The immediate challenge for the new Prime Minister will rightly be the cost-of-living crisis, closely followed by the related – and looming – energy crisis. But the new PM mustn’t lose sight of the bigger picture: the need to deliver a more resilient and sustainable economy – one that can weather the storm of crises still to come, including climate change and the ageing population.
That’s a big set of problems to solve but the innovative thinking and expertise being nurtured and harnessed in our university and research sectors can help with both.
Higher education generates more than £20 billion in export earnings every year – about the same value as UK car exports – yet productivity gains delivered by universities are often overlooked. Previous analysis valued these gains at over £34 billion a year just from the Russell Group’s own 24 universities – it will be more than double that for the sector.
