Politics

Misplaced fear of racial and sexual threats, plus the need to provide a ‘feeling’ of security, cited as reasons universities are reluctant to limit armed officers

Latest attempt to replicate Darpa brings bipartisan praise but also wariness of potential harm to basic health research

Just 10 per cent of academics account for half of all engagement with the media, according to a survey of more than 1,000 Swiss professors

Economist says university innovations can rejuvenate Australian productivity, but only if ‘bizarre’ tax arrangements are addressed

Embattled university president in staunchly conservative state sees business-world allies valuing benefits of under-fire course

Former minister accuses Canberra of ‘McCarthyism’ amid spate of unexplained research grant delays and vetoes

University retreats under pressure by pausing graduation plans for critic of pro-Trump insurrectionists

Geopolitical rivalry, security concerns and America’s ‘roaring 20s’ optimism generate R&D prospects down under, ambassador says

As feared, the country’s universities are being used as a weapon to crush dissent against the regime, several academic organisations say

Liberals go focus on undergraduates with collaboration push while Labor hawks reconstruction fund

Neither the Equality Act nor campus groups’ good sense will circumvent the duty to give a platform to anyone who wants one, says David Renton

Government’s lifelong loans plan is fuelling drive to cut system costs and ‘spatchcocking a good idea’, sector figures fear

After yet another minister falls to a plagiarism scandal, observers lament that a long German tradition of doctorates has descended into academic ‘credentialism’

As post-92 departments close, non-traditional students and scholars risk being shut out – again, says Panikos Panayi

No explanation for delay that kept 15 academics on tenterhooks for months

Scottish affairs committee calls for universities north of border to be better represented in UK Research and Innovation decision-making

Michelle Donelan also quizzed on campus free speech and antisemitism at GuildHE conference

Tory peer hopes for role in selecting ‘thoughtful’ appointee to free speech champion role

Covid helps end eight years of average increases, with wide state variations

As marginalised becomes mainstream, Australian inclusivity practitioners are urged to adopt a mainstream focus

When the country embarks on recovery from its brutal second Covid wave, public spending on universities is unlikely to be a priority, says Pushkar 

Politicians developing the European Research Area must grasp how new knowledge comes about – and what it can do, says Jan Palmowski

‘Devastation and horror’ compound years of isolation and neglect, professor says

Democrats accept nomination while extracting commitment on gender equity in science

Statistics Netherlands finds that a switch away from grants has cut some students’ education short – despite government promises

Sector figures disagree on whether DfE is on board with using £7,500 cap to cut loan outlay and ‘squeeze’ non-priority subjects

Suggested new avenue for conservative donor influence opposed by students

Underwhelming increases in teaching subsidies and student benefits, while research misses out

English universities argue foundation years diversify STEM intake, as Augar call to scrap funding comes back on agenda

Researchers press for ministerial code of conduct amid fears that latest political intervention may never be resolved

OfS says it has ‘no plans’ to use new student outcomes measure, but government repeats warnings about ‘low-quality courses’

Long-running negotiations between Brussels and Berne have stalled, risking a repeat of 2014, when the country was shut out of EU research

Part of a nexus of deals between Hungary and China, the project has become a flashpoint in local politics after it emerged locals will foot the bill

Changes to funding mechanisms can feel like a threat, but Aria will be a blast of fresh air for science and technology, says Tom Stephenson

Government says it will give OfS powers to enforce ‘minimum expectations of quality’ before regulator responds to consultation on plan

Ex-Miliband adviser turned Sydney Policy Lab director discusses globalised academia’s decoupling from ‘everyday society’

Efforts to recruit a diverse student mix undermined by policy paradox, as visa applicants from many countries are viewed with suspicion

Universities out of the budget spotlight, as attention turns to training and commercial research

Roberta Mock explores a tradition of performance that still raises urgent political questions today

Calbright faces 2022 closure deadline after troubled start

Four institutions get $555 million compensation for Maryland shifting their courses to white campuses

New South Wales proposal could have international learners on campuses in time for second semester

Scholars say criticism of fields such as gender studies and race theory is leading to self-censorship

Policy should focus more on research’s benefits to a region than on where it is conducted, say Sarah Chaytor, Grace Gottlieb and Graeme Reid

Exclusion of science minister from Downing Street meetings is cause for concern, says former political aide

In wake of campus free speech bill plan, Tory ex-minister says UK-China links must be regulated to avert ‘genuine threat to free speech’

New statutory tort would aim to protect ‘political minorities’, but critics fear it will mean ‘risk-assessing the life out of campus’

Researchers advocate realignment of international agencies, saying sector cannot wait for the next instalment of China’s trade war

Low expectations scarcely met, as pessimistic border projections and underwhelming future spending estimates trump spending pledges

Government’s legislative agenda includes extra powers for OfS on HE quality and enabling individuals to sue universities on free speech

When academics accept stints in politicians’ offices, everybody benefits, says outgoing Australian ministerial adviser

With a $300 billion price tag, campaign promise met with scepticism – and long-term optimism

New chair and ministers have scope to reshape regulator, as leadership and board roles potentially open up at politically fraught time

The opportunity exists to reimagine the UK’s post-18 education system in a way that will improve society as well as the economy, says Susan Lea

‘It is important that we clearly stand by scientists’ says Armin Laschet, as Germany gears up for September election

Lawmakers and activists work to forbid talk of enduring inequities

Choice of Cordray affirms high-profile focus on problem of college affordability

As Brussels tries again to push forward the European research area, the bloc remains fractured by investment levels, researcher mobility and national rules

Gender concerns leave MIT-Harvard star lone unconfirmed choice for presidential Cabinet

Eleven universities, their real estate and shares have been given over to foundations that observers say will be dominated by ruling party loyalists