The latest in a long line of worrying signs for universities reliant on international students. Of 49 universities asked, 70 per cent said the number of overseas postgrads starting courses in January was down year-on year. And not just a little down. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

Excerpt (free to read) of this morning's Playbook on the 9 universities taking legal steps against DfE / Student Loans Company over the thousands of students being asked to repay maintenance loans. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

Will the academic exodus from X silence research? Spread of researchers across multiple platforms (including Bluesky) brings warnings of a tougher struggle for impact. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

There's definitely a reshaping of UK research going on Some of it is intentional - govt encouraging unis to specialise, UKRI directing funds for applied R&I to industrial strategy areas Some of it isn't - unis taking individual decisions to save costs that add up to impact on national capacity 🧵

Researchers ‘must balance AI use with human understanding’. Royal Society vice-president urges caution as AI tools are adopted to speed up science. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-i...

Open up to boost trust and impact, social sciences urged. Landmark repeatability initiative puts onus on researchers to be “transparent” about their work. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-worl...

Orbán defeat seen as ‘victory for democracy’ and universities. European universities celebrate opportunity for Hungarian institutions to restore academic freedom. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

AI use in science linked to more novelty and impact, study finds. The use of artificial intelligence in scientific research appears to be associated with more novel work that has greater impact. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-worl...

STFC budget falling in real terms even as UKRI spending rises. New figures show pressure on cash-strapped council, as scientists warn of wide-ranging impacts from cuts. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

Universities Scotland: ‘No exceptions’ in political party talks. Scottish universities are making “no exceptions” when it comes to engaging with political parties ahead of the Holyrood elections, the head of Universities Scotland has told me. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

Full story from @chrisjparr.bsky.social and me: www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

We've been tracking applications for UK student visas for many months now and the trend is...not good March figures released by the Home Office today show there have been 6 straight months where numbers were down on the year before 🧵

Interest on Plan 2 and 3 student loans will be capped at 6% for the 2026/27 academic year, instead of RPI+3%, to "provide borrowers with certainty in an uncertain world", says the government. Source: www.gov.uk/government/n...

Research networks are ‘diminishing by the day’ thanks to the surging number of redundancies in UK universities. Via @chrisjparr.bsky.social www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

'Resmearch' is where groups use AI to trawl large datasets & produce findings that support their stance. @dcomerf.bsky.social says: “It’s bullshit science...peer review is asleep at the wheel on this stuff”. Read @fionamcintyre.bsky.social's piece: www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

Research networks ‘diminishing by the day’ as redundancies hit. Cross-institutional networks being thwarted by job pressures, warns academic after homicide detection project collapses. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

Study visa ban leaves Chevening applicants feeling ‘powerless’. Two Afghan applicants “shocked and saddened” by Home Office decision that halted “life-changing” opportunity. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

The chair of the House of Commons science committee has described impending cuts to physics funding as “wholly unacceptable” and “a failure” in an excoriating letter to the science minister and the leader of UKRI. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

Breaking: Looming physics cuts a ‘failure’, says science committee chair. Chi Onwurah says science minister and UKRI leadership must “bear responsibility” and “win back trust”. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

STFC boss Michele Dougherty admits UK will lose postdocs through physics cuts. Meeting minutes also show appetite within UKRI to move grants programme to alternative research council. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

Name that university...

Female tech leaders slam Elon Musk at Royal Society event. Former Twitter executive and leading computer scientist lament Musk’s impact on social media. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-c...

“There appears to be little actual understanding of what the implications of these sweeping restructures actually mean for staff workloads, research time and. quality of teaching.”

UK university unions demand pay rise 3% above inflation. Employers describe claim as “extremely challenging” in current financial climate. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

RCIF and World Class Laboratories streams take a hit as UKRI boosts infrastructure spending on digital and supercomputing.

Closure of language courses is ‘national catastrophe’, warns VC. Birmingham leader Adam Tickell says “institutional mergers” may be needed to protect “national cultural assets”. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

Most UK universities now inactive on X. Tipping point reached as shift away from Elon Musk’s social media platform continues. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

A look at obtaining information about university redundancies. www.linkedin.com/pulse/would-...

Nottingham move to cut academics' protected research time to 25%, as staff-student ratios rise, brings strong warning from the UCU branch - this "threatens Nottingham's status as a research-intensive institution".

🧵Out today! The latest edition of Research Fortnight🧵 Our lead story reports that the number of redundancies across UK research-intensive universities almost doubled between 2023 and 2025. 1/9 www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

I sent FOI requests to all 34 members of the Russell Group and Research Plus to collate this data, though only 24 replied on time. Still a decent sample. Not happy reading.

So, Reform's education and skills spokesperson is now Suella Braverman. Her first words in the role? "Many of our young people have been sold a lie about university, wasting 3 yrs of their lives on Mickey Mouse courses all while we have a chronic shortage of nurses, builders, & care workers...

More universities face Covid legal action after UCL settlement. Campaign group representing 170,000 current and former students sends pre-action letters to 36 institutions. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

‘Cut loan repayment threshold to £15k’, says economist behind fees. Nicholas Barr calls for lower earnings threshold to be accompanied by lower loan interest rate. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

Duncan Ivison told @chrisjparr.bsky.social that he has ‘serious questions about the REF’. The University of Manchester vice-chancellor also shared his frustration that the UK is "not grabbing" the opportunity to become a global education superpower. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

With England's system of tuition fees and student loans under fierce criticism, @chrisjparr.bsky.social speaks to the creator of that system, David Willetts. Willetts points out Labour govt has not found an alternative model (though I don't think it has really tried to look for one).

Latest drop in UK student visa applications ‘deeply concerning’. There were 19,800 applications last month—a 31 per cent decrease on January 2025, when there were 28,700. It is the fourth month in a row that monthly visa applications have been at a four year low.

Interview. Duncan Ivison: ‘I have serious questions about the REF’ Manchester vice-chancellor discusses assessment reform, missed education “superpower” opportunity and political perils. Free to read. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

Ian Chapman makes the case that he would not be doing his job properly if he didn't deal with the cost overruns at STFC, which are causing so much grief to physicists Physics groups are calling on ministers to intervene (presumably with more cash) And there is now a response from a minister ...

A packed edition.

Manchester VC Duncan Ivison's comments to me about the REF were spread far and wide yesterday. Today we have more from what was a refreshingly frank conversation with the head of one of the UK's biggest research-intensives. I asked he speaks with the Reform party. "Yes, absolutely."

Breaking: Research Excellence Framework director to step down in April. Former director Kim Hackett returning to oversee strategy while successor to Rebecca Fairbairn is found. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

Scrapping REF should be “serious’ option”, says Manchester VC. Duncan Ivison questions “usefulness” of “massive, bureaucratic” research assessment exercise. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

Breaking: Research Excellence Framework director to step down in April. Free to read: www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

A pleasure to speak with @duncanivison.bsky.social in London recently. Asked if he wanted to see the REF scrapped, he said: “I think it should be seriously one of the options.” Full, wide-ranging interview out on @resprofnews.bsky.social tomorrow. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

UKRI's chief executive said recently that the UK "may wish to explore" paring back its association to the EU's research programme, to make it partial. That would be a "profound strategic error", critics now warn. By @clanicholson.bsky.social www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

The UK’s decision to withdraw its share of funding for an international effort to upgrade a major experiment using the Large Hadron Collider at Cern means the project “will collapse”, according to its elected leader. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

Some more details in here about changes to the Global Talent visa route, with govt promising further reforms through 2026 Still very little detail on what Rachel Reeves said at Davos about reimbursements for some Global Talent visa holders And a 👎 to staggering immigration health surcharge payment

This is free to read.