Our work 2021-22

We led the sector’s response to the crisis in Ukraine including establishing a twinning mechanism to support Ukrainian universities, influencing visa and research policy, and informing the roll-out of the Homes for Ukraine programme.

We responded strongly to the Levelling Up White Paper by urging government to bridge the funding gap while it sets up its UK Shared Prosperity Fund, publishing a new report on the value of graduates to future economic success and developing a positive vision for universities and levelling up.

We continued our efforts to tackle all forms of harassment and hate crime within universities including guidance on tackling staff-to-student sexual misconduct, tackling Islamophobia and anti- Muslim hatred and antisemitism and our #CombatMisconduct Toolkit for Vice-Chancellors.

We highlighted how universities are confronting the climate emergency, via a new report, our MadeAtUni Climate Action campaign and through analysis on how the climate crisis affects internationalisation.

We demonstrated continued leadership in addressing concerns about low value courses, via the development and promotion of our Framework for Programme Reviews. We published an explainer outlining how universities are protecting degree standards and tackling grade inflation.

We developed comprehensive responses to the HE reform and LLE consultations drawing on specially convened task and finish groups, significant member engagement and compelling evidence including a new analysis of the economic impact of universities. 

We established a new task and finish group to support universities to understand and address student drug use.

We showcased the sector’s commitment to maintaining fair and transparent admissions processes by publishing our Fair admissions code of practice which over 120 universities have now signed up to.

We worked with UK government on the development of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill with a view to reducing burden on the sector. Our work was heavily informed by member engagement to identify where further support could help balance academic freedom and freedom of speech with other duties.

We worked to secure the UK’s success post-Brexit including our high-profile ‘Stick to Science’ campaign urging EU leaders and the UK and Swiss governments to place science collaboration before politics. We called for visa reform to maximise the success of the Turing scheme, as well as measures to attract and retain international researchers. 

We continued a range of public campaigning including our #GettingResults campaign and two strands of our #MadeAtUni campaign focusing on Creative Sparks and Climate Action. Our #WeAreTogether campaign received two national awards – a PIEoneer Award and a PR Week Global Award.

We supported universities to manage security-related risks by assessing sector progress since our October 2020 guidance. We also issued a joint statement with international counterparts committing to safe, secure, and sustainable internationalisation, helped universities understand the National Security and Investment Act and established the Higher Education Export Control Association.

We responded robustly to the OfS consultations on student outcomes, the TEF and the construction of indicators, warning that excessive administrative will detract from teaching, assessment, and student support. We took on the role of secretariat for the UKSCQA to provide oversight of quality assessment arrangements.

We promoted how research and innovation at universities will help deliver on the UK’s plans for growth and informed several national reviews on the research environment. As secretariat for the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, we implemented a new governance structure and strategy.

We influenced the revised approach to access and participation ahead of the appointment of the new OfS Director for Access and Participation. This included significant consultation with members and stakeholders to ensure universities could build on past successes and avoid the wholesale rewriting of Access and Participation Plans.

UUK has continued to be the go-to organisation for UK government and opposition teams when it comes to influencing higher education policy and being the leading sector voice.

We secured the renewal of our contract with the All-Party Parliamentary University Group for another three years (until December 2024). University membership of the group reached a record high of 95 in 2021–22. The group published research on perceptions of fees and student finance while our meetings attracted high profile speakers including Research Minister George Freeman MP and OfS Director for Fair Access, John Blake.

• securing a smoother admissions process for 2021 
• influencing government plans throughout the 2021-22 academic year
• publication of a briefing on what teaching and learning would look like in England in 2021–22
• securing extensions to key visa concessions for international students
• promoting how universities will drive economic and social recovery from Covid-19 with the launch of our #GettingResults campaign
• publishing a new briefing on Lessons from the pandemic: making the most of technologies in teaching
• encouraging and achieving high vaccination uptake in university populations including a sector statement highlighting our collective commitment 
• securing a solution to the vaccination recognition issue affecting international students
• supporting the sector to plan for the autumn 
• influencing policy linked to asymptomatic testing 
• supporting UUK members to understand changes to quarantine requirements 
• working with the Home Office to ensure visa policy can allow for innovations in learning and teaching following the pandemic
• working with colleagues to understand and respond to the implications of the proposed mandatory vaccination requirement for healthcare students