BUFDG Digest 10 September

BUFDG  

It’s not long until this year’s TRAC Practitioners Conference, which will be held online from 1pm on Tuesday 23rd to 1pm on Wednesday 24th September and include plenary and breakout sessions, updates from the TRAC Development Group, and the latest TRAC guidance. Tickets are still available, and an optional ‘TRAC for Beginners’ session will run on Tuesday 16th September, 10am–12.30pm, ideal for first-time attendees.

We’re announcing some changes to our annual Management Accountants event, which will now be spread across two weeks (19 and 20 November, 25 and 26 November) to allow more flexibility. Bookings are now open for the renamed Management Accountants’ Summit, look out for more details over the coming weeks.

A new Failure to Prevent Fraud e-learning module is now available for BUFDG-pro members. It explains the new offence under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, its relevance to Higher Education Providers (HEPs), and what actions institutions should take. The offence came into effect on 1 September 2025.

SECTOR

Announced this morning, the universities of Kent and Greenwich have decided to form a multi-university group. While the exact legal structure of the entity isn’t clear, the two universities will retain their own branding, students will still be able to apply to either Kent or Greenwich, but all staff will be employed by the combined group. The first V-C will Greenwich’s Jane Harrington. The BBC has the news and Wonkhe also comments.

As the leaves start to fall and the nights draw in, the release of the planned summer white paper on post-16 education and skills is now expected to fall in the autumn. Wonkhe’s Debbie McVitty looks at what’s coming up for HE policy in 2025–26, and Jim Dickinson considers what new Treasury influences might mean for H E in the upcoming budget.

The big news this week revolved around the UUK conference, blessed with the attendance of three government ministers, OfS Chair Prof. Edward Peck, as well as UUK President Prof. Malcolm Press. Between them they generated a considerable amount of press coverage, with the BBC running with Prof. Peck’s suggestion that there could be different fee levels (in England) based on performance in the TEF, and David Kernohan of Wonkhe looking at the rest of his speech - identifying a shift in position on how the regulator expects to perform its primary task, including greater collaboration with its equivalent bodies in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

UCU has announced it will be balloting 65,000 members at 138 institutions over strike action following UCEA’s recent pay offer. UCEA believes the other H E unions will also ballot for industrial action in the coming months. In related news, UCU and other unions represented on TPS scheme advisory boards have written to the Treasury, urging it to expedite the review of how the scheme’s normal pension age is calculated, which could significantly reduce contribution rates.

A new “Opportunities for efficiency through shared services” report by Universities UK’s Transformation and Efficiency Taskforce has highlighted practical routes to reform and expand shared services across the sector. Drawing on consultation with over 60 institutions, the report identifies barriers such as VAT constraints, lack of standardisation, and limited awareness, and proposes actions to improve coordination, uptake, and sustainability. It calls for a “shared services first” mindset, stronger sector-led collaboration, and targeted support to unlock efficiencies in areas including finance, HR, IT, and consultancy. The report also advocates for VAT reform to enable growth in cost-sharing arrangements, referring to proposals in BUFDG’s submission to the 2025 Comprehensive Spending Review. Wonkhe’s David Kernohan takes a look here.

As financial pressures mount, the case for deeper collaboration becomes more compelling. Newcastle PvC Jane Robinson writes in Wonkhe calling for a shift toward “fourth generation” universities that embed civic partnership into their core purpose, working strategically with local authorities and regional consortia to deliver shared growth.

A Centre for Cities briefing championed the critical role universities play in driving local economic development and regional resilience as major employers, international exporters, and catalysts for regeneration and innovation. Amid a government messaging campaign to discourage international students from overstaying visas, the think-tank analysis warns that policy changes could have a disproportionate impact on places outside London and the South-East.

Advance HE has published ten priorities to strengthen higher education governance, following extensive sector engagement through its “Big Conversation” initiative. The report highlights the importance of culture, agility, and strategic focus in board effectiveness, and calls for improvements in areas such as board composition, scenario planning, digital integration, and governor development.

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

A three-month pause in the development of REF 2029 has been announced to allow the UK funding bodies to reflect on sector feedback and ensure alignment with government priorities. While the overall timeline remains unchanged, key milestones, including guidance publication and Code of Practice approvals, will be delayed. Research England has launched a programme of work during the pause, exploring options such as linking funding to baseline research culture performance, rewarding collaboration and specialisation, and introducing lighter-touch assessment routes for smaller institutions. Any changes to the REF exercise will be confirmed by December 2025, however REF panel announcements went ahead as planned.

Research England is undertaking a programme of work to improve understanding of how formula-based research funding is used by HEPs. This will involve “working collaboratively with the higher education sector to pilot and implement a new annual process to gather evidence and insights into how HEPs use their formula-based research funding”. You can find out more about the pilot exercise and how to participate here.

The Medical Research Council has announced simplifications to its applicant-led grant funding process.

DSIT and UKRI have launched a new international campaign aimed at strengthening Horizon Europe partnerships between UK researchers and their counterparts in Spain and Germany, seeking to position the UK as a preferred collaborator in Europe’s flagship research and innovation programme, which runs until 2027.

In related parliamentary remarks, Science Minister Patrick Vallance confirmed that UK academic participation in Horizon Europe has recovered and welcomed the European Commission’s draft proposals for Framework Programme 10, noting alignment with UK priorities. The government has committed funding for the first two years of FP10, pending formal association, signalling continued strategic relevance for UK research institutions.

Registrations are open for the next Research Finance Forum on Wed 15 Oct (1.30-3pm, online). The agenda will include UKRI's Head of Impact and Research & Innovation Resilience and Funding Assurance Lead, results from the recent timesheets survey, updates on the RFF Teams channel/Innovate UK working group, and more to be confirmed.

SCOTLAND

The Scottish education committee has stated it is “not able to make a recommendation to Parliament” on the Tertiary Education and Training Bill. The committee’s first stage report states that it has “significant concerns about the financial aspects of the Bill”. Notably, the committee recommends that the Scottish Government “should consider whether Principals, members of senior leadership teams and university courts should undergo mandatory training”.

The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) responded positively to the announced pause in the development of REF 2029, viewing it as an opportunity to align with government priorities and reflect sector feedback. The SFC confirmed it will continue working closely with Universities Scotland and member institutions, building on strong sector consensus and previous engagement to shape the future direction of the exercise.

WALES

Medr has released updated data requirements for the higher education sector for the 2025–26 academic year. The updates reflect consultation feedback, including changes to how Welsh language data is collected.

Medr is inviting Welsh HEPs to apply for up to £40,000 of digital revenue funding to support early-stage digital learning initiatives. The funding can be used for activities such as digital transformation, data management, and AI development. Institutions must confirm acceptance and submit a brief outline of intended use by 24 October 2025.

PROCUREMENT

Ofgem has announced a 2% increase in the energy price cap, to come into effect from the start of October. The BBC covers the news.

Emma Keenan, Head of Procurement at SOAS, University of London, has been confirmed as the new Chair of the £100m to £200m turnover Head of Procurement group. The next meeting of the group will take place on Monday 15 September 2025 at 4pm (online). A reminder that you can find the turnover of your HEP on the HESA website by searching ‘HE provider’ and referencing the ‘Total income’ field. Please do feel free to suggest any item(s) that you would like to include on the agenda!

A reminder that Heads of Procurement from universities which are not contracting authorities can join a group which will facilitate discussions focused on the benefits and challenges that are faced by those with such a status. The objective of the group is to share best practice, as well as to facilitate networking amongst members. The first meeting of the group will take place on Tuesday 23 September 2025 from 13:30 to 15:00 via Teams. Heads of Procurement from non-contracting authorities can book their place on the HEPA website here.

FINANCIAL REPORTING

The FEHE SORP and all additional guidance has now been finalised and is awaiting publication. The process of licensing the documents with the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation (IFRS) is ongoing, and it is expected all documents will be published in September, as soon as licenses are confirmed and permission to publish is granted by the FRC.

A new guide to lease management software in the context of FRS 102 is now available on the SORP Knowledge Hub, while registration is open for the next SORP Implementation Forum on 11 November 2025.

MISCELLANEOUS

BUFDG and UHR are hosting a joint webinar with the University of Southampton, on Tuesday 14 October at 10am. The session will look at the story of how they’ve delivered efficiencies and savings through use of a managed service approach for their recruitment and agency staffing needs, alongside Tate recruitment. This webinar is tailored for professionals within the BUFDG and UHR communities, focusing on the intersection of finance technology, HR, procurement, and strategic planning.

The FT (£) reported that the government is advertising a tender of up to £24mn for a private company to engage in planning and ‘Pre Market Engagement’ for Erasmus+, indicating the intention to rejoin the scheme.

Our Job of the Fortnight is for a Financial Controller at Edinburgh Napier University. The successful candidate will be a qualified CCAB accountant, with “a strong technical background, sound knowledge of UK GAAP, and significant experience in financial control, risk management, and team leadership”. The deadline for applications is 21 September.

As usual, there are lots of other vacancies listed on the BUFDG jobs page.