• University of Dundee
• Contact us
• Vacancies

Search

Submit

Login

Revised guidance for colleges, universities and student accommodation providers reflecting the latest public health advice has been published.

It builds on previous guidance and uses the most up-to-date evidence to support universities, colleges and accommodation providers plan for a safe return to campus in the new academic year. It includes:

• A continuation of blended learning, with significantly reduced frequency and numbers of staff and students on campus compared to pre-COVID levels.
• A requirement to keep face-to-face teaching to small groups, generally less than 30 and supported by other infection prevention control measures. Group numbers of up to 50 students may be considered in some circumstances, but only where supported by a risk assessment.
• Advice that face coverings should be worn in any area on campus where physical distancing cannot be guaranteed, on dedicated college and university transport and in student accommodation indoor communal areas such as toilets, common rooms and laundry rooms.
• A requirement for colleges and universities to give clear information on regulations and guidance to students arriving from outside Scotland, and to take steps to ensure international students and staff who need to quarantine comply with the law, including using appropriate disciplinary procedures.

The start of the student year will be fundamentally different this year with significant change to the delivery of education and a need to dramatically curtail the socialising many would associate with this period. For the protection of public health the Scottish Government has stressed the importance of ensuring the guidance is complied with.

Universities Scotland, Colleges Scotland, National Union of Students (NUS), trades unions and public health professionals were consulted on the guidance.

Scottish Water and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) are working together on a £3.5 million initiative to make Scotland a world leader in water industry research. The money, which comes from Scottish Water, will be a catalyst for academic research and innovation led by the newly-created post of Scotland Hydro Nation Chair in Water.

From today, Scottish universities are being invited to submit bids to host the project. Funding to support the Hydro Nation Chair in Water post and its associated activities will be spread over six years. The aim is to accelerate progress towards Scotland becoming a sustainable Hydro Nation. According to the bid document, this means transforming the way the water sector operates to make a positive contribution to Scotland’s climate change goal of attaining net zero carbon emissions by 2040.

New research and innovation stimulated by the creation of a Scotland Hydro Nation Chair in Water will also work towards ensuring that people across the whole of Scotland will continue to enjoy access to high quality drinking water. Other areas of research will include the recycling of waste water and ways of enhancing the natural environment.

Simon Parsons, Scottish Water’s Director of Strategic Customer Service Planning, said:

“Scottish Water has set out an ambitious strategy and we are pleased to be working with the Scottish Funding Council to identify ambitious academic partners to help support our journey to net zero emissions and service excellence while providing great value for our customers.”

Dr Stuart Fancey, Director of Research and Innovation at the Scottish Funding Council, said:

“Scotland’s universities have a global reputation for the quality of their research and innovation, the results of which play an incredibly important part in our everyday lives. I am confident that establishing a leadership post in research and innovation for water will inspire new discoveries, some of which will be crucial to tackling the climate emergency.”

Proposals are being invited from both individual universities and from groups of universities collaborating to meet the objectives of the Hydro Nation initiative. Universities will submit their proposals by 25 September and their bids will be assessed by a panel of experts in October.

The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has today issued special guidance to universities.

The move comes in response to the decision by the Cabinet Secretary for Education on 11 August to award grades for 2020 SQA Highers and Advanced Highers according to teachers’ estimates. The Scottish Government subsequently committed to making provision for those with the required grades to have a place at college or university.

According to initial analysis, the 2020 pass rate for Highers is up by over 14%, with the Advanced Higher Pass rate increasing by 13.7%.

Today’s guidance recognises that universities will have made admission decisions based on the initial results published by the SQA on 4 August. Many applicants rejected on the basis of those results now hold upgraded awards which meet universities’ entry requirements. The Scottish Government is therefore removing financial penalties for universities’ over-recruitment of full-time Scottish or EU students.

The Scottish Funding Council has confirmed it will fund all increases in Scottish full-time undergraduate admissions resulting from the national increases in exam pass rates, providing that universities fill their existing funded places for 2020-21. SFC will also continue to fund the places of this larger intake of students as they move through their four of five year degree programmes.

The Scottish Government has also removed the current cap on the number of students enrolling for health related subjects such as medicine, nursing and midwifery.

The universities admissions service, UCAS, will provide SFC with information on admissions to individual universities. Universities will also be asked to provide SFC with regular enrolment updates.

Further information on today’s announcement.

Universities in Scotland are being invited to put forward projects to take advantage of up to £60m of low interest loans from the Scottish Funding Council (SFC). To help combat the effects of Covid-19, one of the themes for proposals will be initiatives to help universities adapt to a post Covid-19 environment. The other key theme in response to the Climate Emergency is managing the development of university buildings to tackle carbon reduction while also making them work better for students.

The Scottish Funding Council will prioritise bids that widen their impact through partners with other universities or colleges.

Suggested proposals include:

• Shared buildings/facilities for learning, especially those which catalyse other sources of funding.
• Reducing the university carbon footprint.
• Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the estate.
• Adjustments to buildings to respond to Covid-19 and/or improve the student experience.

Universities will have until December to develop their proposals and submit them to SFC.

Karen Watt, Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council said:

“The £60 million loan funding announced today will help universities adapt campuses and provision across Scotland, to tackle the challenges of climate emergency, sustainability, and Covid-19. We are looking for strong and innovative proposals that will secure change, while supporting an excellent student experience.”

You can find the call for proposal on the SFC website.

A new £5 million fund has been created to help colleges and universities tackle digital exclusion among disadvantaged students, the Scottish Funding Council has announced.

The cash is being made available to institutions to help bridge the “digital divide” by providing additional support for Scotland’s most disadvantaged students with the digital devices they need to access learning.

The funding is in addition to a range of recent additional support for Scotland’s colleges and universities in their fight against the effects of Covid-19, which includes £75 million to protect world-leading university research, £10 million for estates development, and early access to £11.4m of Higher Education Hardship Funds.

Richard Lochhead, Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science said:

“The Scottish Government is committed to doing everything we can to help all our learners weather the impact of the coronavirus crises.

“I know this has been a huge challenge for many – but I hope this £5m Digital Fund will go some way to easing the pressures, by helping thousands of learners to access the necessary computer resources they need to continue with their studies.”

Karen Watt, Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council, said that the investment would help students facing hardship with the costs of taking part in online learning:

“This digital fund will support disadvantaged learners across Scotland to study online, with computers they might otherwise have been unable to buy themselves – vital help when money is tight and access to digital learning is more important than ever.”

Tim Frew, CEO YouthLink Scotland, the national agency for youth work, said:

“All steps to mitigate the impact of coronavirus are very welcome. This fund will address the digital barriers faced by many young learners in the community and promote digital inclusion. We are delighted to be working with CLD partners, Lead Scotland and WEA in getting this resource to where the need is greatest.”

Matt Crilly, NUS Scotland President said:
 
“Today’s announcement is very welcome. As students and apprentices return to a blended model of learning, it is more important than ever that they have access to the laptops, internet, and equipment that they will need to succeed in their studies.
 
“Investment in digital support is positive news for students across Scotland, particularly as we see a rise in the number of working class students gaining a place in further and higher education this year, for whom the cost of learning is often the greatest.”

Full details of today’s announcement can be found on our website.

This August, Interface is celebrating its 15th anniversary with news of a record number of partnerships and research and development projects. Since Interface was established in 2005 to bridge the gap between the worlds of business and academia, Interface has brought together over 3,271 company and academic partners, resulting in 2,375 research and development projects. In the last year alone (up to July 2020) 329 research and development projects have been successfully brokered following introductions by Interface – the highest figure in any single year since the service was launched.

Stuart Fancey, Director of Research and Innovation at the Scottish Funding Council, said:

“Interface has been funded by the Scottish Funding Council since its creation and we are proud to have been able to support its impact on business innovation across many sectors of the economy throughout Scotland. Combining expertise and talent from universities and colleges with ideas and knowledge from progressive companies will be an important part of Scotland’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 crisis, making the work of Interface more important than ever.” 

Richard Lochhead, Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science, said:

“The team at Interface continues to play a significant role in establishing long-lasting collaborations between businesses and academia delivering a range of social, environmental and economic impacts.

“What it has achieved in its first 15 years is impressive, and has enabled many productive partnerships helping Scottish companies and organisations to flourish and scale up, and I look forward to seeing many more achievements from them in future.”

Dr Siobhán Jordan, Interface’s founding director, established the service with a “blank sheet” after recognising the potential for greater collaborations between businesses and universities.

“Many industry led challenges have been solved over the past 15 years through partnerships we have brokered and it is humbling to see how the outcomes have truly made a difference to day-to-day life socially and economically. The impacts from the connections we have enabled are far reaching and brought interest and recognition from around the world. Crucially this has enabled Scottish companies to grow and scale; access new markets, expand workforces and increase turnover, whilst often bringing positive impacts on communities and individuals.”

A new report released today sets a series of recommendations for colleges and universities to create more opportunities for students to progress seamlessly between a Higher National (HN) qualification into a university degree. Produced by the National Articulation Forum, the joint initiative by Colleges Scotland and Universities Scotland, calls for an acceleration of action to develop pathways from college into university. This is to help more students avoid repeating levels of study across different qualifications by recognising their credit for previous learning. Known within the tertiary education sector as “articulation”, the route has been an option for learners for many years; the Forum’s task has been to scale-up and make articulation more accessible in every college and university so that it is more attractive to a larger group of students.

The report’s recommendations take on even greater significance in the context of the recovery following the coronavirus pandemic and its disproportionate impact on young people and those who are already disadvantaged. The recommendations are focused on creating more flexible opportunities for learners as well as closer collaboration between colleges and universities to meet learner demand in the post-pandemic economy.

From the outset, the Forum made a clear commitment that student experiences would be key to their work. To that end, 13 focus groups were held involving 90 students at various stages of their learner journey. Those views have helped shape this final report.

Highlights from the 14 recommendations for colleges, universities and other stakeholders, include:

• All Scottish colleges and universities should ensure that a baseline level of support is in place for all stages of the articulation pathway (pre-transition from college to university, and post-transition) including provision of study skills, academic writing practice, and research skills.
• Colleges and universities should make use of available evidence of student demand and of skills gaps in the Scottish economy to develop new articulation routes.
• The Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council should support the development of a national articulation map in an app for students which would show all articulation options in one place. This should follow on from the pilot of a regional app which launched in the south east of Scotland in July 2020.
• The Scottish Government, SDS, colleges and universities, should coordinate and fund a public-facing Scotland-wide campaign to raise awareness of articulation as desirable route into university and promote this to pupils and students of all backgrounds.

The National Articulation Forum Final Report [PDF] was created with support from the Scottish Funding Council and builds on the Commission on Widening Access’s 2016 report, A Blueprint for Fairness, which identified increased articulation as a means to widen access to university. The Forum took forward the Commission’s recommendation on delivering progress for student articulation and to provide national leadership on this agenda.

Karen Watt, Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council said:

“Flexible routes into and through degree courses play a vital part in creating a fairer and more accessible higher education system in Scotland. I very much welcome today’s report and its consideration of how more progress can be made in this area.”

Commenting on the report, Professor Nigel Seaton, Joint Convener of the National Articulation Forum and Principal of Abertay University said:

“Over four thousand students a year are already using full-credit articulation as a way into university, building on their college qualifications in a way that fits in with their own aspirations. The Forum wants to increase the opportunities available to students to articulate from college to university, and our report makes a series of recommendations that we believe will achieve this.

“The Forum was a collaborative effort between the college and university sectors, building on experiences of effective collaboration between colleges and universities in different parts of Scotland. We put student perspectives at the heart of our work, learning from students about what worked for them, and where they saw opportunities for us to do better.

“There has been a positive shift over the last couple of years, with more colleges and universities making articulation routes available. We need to accelerate that progress. Whilst the pandemic has brought much uncertainty, I can only see a greater role for articulation in Scotland’s post-pandemic future.”

Lydia Rohmer, Joint Convener of the National Articulation Forum and Principal of West Highland College UHI, said:

“Colleges and universities have been working in partnership for many years to provide opportunities and pathways to enable students to make the transition from college to university. The work of the Forum has been invaluable in helping to provide focus on ways that colleges and universities can enhance that provision and provide more opportunities for students to progress towards their chosen careers.

“Articulation routes provide a valuable pathway from college into university for many students, some of whom will have already overcome significant barriers; therefore, it is important that the routes are flexible, seamless, and provide equality of opportunity. The recommendations encourage even closer working relationships between colleges and universities – and indeed collective leadership across the wider Scottish education system – to deliver fair, equitable and sustainable pathways into university, and reducing any unnecessary repetition of the learner journey.”

THREE new projects in Scotland are set to benefit from early stage investment from UKRI’s Strength in Places Fund (SIPF). The investment, which will see support given to 17 developing projects in total across the UK, will harness research and innovation excellence to drive local economic growth.

Covering a wide range of innovative sectors including healthcare, agri-technology, and clean energy, the projects will tackle some of the biggest challenges facing Scotland and the UK today. They will build on local strengths in industry and research to create significant economic impact, drive local growth, provide skills training and create high-value jobs.

This funding follows the announcement on 26 June of investment, totalling £60.5m, in two projects backed by Scottish universities as part of Wave 1 of the SIPF. Announced in the UK Industrial Strategy in November 2017, the £236 million SIPF benefits all nations and regions of the UK by enabling them to tap into the world-class research and innovation capability that is spread right across the country.

The new consortia, which involve universities, research organisations, businesses and local leadership, will receive up to £50,000 each to develop full-stage bids for funding from the second Wave of SIPF. This seed funding will allow the consortia to develop their projects and apply for a further £10-50 million each from UKRI later this year.

Responding to the announcement, Dr Stuart Fancey, Director of Research and Innovation at the Scottish Funding Council said:

“Following Scotland’s success in Phase 1, I am delighted that our universities have continued to engage creatively and enthusiastically with the opportunities presented by the Strength in Places Fund. It is testament to the strength of our research base and the vision of our companies that Scotland is well represented in the projects that have received seed funding today.

The three Scottish projects are excellent examples of how our research community, working in collaboration with industry partners and others, can make a real difference to meeting the needs of Scotland’s economy and wider society. I look forward to seeing these projects develop into full-stage bids.”

The list of projects being supported in Scotland is detailed below.

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture has today announced new Scottish Government investment in jobs and digital technology. The move is designed to support a strong economic recovery from the effects of the Covid-19 crisis.

As part of the announcement, the Flexible Workforce Development Fund, which helps employers to upskill and reskill their existing workforce, will be increased from £10 million to £20 million for 2020/21. As a result, an initial £13 million will be available immediately through colleges who will continue to expand their current support for employers.

The Scottish Government will work with businesses, the Scottish Funding Council and other partners to ensure that the further £7 million of Flexible Workforce Development Funding can effectively expand the opportunities for business to engage with the scheme.

Elsewhere, the Cabinet Secretary announced a further £1.5 million for Business Gateway’s Digital Boost programme – almost trebling the capacity of the initiative for the remainder of this financial year.

Speaking about the investments, Ms Hyslop said:

“We are focussed on taking immediate action to support our economy as we look to rebuild after COVID-19 and by investing in jobs and digital technology we will create the foundations of a strong recovery for Scotland.

“Opportunities for training are essential for both employers and employees, so we have doubled funding for our Flexible Workforce Development Fund to £20 million for 2020/21.”

Scotland’s colleges and universities will benefit from £10 million of additional capital funding as part of the Scottish Government’s investment to reduce the economic harm caused by the COVID-19 crisis.

The funding, which has been allocated by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), comes from the £230 million ‘Return to Work’ package announced in June by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance. The scheme aims to boost the construction sector by recycling funds back into the economy that were not deployed during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The money will allow colleges and universities to carry out maintenance and construction work in addition to activities already planned on the basis of the capital funding allocations announced by SFC in April. It will also be used to put back on track projects affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the initial lockdown.

Commenting on the announcement, a spokesperson for Colleges Scotland, said:

“Colleges Scotland welcomes the announcement of additional investment to help offset the adverse impact of COVID-19 on the college sector. This injection of financial support will be used to make some much-needed improvements in the sector’s estates and help to ensure students and staff are working in the best possible learning environments.”

Full details of the announcement.

On results day 2020 our CEO Karen Watt shares a message to all students and prospective students as we look at a series of blogs of people’s learner journeys.

Please find below a series of blogs from a wide range of institutions that students have shared about their own learner journeys:

• Andrew Palmer, Borders College
• Holly Watson, Borders College
• Nicola Crombie, Borders College
• Robbie Neave, Borders College
• Teigan Scobie, Borders College
• Ross Dickinson, Borders College
• Craig Thomson, Borders College
• Karra Laing, Borders College
• Mia Beckett and Jenna Young, Coatbridge High School and Braidurst High School
• Ronan McMillan, City of Glasgow College [PDF]
• Alexandra Matzari, Heriot-Watt University
• Alexandra Matzari, Heriot-Watt University
• Kayleigh Dart, New College Lanarkshire
• Weronika Jaworksa, Strathclyde University [PDF]
• Niamh McCourt, Strathclyde University [PDF]
• Scott Farmer, West Lothian College [PDF]
• Simon Lunter, West Lothian College [PDF]
• Alexander Peden, West Lothian College [PDF]

Today the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) is pleased to confirm that the Scottish Government has made up to £300,000 available to the college sector in Financial Year 2020-21 from the Tackling Child Poverty Fund. Particularly during this time, the impacts of Covid-19 mean that proposals are expected to include evidence of how colleges will work with partners to increase support to those young people and families who need it most.

SFC is looking for proposals from colleges and their partners that support or scale up preventative approaches. This is to help ensure that young people who have grown up in poverty have a sustainable route to better outcomes and a route out of poverty. Proposals can also look to support young mothers and fathers in further education, acknowledging the particular support they need and enabling them to build a future for themselves and their families.

This call for proposals supersedes the call that closed on 6 January 2020, which was subsequently interrupted by the Covid-19 crisis. Proposals submitted at that time will not automatically be considered for this current call. And whilst colleges are welcome to resubmit their original proposal, consideration should be given to whether that proposal meets the requirements in the updated guidance in the context of Covid-19. Colleges are invited to submit proposals for funding by 31 August 2020.

Dr Donna MacKinnon, SFC’s Director for Access, Learning and Outcomes said,

“Whatever their background, all children and young people deserve the same chance to reach their full educational potential.

“Colleges play a crucial role, embedded in our communities, in providing educational opportunities for those living in poverty.

“During these times of Covid-19, it is more important than ever that those in poverty are given every opportunity and we continue the efforts to close the attainment gap.

“This money will help Colleges in Scotland to deliver innovative opportunities for children and young people to succeed.”

The UK’s exercise for assessing research excellence in universities, the Research Excellence Framework (REF), recommences on 31 July 2020. This follows a four-month pause due to COVID-19. The recommencement is accompanied by new guidance, describing revisions to the exercise made in view of the altered timetable and to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on universities’ submissions.

The recommencement of REF 2021 marks the start of the countdown to the revised submission deadline of midday, 31 March 2021, following a period during which the exercise was on hold in response to COVID-19.

To support universities in the final stages of submission preparation, following the pause period and COVID-19 disruption experienced, the four UK higher education funding bodies that conduct the REF have agreed the final set of revisions to the timetable and guidance. They have also provided preliminary advice on putting in place contingency arrangements for REF submission preparation.

Informed by responses to surveys on REF revisions, the Guidance on revisions to REF 2021 (REF 2020/02) describes the changes both to the overall timetable, as well as the guidance that aims to take account of the effects of COVID-19.

Alongside that publication, the Advice on contingency planning (REF 2020/03) provides some points of advice for universities to consider, in order to minimise further disruption to the preparation of REF submissions.

The funding bodies’ decisions on the REF timetable and revisions were informed by advice from the expert panels and engagement with the higher education sector and partners between April and July. This included surveys on the best timing for the revised submission deadline, and on revisions to the assessment framework that could help to take account of the effects of COVID-19 on REF submissions. Effects on submissions include delays and disruption to planned submission data, as well as to the process of preparing submissions itself.

A new Web App that allows students and school leavers to look up further and higher education pathways in one place launches today. The Pathways Web App was developed by the Regional Learner Passport Partnership (RLPP) and supported by the Scottish Funding Council to make pathways that exist across many colleges and universities easier to understand.

The advertising, promotion and understanding of learning options are often complex and difficult for pupils, students and advisers to find and navigate. In recognition of the many institutions and diverse range of courses, the Pathways Web App was established to promote and create efficient and clear routes to Higher Education in and around Edinburgh and the surrounding South-East Scotland area.

The Pathways Web App makes it clear that it is possible to move from college to university with full credit awarded for prior learning and is a distinctive and much admired feature of Scottish post-16 education. Now school leavers and students can look up their college and university options in one single place without contacting numerous institutions.

The Web App was put together in response to The Commission on Widening Access (COWA) outlining that education pathways were a way in which people could access higher education to achieve a degree.

Karen Watt, CEO of the Scottish Funding Council said:

“Moving from college to university where you get credit for prior learning is an incredibly important part of the Scottish education system. This Web App will ensure that regardless of your background and regardless of your start in life, you have an opportunity to have a route to higher education and the opportunity to explore the options that are right for you.”

Alistair Sambell, chair of the Regional Learner Passport Partnership said:

“Our colleges and universities came together in this innovative partnership with a shared commitment to improving access to higher education for learners across the region. This web based app was developed with strong input from students themselves, in keeping with our guiding principle of putting students at the heart of our actions.”

The results of the 2020 UK-wide National Student Survey (NSS) show that student satisfaction levels at Scottish universities are the highest in the UK. Scotland is also the only part of the UK where, for full-time and part-time students together, overall student satisfaction has risen.

Published today, the figures show that, overall, 85% of students in Scottish universities who responded to the survey are satisfied with the quality of their course – up from 84% last year. For UK universities as a whole, the equivalent figure is 83%, marginally down from 84% last year.

The National Student Survey is the biggest national survey of student opinion, and this year’s survey represents the views of over 311,432 students UK-wide, with 69% of eligible students taking part.

This year’s NSS was open to students between early January and the end of April, overlapping with the start of the COVID-19 crisis and the beginning of lockdown. Analysis published alongside the main report found no evidence that the reliability of the results had been affected by the impact of COVID-19.

Additionally, for full-time students in Scotland, the survey found that 90% agreed that staff were good at explaining things and 87% said that they were able to contact staff when they needed to.

The data from the National Student Survey will be published on the DiscoverUni website later this year, providing valuable information to guide potential students’ choices about where and what to study.

See the full results of the 2020 National Student Survey.

Information published today by the university admissions service, UCAS, shows that applications to Scottish universities are currently at the highest level they have been in the last 10 years. According to the new figures, 128,110 people had applied by the end of June, just over 3 percent more than at the same point last year. 

International students applying from outside the European Union account for most of the increase, with the number of Scottish applicants remaining at around the same level as last year. The number of applicants from within the EU, however, has fallen by 2.3 percent.

The figures also show a decrease in the number of Scottish 18 year olds applying for a university place next year. This is against the backdrop of fewer under-18s in the UK population, a demographic trend set to change next year. Only around a third of Scottish full-time higher education is represented in the UCAS figures, mainly due to amount of higher education courses taught in Scotland’s colleges

The university applications process is now in the clearing phase which continues until 20 October. In a new development for 2020, UCAS is providing a ‘clearing plus’ scheme where applicants are personally matched to courses in which they may be interested.

Commenting on today’s figures, Dr Donna MacKinnon, Director of Access, Learning and Outcomes at the Scottish Funding Council, said:

“Recently we learned that more applicants were holding offers to Scottish universities than at this time last year and that there were fewer deferred applications.

“Today’s figures show that applications at this stage of the admissions process are the highest they have been in the last 10 years. Taken together, this is encouraging news for Scottish universities who are working hard to be able to provide a safe, high quality undergraduate experience for the next academic year. We will continue to keep a close eye on the figures.”  

Full details of the latest university applicant figures are now available on the UCAS website.

The Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science has announced a sustainability plan for further and higher education in Scotland in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the UK’s exit from the European Union.

According to Scottish Funding Council (SFC) estimates, colleges could lose around £12.3 million due to the pandemic in the current academic year. The impact on universities is estimated to be around £72 million for the same period, with a projected operating deficit of between £384 million and £651 million for the next academic year.

The plan identifies key actions to address the immediate issues faced by Scotland’s colleges and universities. These include flexibility in funding for institutions; £75 million to protect Scotland’s world-leading university research; and scholarships for EU and international students. The plan also contains money for additional student support and hardship resources, and £5 million to help offset the costs of equipment for digital learners in need of extra help. An additional focus of the plan will be on enabling colleges and universities to play a key part of Scotland’s economic recovery.

The Scottish Funding Council will play a central role in implementing the plan, not least through the work it is carrying out for its review of coherent provision and sustainability. SFC will work closely with every college and university in Scotland to assess the impact of the pandemic on individual institutions, offering flexibility in its funding arrangements to ensure cash flow. SFC will also have a role in allocating an additional £10 million of funding for estate maintenance in colleges and universities. Crucially, SFC is being asked to create a COVID-19 University Support Fund (COSF) to help universities in their transition to the environment for higher education after the COVID-19 crisis.

In the area of university research SFC will work with its partners in the UK Research and Sustainability Taskforce to identify additional joint solutions for financial sustainability. To support the skills training and employability interventions needed to build economic recovery SFC will work in close partnership with both Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).

In his statement this afternoon to the Scottish Parliament, the Minister concluded by recognising Scotland’s colleges and universities as “a source of strength for our nation.”

Further information on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Further and Higher Education Sustainability Plan can be found on the Scottish Government’s website.

Ayrshire College and the University of Strathclyde were both winners at this year’s 2020 International Green Gown Awards.

The Awards are the most prestigious recognition of sustainability best practice within the global education sector and cover all aspects of educational institutions – from their teaching and research, leadership, buildings and food, to how students can benefit the quality of life in the communities around them.

The 2020 International Green Gown Awards ceremony took place online as part of a United Nations forum.

The two Scottish winners went forward to the international finals after winning their respective categories at the UK and Ireland award ceremony which was held last November at the Glasgow Science Centre.

The Ayrshire College Project, which won the ‘benefitting society’ category, is an initiative to improve the mental health and wellbeing of college students, staff and wider community. Mental Health United uses sport and physical activity as a magnet to engage with the community to highlight mental health issues and encourage those who might be emotionally vulnerable to seek the help available to them.

The University of Strathclyde’s winning entry was for its VIP4SD programme. The programme uses a new vertically integrated project (VIP) approach to research-based learning initially developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology. This inspires students to be collaborative and constructive in helping countries across the world to meet the challenges of sustainable development.

Iain Patton, CEO of EAUC, the Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education, which delivers the International Green Gown Awards, said:

“As the climate crisis is increasingly recognised as the most pressing issue our world faces, the International Green Gown Awards put a spotlight on the innovative and inspiring sustainability work taking place in universities and colleges to create a brighter future for their students around the world”.

For more information on the 2020 International Green Gown Awards see the sustainability exchange website.

A sub-group of the Enterprise and Skills Strategic Board, led by Strategic Board Chair Nora Senior and Skills Development Scotland (SDS) Chair Frank Mitchell, has today published a report outlining proposals on how the enterprise and skills agencies could support the labour market in recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Members of the group included SFC Chair Mike Cantlay and representatives from industry bodies, employers, trade unions and Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) groups.

The report makes a series of recommendations including:

• Maximising the flexibility of colleges and universities with a focus on critical skills required in growth areas of the economy.
• Expansion of apprentice provision, including more off-the-job training.
• Development of PACE redundancy support with more front-line advisers and tailored support for businesses of all sizes.
• Short placement schemes to give work experience to under-25s who have been out of work for six months.
• Assistance to upskill or reskill staff and more integrated support for businesses.

It follows on from the report published by the Benny Higgins’ Advisory Group which put education firmly at the heart of Scotland’s economic recovery.

Commenting on the sub-group’s report, SFC Chair, Mike Cantlay, said:

“Covid-19 has created significant challenges for the Scottish economy and the way we live our lives. Today’s report, building on the recommendations in the Benny Higgins’ Advisory Group Report, confirms the vital role that colleges and universities will play in driving Scotland’s economic recovery.

We are fortunate to be starting from a position of strength, with colleges and universities already showing innovation and flexibility in their delivery to support young people, adults, businesses, schools and wider society within a Covid-19 environment.

As we begin our own review of coherent provision and sustainability of post-16 education bodies, we look forward to building on these strong foundations and to reflecting the recommendations of these two recent reports.”

The UK government has set out its Research and Development Roadmap.

The ambition behind the roadmap is to ensure that the UK is the best place in the world for scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs to live, work and innovate.

As part of its plans, the UK government intends to bring forward £300 million to upgrade scientific infrastructure. The funding will enable universities to improve and maintain current research facilities as well as providing researchers with better lab equipment and digital resources.

The roadmap will also support efforts to address global challenges such as eradicating the UK’s contribution to climate change by 2050, developing new medicines and improving public services.

As part of the initiative, the UK government will establish a new Innovation Expert Group to review how it supports research from conception through to product development, and has pledged to make up funding shortfalls should the UK fail to negotiate a deal with the EU on participating in the Horizon Europe framework programme.

Also announced today is an Office for Talent to strengthen the UK’s talent offer for students, research leaders and those building their careers in research and innovation.

The UK Science Minister Amanda Solloway, said:

“Coronavirus has shown us the agility, creativity and innovative thinking of our world-leading institutions, scientists and researchers to tackle this disease and save people’s lives. We want to harness this expertise to rejuvenate science and research across the UK, building a future that is greener, safer and healthier.”