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Good morning. The sector's decks are cleared for George Osborne's Emergency Budget taking place on Wednesday. James Wilsdon's review of research metrics for HEFCE is due to be published on Thursday. All of which takes us to a likely peak of higher education policy after the extraordinary developments over the last few weeks, before the sector and Parliament head in to their summer holidays.
George's Marvellous Medicine
On Wednesday at 12.30pm, George Osborne will get to his feet and deliver the first entirely Conservative Party Budget since 1997. Already announced for BIS are in-year cuts of some £450m - around £150m of which is likely to come out of HEFCE. How the rest of it is found is not yet known - as are which other cuts the Chancellor has planned this month or in the Autumn ahead of the spending review taking place next spring. The grants to loans switch is unlikely to happen this week, and other cuts that represent significant changes in policy are all likely to be tied to the coming spending review. Which means a real tightening of belts is on the cards. We'll be watching closely to look at how this might impact on HE, but in the mean-time on Wonkhe today:
Andy Westwood previews the Budget and George Osborne's 'long term economic plan' - how it all fits together and what it all might mean for the sector now and for the rest of the Parliament.
The metric tide
On Thursday James Wilsdon's big review of research metrics for HEFCE is due to be published. This is the final piece in the jigsaw of evaluation projects of REF2014 which answers one of the big unresolved questions prior to launching the next REF cycle: should the exercise dump peer review panels in favour of a lighter-touch, more automated system of metrics-based assessment? The review's answer is in short: no - and having previewed the conclusions earlier in the year, the full report along with evidence base (the most detailed correlation analysis of REF scores with metrics so far) will be released on Thursday.
You might have missed on Wonkhe
Back to school with Jo Johnson - Mark Leach gives his snap verdict on the universities & science minister's big speech on HE last week. Paul Greatrix' Registrarism blog continues with a commentary on PA Consulting's report on innovation (or lack of) in university leadership.
Odds and sods elsewhere
Vince Cable's former special adviser Giles Wilkes has a must-read piece in the FT about policy-based evidence making.
The rest of the week's higher education agenda
Monday, 6th July
EVENT: SRHE Widening participation seminar, London
EVENT: HEFCE Opportunities for FECs in HE conference, Birmingham
Tuesday, 7th July
EVENT: UALL The wider benefits of lifelong learning conference, London
EVENT: WF Expanding the role of universities in local economic growth seminar, London
EVENT: NUS Student’s Unions 2015 staff gathering, near Manchester ('till Wednesday)
EVENT: Standing conference on university teaching and research into the Education of Adults, Leeds ('till Thursday)
Wednesday, 8th July
NEWS: Emergency Budget
EVENT: Inside Gov Maximising mobile technology and learning in HE, London
EVENT: The Brilliant Club annual conference, London
Thursday, 9th July
REPORT: UCAS applicant statistics - 30th June deadline
REPORT: HEFCE Wilsdon review on research metrics (plus launch event)
EVENT: Inside Gov Delivering first class UK postgraduate education, London
Friday, 10th July
EVENT: CABS 5th annual lunch for women business school leaders, London
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