If the polls are to be believed, 5 July will see a raft of new ministers entering the UK government, presenting an opportunity for anyone looking to get their sector’s priorities in front of fresh eyes. Universities will face competition from myriad industries, all vying for attention and funding.
To cut through, universities can’t become just another sector looking for a funding injection from a cash-strapped Treasury. Whoever is in government will be under pressure to take swift action on urgent priorities such as the National Health Service (NHS), the environment and, above all, economic growth. Universities need to present themselves as partners that are ready to help – using their scale, research excellence and global connections to develop solutions to pressing problems faced by families, businesses and public services.
Show how your university can support manifesto priorities
Universities need to show how their activity supports ministers’ priorities, so their requests don’t appear one-sided. Do they, for instance, train the skilled NHS workforce of tomorrow, develop innovative solutions for green energy or create jobs by commercialising research?
In showcasing how they can support key government aims, universities can then highlight how the government can help them do more.
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Public affairs and policy professionals should be combing through the detail of party manifestos to match the potential priorities of the next government to their university’s areas of strength.
When presenting to new ministers, universities need to be ready to evidence this contribution with robust data. While these arguments can feel very familiar to those living and breathing higher education, the scale of our sector’s impact is often a surprise to those outside it.
Innovation and research commercialisation at Russell Group universities alone generated £37.6 billion for the UK economy and supported more than 250,000 jobs in 2021-22, a report by London Economics published this year found.
To put this into perspective, that's double the number of jobs in chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing. To make a case for universities to be high on the agenda, this type of impactful evidence of higher education as a lever for growth is a must-have.
Celebrate your university’s role in the local community
It’s not just about national priorities. Many universities now describe themselves as “anchor institutions”, but what does that mean?
Away from Westminster, most local MPs are enthusiastic advocates for their constituency and are always keen to celebrate local successes and find allies to help solve local challenges. Showing your local MPs, especially those who are newly elected, the tangible difference that your university makes for their constituents is an invaluable first step in demonstrating the need for sector support.
A local thriving university is a huge advantage, and not always in ways people expect. Whether improving access to dental care, as at Cardiff University’s Mountain Ash Valley Primary Dental Care Unit, or giving children the chance to experience diverse, international live music, as at the University of Southampton’s music venue, Turner Sims Southampton, universities respond to the needs of their local communities far beyond their day-to-day teaching and research.
This engagement in national and local priorities doesn’t have to wait until there is an election result. Sharing a short briefing with powerful data or hosting prospective parliamentary candidates at your institution may sound straightforward, but this kind of bread-and-butter engagement activity will help establish a positive footing for a future relationship. It lays the ground for deeper conversations about the important role of universities in the wider ecosystem of economic growth.
Remember the power of public opinion
UK universities haven’t had an easy ride recently, with concerns, and at times attacks, over course quality and the value of international students. So, if politicians aren’t fully convinced by universities’ own arguments, we would do well to highlight the evidence on public opinion.
The public typically rate higher education very favourably as a sector, with respondents ranking universities higher than financial services, sports and tourism on the world stage, polling commissioned by the Russell Group this year revealed.
More recent polling by the King’s College London Policy Institute found that voters hold our universities in high esteem, beaten only by the NHS, armed forces and Royal Family, and would hold the government responsible should their local university risk financial failure. In short, supporting universities would be a popular move.
At a moment of potentially meaningful change for the UK, universities should seize the opportunity to offer ourselves as invaluable partners and problem-solvers for the years ahead.
Hamir Patel is head of communications at the Russell Group.
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