Money should go to 'pockets of excellence'
Tuesday, 24 February 2009 12:00 AM
By politics.co.uk staff
Universities should continue receive the bulk of research funding, according to skills secretary John Denham.
Though they presently receive the majority of funding, the question had been raised as to whether money should be spread to a greater range of institutions providing research.
Mr Denham said he did not foresee public spending being "diluted" but would instead stay with "pockets of excellence" which would be encouraged to work with others.
He said: "We do not think the future is gradually diluting the concentration of research and spreading it thinly and evenly across the board.
"High levels of research concentration are going to be necessary in the future within institutions."
The best institutions presently receive the lion's share of funding and this trend is expected to continue after the publication of last year's Research Assessment Exercise next week.
Mr Denham said this might afford newer, less-established universities the chance to focus their attention on a different sector, rather than trying to compete with established institutions.
Specifically, he said more could be done by institutions to meet the needs of vocational training for students.
He said: "As taught masters increasingly become an additional pre-employment qualification, there is concern that the gap we are closing as we widen participation for first degrees may open again if the best employment is only open to those who can fund their MSc or MA."
He voiced concerns that if this gap was allowed to widen, students from poorer backgrounds would inevitably be the ones to suffer.
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