charities and communities that work with your university”. In short “the British people, economy and society benefit from the UK being a member of the biggest block of knowledge in the world”.
In related news, Allan Goodman, head of the Institute of International Education, has told the THE about his concerns that the “government’s visa and immigration policies are conveying an image to international students of ‘we don’t want you’”. He said that “It’s the government’s prerogative to control numbers but if universities want more international students it will become increasingly hard to persuade them to come”.
