The Open University has signed a partnership agreement with the University of the Highlands and Islands which will boost UHI's bid to secure degree-awarding powers in its own right.
The UHI project brings together further education colleges and research institutes in the region, underpinned by an advanced digital telecoms network.
Under the new partnership, UHI and the OU's validation service will collaborate on developing a quality assurance and degree validation programme.
The OU will validate and confer degrees developed by institutions in the academic network, as well as working with UHI on staff development.
Brian Duffield, UHI's newly appointed chief executive, said the agreement was a key plank in the project's bid to achieve university status by the turn of the century.
Plans were already underway for a marine sciences degree and a fieldwork module in earth sciences. The OU would also be helping with research into innovative course delivery, said Dr Cowan.
The agreement will help develop postgraduate research degrees as well as undergraduate courses. The OU's validation service will act as a sponsoring institution, allowing UHI to supervise students and researchers, and to grant OU research degrees.