Omicron: move teaching online for last week of term, says UCU UK union says continuing face-to-face tuition puts staff and students in ‘unnecessary danger’ By Chris Havergal 10 December
GCHQ forms first research partnership with UK universities New partnership with institutions in north-west should drive innovation and even recruitment By Matthew Reisz 10 December
Imperial puts more teaching online as Omicron spreads on campuses Oxford reports 33 per cent increase in Covid-19 cases in a week, with many of them the new variant By Chris Havergal 10 December
EU promises progress on cross-border degrees and universities law Reforms will seek to overcome barriers to collaboration between universities within bloc By Ben Upton 9 December
‘Majority’ of staff expected on campus despite home working call English universities should not switch to online teaching despite Omicron fears, says government By Chris Havergal 9 December
Union attacks ‘shameful’ decision to outsource Turing scheme Capita to take on running of UK student exchange programme from British Council By Chris Havergal 9 December
‘One Nation’ university vision wants a Birkbeck for every region Hepi-published paper argues sector is ‘victim of, and has actively participated in, polarising culture wars’, while those ‘rooted in their local communities’ have been neglected by expansion By John Morgan 9 December
UK v-cs shift focus to regional ties and employer engagement Leaders prioritising regional impact above competition, while significant numbers consider mergers, annual PA Consulting survey suggests By John Morgan 9 December
Offer loans to turbocharge Indian recruitment, Johnson tells UK Double enrolment to 100,000 by 2025, former universities minister urges By Simon Baker 9 December
A new leadership breed is refocusing UK universities on local need Diversifying income stream also makes institutions less exposed to possible government cuts, say Ian Matthias and Mike Boxall By Ian Matthias 9 December
‘Student experience’ roles speed expansion of professional ranks Workforce report co-authored by Baroness Wolf also finds that number of teaching-only staff in UK grew by 80 per cent in 12-year period By John Morgan 8 December
Trust-based bookkeeping could prompt timid partnering Commission haste in Horizon lump sum rollout could pour cold water on innovative consortia, groups warn By Ben Upton 7 December