British Academy responds to Government amendments to Higher Education and Research Bill

Speaking in response to today’s amendments by the Government to the Higher Education and Research Bill, the British Academy said: 

“The British Academy welcomes the amendments to the Higher Education and Research Bill put forward by Government today, which aim to further safeguard the independence of the research and innovation sector.

“We are pleased that the Haldane Principle will become a fundamental part of the Bill. This will ensure decisions taken within UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) about individual research proposals will be made by those with the appropriate expertise

“Following our recent recommendation, we’re pleased the Bill now places a far greater emphasis on the need for consultation with the research community before changes can be made to the names or remits of the individual Research Councils within UKRI. It is critical that UKRI supports the full range of research endeavours, including humanities and social sciences, and facilitates cross-disciplinary research. In addition, we welcome the measures to ensure partnership working between the Office for Students (OfS) and UKRI. Research and teaching work hand-in-hand, so regulatory and funding frameworks should support this. 

“The British Academy is also pleased the timeframe for subject level Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) pilots are to be extended, and will continue to engage with the Government and partners on how this is delivered.”