Imminent peril

English universities will learn of their funding cuts this week, writes Alison Goddard.

Exactly how the £450 million of in-year funding cuts will affect higher education is expected to be announced within the next few days. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has lost 5 per cent of the money it was due to receive this year, however the science budget will be protected. George Osborne has told Sajid Javid, the business secretary, to ensure that the cuts made by his department have no impact on the provision of subjects including science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine. The Higher Education Funding Council for England will announce where the axe will fall, most probably within the next few days. Universities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are not immediately affected; however their state funding will decline in the longer term following changes made to the English system.

Industrial policy seems to be at risk under Mr Javid’s leadership, according to the Financial Times. It reports that although the Conservative manifesto committed the government to supporting areas such as life sciences, the motor industry, robotics and nanotechnology, Mr Javid has yet to make any statement since he came to the office a month ago. The article contrasts Mr Javid’s reported free-market instincts with those of Mr Osborne, who appears to likes nothing more than being photographed in a hi-vis jacket and a hard hat.