Higher Education and Research Act 2017
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| Higher Education and Research Act 2017 | |
|---|---|
 Sodacan · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source | |
| Short title | Higher Education and Research Act 2017 |
| Legislature | Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Long title | An Act to make provision about higher education and research; and for connected purposes |
| Enacted by | House of Commons; House of Lords |
| Royal assent | 27 April 2017 |
| Status | Current |
Higher Education and Research Act 2017 The Higher Education and Research Act 2017 reformed regulation and funding in the United Kingdom's higher learning and research sectors, reshaping institutions such as University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University College London, University of Edinburgh, and Imperial College London. The Act created new bodies and reallocated responsibilities affecting stakeholders including Minister for Universities, Science and Cities, Theresa May, David Willetts, Jo Johnson, Vince Cable and organisations such as Research Councils UK, Higher Education Funding Council for England and Office for Fair Access. The legislative change interacted with debates involving European Union, Brexit, Russell Group, University Alliance, MillionPlus and unions including University and College Union.
Background and legislative context
The Act was introduced amid policy debates featuring Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Department for Education, Treasury, No. 10 Downing Street, and voices like Gordon Brown, Tony Blair, Margaret Thatcher and Michael Gove, while commentators referenced events such as the Browne Review, the 2010 United Kingdom general election, the 2015 United Kingdom general election and the 2016 European Union referendum. Parliamentary scrutiny involved committees including the House of Commons Education Select Committee and the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee, and was influenced by organisations such as Office for Students advocates, HEFCE stakeholders, and academics from London School of Economics, King's College London, University of Manchester, University of Glasgow and University of Birmingham. Interest groups like Universities UK, Association of Colleges, British Academy, Royal Society, Wellcome Trust and Nesta participated in consultations, alongside think tanks Institute for Public Policy Research, Adam Smith Institute, Policy Exchange and Social Market Foundation.
Key provisions and structure
Primary elements included creation of regulatory frameworks, market-entry processes and research funding reorganisation affecting institutions such as Open University, Royal Holloway, Queen Mary University of London, Newcastle University, University of Leeds and University of Southampton. The Act amended statutes governing entities like Higher Education Funding Council for England and established functions now exercised by Office for Students and Research England, impacting collaborations with European Research Council, Horizon 2020, CERN, Wellcome Trust and Cancer Research UK. Provisions referenced corporate and charity law interfaces involving Charity Commission for England and Wales, Companies House and frameworks used by UK Research and Innovation. Legislative drafting drew on precedent from acts like the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 and the Science and Technology Act 1965.
Creation of the Office for Students and regulatory changes
The Office for Students was established to regulate providers and enforce quality and market regulation across bodies including GuildHE, Russell Group, University Alliance, Cathedrals Group and Church of England linked colleges, with governance debated by peers including Lord Willetts, Baroness Sharp of Guildford, Lord Stevenson of Balmacara and Baroness Lane-Fox of Soho. OFS responsibilities intersected with accountability mechanisms used by Equality and Human Rights Commission, Information Commissioner's Office and funding conditions set by Student Loans Company. Registration and teaching quality measures referenced frameworks used by Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, benchmarking practices at Sorbonne University, Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University and accreditation approaches seen at Association of MBAs.
Research England and funding reforms
Research England was created to oversee research funding previously managed by HEFCE and to interface with national research councils such as Arts and Humanities Research Council, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Medical Research Council and Economic and Social Research Council. Funding reforms considered relationships with UK Research and Innovation, Research Councils UK predecessors and grant frameworks akin to those of National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation. Allocation mechanisms and assessments interfaced with models like the Research Excellence Framework, proposals from Sutton Trust, and institutional strategies at University of Bristol, University of Warwick, University of Sheffield and Durham University.
Passage, amendments, and political response
The bill passed through both Houses with amendments debated by MPs and peers including Nick Boles, Jo Johnson, Shailesh Vara, Chi Onwurah, Lord Adonis and Lord Patten. Opposition and amendments referenced concerns from organisations such as University and College Union, National Union of Students, Higher Education Policy Institute, Institute of Directors and British Chambers of Commerce. Political response included statements by Prime Minister Theresa May, interventions from Michael Gove and commentary in media outlets like The Guardian, The Times, The Telegraph, Financial Times and BBC News.
Impact and critiques
Scholars and commentators from London School of Economics, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, King's College London and University College London assessed impacts on access, quality and marketisation, while advocacy groups Office for Fair Access alumni, AccessHE, Scholarship Fund stakeholders and student organisations including National Union of Students raised concerns about tuition fee regimes tied to Student Loans Company arrangements. Critics cited risks of regulatory capture, potential effects on campus autonomy at institutions such as Goldsmiths, University of London and SOAS University of London, and implications for UK participation in Horizon Europe and researcher mobility involving Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.
Implementation and long-term effects
Implementation involved transitional arrangements for HEFCE, transfer of grant functions to Research England and operational set-up of the Office for Students with chairs and chief executives appointed through processes involving Cabinet Office oversight and selection panels referencing figures like Lord Willetts and civil servants from Department for Business and Trade. Long-term effects remain debated among macro-policy analysts at Institute for Government, Academy of Social Sciences, and international observers from OECD and UNESCO, with implications for collaborations involving Max Planck Society, Fraunhofer Society, Australian Research Council, National University of Singapore and global institutional rankings such as Times Higher Education World University Rankings and QS World University Rankings.