The Principal, Professor Anton Muscatelli, has welcomed a UK Government commitment to guarantee European Union funding beyond the date the UK leaves the EU.

The Principal, and other senior University figures, are also to discuss relations with Europe at a staff forum to be held later this month. Save the date: Thursday 25 August, 1pm - Kelvin Gallery. 

Over the weekend the United Kingdom government made an important announcement on funding. The Chancellor Philip Hammond gave a commitment that the Treasury would guarantee to back EU funded projects, including underwriting the value of any European grants awarded to UK researchers.

Full details of the announcement can be found here:

www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-philip-hammond-guarantees-eu-funding-beyond-date-uk-leaves-the-eu.

Professor Muscatelli said: "This is a welcome development which provides a degree of certainty that research will be fully funded for the entire duration of any EU grant that has been awarded.

"However considerable issues remain both on longer term funding and on how vital collaborations with our European partners and colleagues might be protected post Brexit.

"I want colleagues to know that we are doing all that we can to ensure that the voice of the University of Glasgow is understood at all levels of government."

Last week the Secretary of State for International Development, Priti Patel MP, was on campus meeting senior members of staff and she heard directly of the UofG's concerns over funding, academic collaborations and freedom of movement for students and staff. Professor Muscatelli said: "We were pleased that the University of Glasgow was chosen to host the first visit of a Cabinet Minister to Scotland since the EU referendum.

"We have regular interaction with the Scottish Government, again to ensure that the interests of Higher Education in general, and the University of Glasgow in particular, are known and understood. In a speech delivered to the Institute of Public Policy Research in July, the First Minister was very clear on her desire to ensure important EU links, including those enjoyed by universities, are protected during the negotiations to come.

"We will continue to work with both the Westminster and Holyrood governments, making your views and concerns heard at the very highest level," he said.

The University of Glasgow and Europe

The first of what will be a series of open-forums for staff and students will take place in the Kelvin Gallery at 1pm on 25 August. This is an opportunity for University staff and students to make comment or ask questions of the senior leadership team and the President of the SRC. The Principal said that while not everyone would be able to attend it was important that the UofG provided an opportunity for dialogue as early as possible. It is hoped the Principal will be joined by a panel of senior University staff and SRC representatives:

Christine Barr - Director of Human Resources
Joe Galloway - Finance Office Research
Ameer Ibrahim - SRC President
Miles Padgett - Vice-Principal - Research
Rachel Sandison - Director, Marketing, Recuitment and International Office

The session will be recorded and will be made available on the University's MyGlasgow site. You can also email questions to the Principal in advance:

principaloffice@glasgow.ac.uk

You can register for the staff forum via the Eventbrite website.

Professor Muscatelli said: "The period ahead will be challenging for all of us, but as I outlined in my first communication immediately after the vote on 23 June, the University of Glasgow was founded in the European tradition and nothing will change our international outlook or our commitment to collaborative, world leading research and teaching."

Future events will be announced in due course and there will be regular updates on what is being done to ensure that the views of staff and students - and the position of the University of Glasgow -are heard in the important months ahead."

 

First published: 16 August 2016

<< August