Germany’s ‘extremely elitist’ Excellence Strategy changes tack Compromise between egalitarian and competitive ideals could usher in bigger university groupings and more interdisciplinary evaluation By Ben Upton 14 April
Inflation drives English student loan interest rate upwards Graduates facing interest rate ‘rollercoaster ride’ in coming years unless changes are made to the way cap is implemented, Institute for Fiscal Studies says By Tom Williams 13 April
Another English funding review ‘inevitable’ after fees freeze V-cs increasingly predict next government will have to look again at sector funding as costs rise and universities face ‘running on fumes’ By John Morgan 13 April
Hopes of ‘passionate’ replacement for top EU research official Approval of Jean-Eric Paquet’s transfer to Japan ambassador would create space for a more evangelical approach, observers say By Ben Upton 13 April
One in four UK universities polled get fresh strike mandate Disruption will hit summer assessment period, but employers call on unions to ‘move on’ By Tom Williams 12 April
Russian universities expelling large numbers of anti-war students Staff scour social media to root out dissidents, with escalation of penalties meant to silence students By Pola Lem 12 April
Imperial-CNRS research centre ‘will be UK bridge to Europe’ French outpost is second worldwide and will host ‘transformational’ collaboration aligned with UN goals By Ben Upton 12 April
UK and Australian universities to work together on security Joint statement released by Russell Group and Group of Eight amid concerns about ‘overkill’ regulations By Tom Williams 12 April
Degree apprenticeship expansion is welcome but let’s beware of pitfalls New programmes must dovetail with higher technical qualifications and higher apprenticeships, says Graham Baldwin By Graham Baldwin 11 April
‘Contract inflation’ provokes Dutch protests Demonstrators push back against ‘exploitation’ of those struggling at the bottom of a sector seen as increasingly casualised By Ben Upton 9 April
Drama college closure spotlights struggle for acting courses Forty-year-old ALRA shut just days after students had paid fees By Tom Williams 8 April
Late reprieve allows scientists with UK grants to publish in Nature Temporary deal arrives on day of UK’s new open access policy, but raises issue of paying high price for ‘ego trip’ of Nature publication By Jack Grove 8 April