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¹û¶³Ó°Ôº and Brexit

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¹û¶³Ó°Ôº statements and strategic activity

Since the referendum, Professor Michael Arthur, ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº President & Provost, has been a leading presence in policy stakeholder groups, media and public debate.

¹û¶³Ó°Ôº President & Provost Professor Michael Arthur
Professor Michael Arthur, ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº President & Provost, has consistently argued for:
  • maintaining freedom of movement and minimal restrictions for EU academics, staff and students
  • retaining full access to and influence over EU research and innovation programmes
  • international students to be removed from the net migration figures

See below for ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº statements and other key strategic activities.

For statements about the EU referendum of key relevance to ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº, please refer to our external statements page.Ìý

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Provost's public statements

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Other key Provost's activities

  • In May 2018,Ìý¹û¶³Ó°Ôº President & Provost, Professor Michael Arthur, was appointed as a member of the board of the League of European Research Universities (LERU), aÌýnetwork of 23 leading European universities which plays a key role in representing the sector at the highest European levels.
  • The Provost chairs the EU Advisory Group of the , which represents the UK’s 24 leading universities. As such, he plays a key role in a group that seeks to ensureÌýthat the interests of the sector are communicated at the highest level – in Westminster as well as in Brussels. Pro-Vice-Provost (Europe) is also a member of this group.
  • The Provost is a member of the government’s , which is chaired by Universities Minister Sam Gyimah. The purpose of the group is to provide a monthly forum for government officials and representatives of the universities, science and research communities to discuss issues relating to Brexit and government policy. , Chair of Science and Research Policy at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº, is also a member of this group.
  • ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº hosted the in January 2017, with Professor Michael Arthur, ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº President & Provost, giving evidence on the impact of Brexit on Higher Education, highlighting the key concerns of ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº and the sector.
  • To inform and consult on these activities, the Provost chairs ¹û¶³Ó°Ôºâ€™s Brexit Mitigation Group, a high-level working group that meets monthly to plan for and mitigate the impact of Brexit on ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº as an institution.

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High level policy engagement

Engaging with government and parliament

  • ¹û¶³Ó°Ôºâ€™s institutional response to Brexit is grounded in long-standing policy engagement with UK and EU authorities and organisations. In March 2017, Professor Michael Arthur and Sarah Chaytor, Director of Research Strategy & Policy at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôºâ€™s Office of the Vice-Provost (Research), outlined in detail .
  • ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº regularly makes institutional submissions to parliament, coordinated by the . As well as hosting the House of Commons Education Committee, ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº has submitted written evidence on Brexit to the House of Commons on multiple occasions, in addition toÌýthe House of Commons Exiting the EU Committee, , , and Migration Advisory Committee. Professor Graeme Reid was a Specialist Advisor to the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee enquiry on the . Many of these initiatives and relevant documents are listed on the .
  • Senior leaders and academics from across ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº regularly meet with high level representatives from government departments, parliament, the civil service and European embassies to discuss Brexit related policy in both public and closed settings. Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer MP, Foreign Office Europe Director Caroline Wilson, and Anna Soubry MP, all sit on the .

Engaging with key sectoral organisations

  • To improve the policy environment for universities in the Brexit context, ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº also actively engages with key sectoral organisations, such as the Russell Group (particularly through its EU Advisory Group), Universities UK (especially UUK International), the Royal Society, Wellcome Trust, the CBI, and the Campaign for Science and Engineering (CASE).

Engaging at EU level

  • ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº is also active at EU level. Professor David Price, ¹û¶³Ó°Ôºâ€™s Vice-Provost (Research), chairs the Committee of Vice-Rectors of Research of the . A network of 23 leading European universities, LERU plays a key role in representing the sector at the highest European levels. Michael Browne, Head of ¹û¶³Ó°Ôºâ€™s European Research and Innovation Office, also has a leading role in LERU and the open research platform Vision2020.
  • From 1ÌýJanuary 2018, Professor Mariana Mazzucato, Director of the ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, became Special Advisor on Mission Driven Science and Innovation to EU Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, Carlos Moedas.
  • The IoE’s Centre for Global Higher Education (CGHE) has received funding to investigate the implementation and consequences of Brexit for UK universities.

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