Brexit optimism amid the gloom at higher education festival

With the UK’s departure from the European Union potentially about to devastate higher education, leading university figures look for possible opportunities.

Speaking in a panel discussion at the University of Buckingham’s Festival of Higher Education on 27 June, Anton Muscatelli (pictured), vice-chancellor of the University of Glasgow and chair of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities, said Brexit has focused the UK’s attention on “what we need to do to succeed as a country”.

Higher education, he said, will play a vital role in any future trade deal that the UK secures. While Muscatelli believes Brexit will negatively affect the economy, he said that harnessing potential opportunities could help offset some of these effects.