With a focus on the 2024 General Election, the University’s own manifesto highlights the key issues for the sector and the asks that we make of the next UK Government to allow us to maximise our contribution to building a prosperous nation.
While education policy and funding responsibility is devolved to the Scottish Government and Parliament, key policy areas reserved to Westminster have an influential bearing on university operations in Scotland and, in turn the ability of Scotland’s universities to meet the needs of people and place.
Our manifesto is centred around four distinct themes: Learning, Teaching and the Student Experience; Research and Innovation; Economic Development; and Immigration Policy.
These themes focus on key policy areas that are important to us and the sector more broadly, including:
- Ensuring that the wide-ranging contributions our universities make are fully recognised in government policy and spending decisions;
- That UK-wide research funding programmes better reflect the research needs and business base of Scotland;
- That we maintain the Graduate Route Visa to ensure that the UK remains internationally attractive to international students; and
- That regions including the North-East of Scotland benefit from place-based UK investment.