Board meeting – 11 December 2025
The 158th meeting of the Scottish Funding Council
Date: 11 December 2025
Time: 09:45 – 15:00
Venue: Microsoft Teams
Agenda
Private Session of the Board
- Private Session of the Board – Verbal (Cara Aitchison) / To discuss
Reform
- Post-School Education and Skills Reform Update – SFC (2025) 099 (Teresa Ironside) / To discuss
General Business
- Chair’s Business – Verbal (Cara Aitchison) / To note
- Declarations of Interest – Verbal (Cara Aitchison) / To note
- Minute of the meeting held 25 September 2025 – SFC (2025) 100 (Cara Aitchison) / To approve
- Minute of the meeting held 10 November 2025 – SFC (2025) 101 (Cara Aitchison) / To approve
- Board Action Log – SFC (2025) 102 (Louisa Baker) / To approve
Chair and Chief Executive Reports
- Chair’s Report – SFC (2025) 103 (Cara Aitchison) / To approve
- Chief Executive’s Report – SFC (2025) 104 (Francesca Osowska) / To note
Reports from Committees
- Reports from Finance Committee, Skills, Enhancement, Access and Learning (SEAL) Committee, Capital Committee, Audit & Risk Committee and Research & Knowledge Exchange Committee – Verbal (Committee Chairs) / To note
SFC Performance Report
- SFC Performance Report – SFC (2025) 105 (Louisa Baker) / To discuss
Finance, Funding & Operations
- University of Dundee: Update – SFC (2025) 106 (Richard Maconachie) / To note
- Institutional Financial Health: Sustainability Reports – Presentation (Tiffany Ritchie) / To discuss
- Investment Models & Decisions – SFC (2025) 107 (Tiffany Ritchie) / To approve
- Scottish Government Budget 2026–27
- Institutions Requiring Additional Support
- Teaching Funding Allocations AY 2026–27 – SFC (2025) 108 (Gordon Craig) / To discuss
- Future Funding for the Royal Society of Edinburgh – SFC (2025) 109 (Helen Cross) / To approve
Research & Innovation
- The UK White Paper and REF 2029 Development – SFC (2025) 110 (Helen Cross) / To discuss
Corporate Governance & Planning
- Annual Review of SFC’s Risk Management Framework: Role of ARC – SFC (2025) 111 (Kate Lander) / To discuss
- Next Steps in the Development of the Strategic Plan – SFC (2025) 112 (Francesca Osowska) / To discuss
Any other Business
- Any other business – Verbal (Cara Aitchison) / To note
Items to note (not intended for discussion)
- Use of Delegated Authority – SFC (2025) 113 (Tiffany Ritchie) / To note
- SFC Board Long Term Agenda – SFC (2025) 114 (Louisa Baker) / To note
- SFC’s Carbon Reduction Strategy – SFC (2025) 115 (Martin Boyle) / To note
Dates of Future Meetings:
Thursday 12 February 2026
Thursday 19 March 2026
Thursday 14 May 2026
Thursday 25 June 2026
Thursday 24 September 2026
Wednesday 18/ Thursday 19 November (Board Strategy Event)
Thursday 10 December 2026
SFC Strategic Plan 2022-27
Building a connected, agile, sustainable tertiary education and research system for Scotland.