Funding cuts push universities into ‘class war’

A “CLASS WAR� has erupted between universities over plans to slash government funding for elite institutions such as Oxford and Cambridge and redistribute much of it to former polytechnics.

The two factions are fighting over £1.5 billion of research funding largely tied to the outcome of an official quality review that showed an unexpectedly strong performance by new universities.

Critics warn that the settlement risks spreading scarce cash too thinly, starving the best universities and promoting mediocrity. Supporters say the academic calibre of former polytechnics has long been underrated and reform of an elitist system is overdue.

According to confidential calculations sent to universities, Oxford and Cambridge could lose about £8.5m a year each. Other institutions from the elite Russell Group that could be hard hit include Imperial College London - which could see a cut of some £15m a year, 30pc of its government research funding - University College London, Manchester and Southampton.

According to Research Fortnight, a consultancy which drew up the figures, winners include Wolverhampton, where research funding could rise from £138,000 a year to £2.4m. Among its world-leading research identified by the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) were linguistics and library management.

Wendy Piatt, director-general of the Russell Group, said: “It is essential we bolster Britain’s critical mass of research excellence, rather than try to spread limited cash more thinly. Only truly top-flight institutions will attract and keep the international pioneers in their fields.�

Anna Fazackerley, adviser at the think tank Policy Exchange, which has made similar forecasts, warned against “mediocrity�, adding: “Countries such as China and the US do not have our squeamishness about supporting an academic elite.�

Les Ebdon, vice-chancellor of Bedfordshire, said the Higher Education Funding Council for England had to honour the findings of the two-year RAE.

“This was a major, rigorous exercise looking at research quality and it found excellence was widely spread,� said Ebdon, who also chairs the Million grouping of former polytechnics and new universities. “If these people [in the Russell Group] are as good as they say they are, they will have no trouble finding the money elsewhere.�

Weeks of horse-trading will now take place before the funding council decides on the split. Ministers are understood to be sympathetic to the Russell Group position.

£1.5bn AT STAKE

At Cambridge University, 71pc of the 2,040 research staff were rated as world class in the two-year government review

The review is used to decide who gets £1.5 billion of government funding in horse trading described as “high-table bitching on a national scale�

Oxford and Cambridge could lose £17m because of strong performance by “new� universities, which stand to gain £34m

by Jack Grimston