We all ‘got a grip’ and we turned our university around John Raftery reflects on the measures he took to pull London Metropolitan University out of crisis By John Raftery 18 October
The 2021 REF will concentrate funding even further The relaxation of the research excellence framework’s submission rules could see research-intensive universities clustered on near-maximum scores, warms Dominic Dean By Dominic Dean 18 October
Research charities will undermine their missions if they demand control of IP Seeking a greater share of imagined profits from commercialisation would undermine technology transfer, says David Secher By David Secher 18 October
Russia ‘moving backwards’ on social science citations THE data show that Russia’s research influence in social sciences is waning, while other nations are failing to progress By Ellie Bothwell 17 October
Governors sign merger deal to create ‘French MIT’ Plans to amalgamate Parisian grandes écoles into a single university grouping have been officially approved By Jack Grove 17 October
Universities Superannuation Scheme rejects valuation error claim Higher education pension scheme hits back over allegations that it has made a ‘large and demonstrable mistake’ in assessment of its long-term health By Jack Grove 17 October
Palestinian university hit by Israel’s ‘arbitrary’ visa regime Critics claim measures restrict ability of foreign staff to reach Birzeit and hinder Palestinians’ access to education By Matthew Reisz 17 October
Israeli university backs boycott supporting student Hebrew University stands by a US student barred from entering the country for having advocated sanctions against Israel By Anna McKie 17 October
Depiction of academics in children’s books paints poor picture Professors shown to be mostly mad and mostly male, scholar claims By Matthew Reisz 17 October
Wife of Durham student detained in UAE wants researcher immunity Daniela Tejada says government support for Matthew Hedges, who has been held in solitary confinement for five months, has been ‘ineffective’ By Rachael Pells 17 October
Middlesex robot ‘gives evidence’ to MPs – sort of Pepper the robot appears before House of Commons Education Committee By John Morgan 16 October
Europe’s Plan S aims for expansion to US and beyond Open-access agreement’s founder says enthusiastic response has already increased ambition By Rachael Pells 16 October