Helen Liddell

* Scottish education minister Helen Liddell is today set to give institutions a new funding boost.

In her keynote address to the Coshep forum, Mrs Liddell will stress the sector's importance in underpinning the knowledge economy and will urge institutions to collaborate more with one another and with students and employers.

She will urge institutions to cooperate to improve the lot of short-term contract researchers, suggesting a study to compare the costs and benefits of short-term contracts with "something that offers staff more stable careers".

Mrs Liddell is launching reviews into taught postgraduate student support from the Scottish Office and into funding for Open University teaching in Scotland.

The OU's funding comes from England, but Mrs Liddell will tell delegates that the government has agreed to consider whether Scottish students should be funded by the SHEFC.