SELECT English universities are to receive an expanding share of government funds for research, says a report launched last week by the Higher Education Funding Council for England. The council, which allocates government money to English universities, says that less renowned institutions will receive less.
鈥淭he justification for [selectivity] relies on the view that limited research funding is best concentrated in centres of excellence which may have [a valuable] research ethos, rather than in an environment of unproven potential,鈥� says the report, which reviews the future of higher education in England.
The report also suggests that less favoured universities will have to abandon research in some subjects unless they win more contracts from industry to make up for lost funds. 鈥淥ver the system as a whole, research activity may become more focused,鈥� says the council.
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