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Annual Review 2008-9
Contents
Foreword 2
Introduction 3
Promotional Initiatives 5
Partnerships 13
Working with the Membership 15
Finance Report 16
Publications & Reports 17
People & Places 19
Conclusion 21
Contents 1
It is customary for the introductory text of a
document such as this to be filled with hyperbole
– the year has never been so productive, the
organization has changed beyond all
recognition, never has so much been achieved.
This year, however, I am in the happy position of
being able to say such things without fear of
contradiction. For in so many ways London
Higher is an entirely different organization, and
one that continues to outperform all expectations
made of it.
To begin with London Higher is now a company
limited by guarantee with charitable status - a
measure, if one were needed, that the organization
has come of age. It was no mean feat delivering
forty-one Members’ Agreements, an MoU with the
University of London, accession to the USS and a
Deed of Transfer all within six months.
With age comes responsibility and the
organization has not disappointed here either.
This year we took the challenging decision to
leave the University of London and run our own
accounts, payroll and human resources, a
decision that will allow us greater freedom in the
future as well as control in the short-term.
But the change is not all behind the scenes.
Structurally London Higher has grown from four
business units last year to five at the end of this;
and financially from a turnover of £1.2m in 2007-
8 to £1.8m this year – and with growth forecast to
£2.8m in 2009-10.
Forewordfrom the Chair of London Higher
I could expand at some length about our many
successes throughout the year. Amongst those
that spring to mind are the Schools and HE Links
report to the Minister for London Schools and our
successful bid to host the London Higher Business
Development Unit. The latter has attracted £1.45m
funding from HEFCE – the single largest grant we
have ever been awarded. Others include the
setting up of London Medicine, running a
successful Podium conference and publishing no
fewer than twenty-eight separate reports and
guides concerning London’s HE group. In regard
to all the achievements of the year I thank the
executive staff of London Higher for their tireless
and professional work.
Last but not least you will notice that we have
changed our logo and brand. This is in part to
commemorate our new legal status, but also to
mark the tenth anniversary of London Higher.
The inaugural meeting of the London Higher
Education Consortium, as it then was, took place
on 20 April 1999. No one who was at that first
meeting (and there are still a few of them around)
could have imagined the distance the
organization would travel in ten short years.
As I enter my last year as Chair, it is with great
pride that I look back over the extraordinary
achievements of this past year and with
anticipation that I look forward to the next ten
years of London Higher.
Professor David Latchman,
Chair, London Higher
Foreword 2
3 Introduction
It is an ‘umbrella’ body representing over 40
publicly funded universities and colleges and is
the biggest and most varied of the regional
university associations in the UK.
About London’s Higher Education
London’s universities and HE colleges are a
powerhouse of research, teaching and
technology transfer unrivalled anywhere in the
UK, Europe and beyond. Collectively, higher
education institutions (HEIs) in London:
• Generate c. £10.4 billion each year in goods
and services and £1.2 billion in export
earnings (2005-6 data);
• Educate c. 400,000 students from the UK and
overseas– who are able to choose from over
11,000 undergraduate courses and nearly
4,000 postgraduate qualifications;
• Employ c. 94,000 academic and non-
academic staff;
• Win c. 27% of Research Council grants and
£466m of recurrent grant research funding
from HEFCE;
• Attract to the UK c. 93,000 international
students from over 200 countries, who in turn
contribute £1.5 billion to the UK economy;
• Produce over 56,000 skilled graduates every
year, 90% of whom find work in London and
the south east.
About London Higher
As their member association London Higher
works to represent the group as a whole.
We do this in two ways: by collecting and
researching data on higher education (HE) in the
capital and by advocating, on behalf of our
members, the case for London’s HE.
The organization currently runs five core
programmes, each with its own stream of
research and advocacy activities:
1. Case for London which aims to create a
robust evidence-base pertaining to, and in
support of, HE in London;
2. Study London, promoting London as an
educational destination and the best city in
which to be a student;
3. Podium, the Further and HE co-ordination Unit
for the 2012 Games;
4. Employer Engagement, our response to the
higher-level skills agenda; and
5. School-HE links in London (SHELL)
developing a strategy for meaningful links
between secondary schools and HEIs in
London.
London Higher is a membership organization
that promotes and acts as an advocate for
higher education (HE) in London.
Introduction
Introduction 4
Our outputs are diverse and include research
reports, promotional material, meetings and
workshops, parliamentary lobbying, media
management and receptions. We also run a wide
range of advisory groups and networks.
As well as working with, and for, the institutional
members London Higher works closely with
partner organizations including the London
Development Agency (LDA), the Greater London
Authority (GLA), London First and with the
business sector.
Our Vision
Our strategic reference is the Vision & Excellence
statement (available on our website) which sets
out the long-term objective, agreed by all
London-based HEIs, to establish London as the
undisputed ‘Knowledge Capital of the World’.
Our Mission
In support of this vision London Higher is
remitted to actively promote, and act as an
advocate for, all institutions represented in the
university sector in the London region.
The following pages outline how we have
developed these objectives during the past year
through our promotional initiatives, our
partnerships, our members and our people.
FA
CT: Universities and higher
education institutionsthat are members ofLondon Higher41
5 Promotional Initiatives
We achieve this through five core programmes
of work:
• Case for London HE;
• Study London;
• Podium (the Further and HE unit for 2012
Games);
• Employer Engagement; and
• Schools and HE
In this section we outline the objectives of each
of these workstreams and give summaries of
some of the activities each has undertaken
during the year.
The Case for London HE
The Case for London HE is a core workstream of
London Higher, resourced primarily in
association with the Higher Education Funding
Council for England (HEFCE) and the London
Development Agency (LDA).
The programme aims to create an ongoing and
robust evidence-base in support of HE in the
capital. In particular it seeks to:
• contribute to a better understanding of the
impact of London’s HE sector on the regional,
national and global economy;
• advise London Higher’s member institutions on
key policy initiatives in the London region; and
• promote effective policies and initiatives that
maximize the contribution of London’s HE
sector to the social, cultural and economic
development of the region.
This year, the Case for London HE stream has
developed the following initiatives:
Research Excellence Group
Chaired by Professor Michael Worton (University
College London), the group aims to promote
research excellence across the capital – wherever
it is found - regionally, nationally and internationally.
In November 2008 we commissioned Innovation
Partners to produce a study on how London’s
HEIs interact with the Technology Strategy
Board. The report was followed up by a
conference at which over 100 delegates heard
speakers including David Evans, Head of
Innovation, Department for Innovation,
Universities and Skills (DIUS).
This year speakers at the meetings have included
Prof. David Sweeney, Director of Research,
Innovation & Skills at HEFCE and Prof. Adrian Smith,
Director General for Science & Research, DIUS.
We have completed our work on CaseMakerHE,
which combines a web-based database of
promotional information about London and
London’s HE research infrastructure with a
flexible binding system that allows bespoke
design-standard documents to be produced
quickly and cost effectively.
We conducted a second set of mapping which
plotted all HE campuses, offices and outstations
in London (there are 110 of them) and
calculated the average distances from them in
each travel zone (7.3 km in Zone 1).
Although our submission to ESRC for
a CASE studentship to broaden
our HE spin-out study was
unsuccessful we are
working to develop
another proposal
with NESTA.
The primary function of London Higher
is to raise awareness of HE in the London
region and promote the extensive benefits
it makes to the region and beyond.
Promotional Initiatives
Promotional Initiatives 6
Healthcare Education Group
Chaired by Professor Pat Hughes (St George’s,
University of London), the group is unique in
bringing together senior academic leaders from
London’s medical, dentistry and allied
healthcare professions.
This year we have had several successes. In autumn
2008 we were invited to join the planning group
for the inaugural LondonHealth08 conference
which has been a long-standing aim of the group.
Through our work we were able to showcase a
dozen case studies drawn from HE members
during the two-day conference in December.
In February 2009 we were invited to nominate a
Commissioner to the re-constituted London
Health Commission, another goal of the group.
Professor Hughes has been accepted onto the
Commission, which is chaired by the Mayor, to
represent the HE group.
During the year the group welcomed
presentations from Prof. Bob Fryer, Chief Learning
Advisor to the Department of Health (DoH) and
Prof. Sue Hill, Chief Scientific Officer to DoH.
Finally we successfully established London
Medicine - a new London Higher unit which
brings together four medical schools, three
specialist institutions and the London Deanery
to monitor, discuss and promote medicine,
dentistry and associated clinical academic
disciplines in London.
Teacher Education in London
In May of this year we launched a new Teacher
Education in London microsite
www.londonhigher.ac.uk/teacherseducation.html.
It showcases the rich tapestry of effective and
innovative partnerships between schools and
HEIs working together to raise the standards of
achievement in schools.
Social impact by London HEIs (SILH)
The eighteen month project, funded by HEFCE
and completed in June 2009, provided a
preliminary benchmark of “third stream”,
or social engagement, activities by HEIs and
information on perceptions of Londoners to the
HE sector.
Research involved semi-structured interviews
at 14 London HEIs to “map” HE-community
interactions, a quantitative online survey
conducted by YouGov plc and qualitative focus
groups managed by Ipsos MORI.
Reports on the various phases of the project
along with background information can be found
at www.londonhigher.ac.uk/silh.html.
A key outcome of the project is the need to
develop communication strategies on HE
services and facilities at local and pan-London
levels to increase awareness, provide better
information and improve access.
European Group
The group has continued to monitor developments
in Bologna Process, and European Regional
Development (ERDF) and Framework 7 (FP7).
In November 2008 we hosted a workshop for
members interested in applying for FP7 funding
and in March we welcomed the Head of London’s
European Office (LEO) to talk about how London
HEIs might work through LEO to influence policy
coming out of the European Commission.
Creative and Cultural Arts Working Group
The Working Group set up last year met under
the auspices of The Work Foundation in October
and November 2008.
The group presented its findings in a report
to the London Higher Board in December
proposing an innovative, multi-levelled project
aiming to establish an interactive framework within
which to base discussion and research into the
impacts and value of creative/cultural HE in London
Since then we have been working closely with
our partners at the Centre for Computing in the
Humanities at King’s College London and the
School of Advanced Studies at the University of
London to develop a proposal for a feasibility
study which was commissioned in June 2009.FA
CT: Business units
operated byLondon Higher5
FA
CT: The average
distance youare from anHEI in Zone 17.3KM
Study London
The Study London initiative is the longest running
workstream within London Higher. It promotes
London as an educational destination and as the
best city in which to be a student. The programme
is supported by the Mayor’s Office, the London
Development Agency and Visit London.
The Study London campaign strategy for 2009
focused on creating innovative marketing tools
and the production of Insight magazine.
International Student Fact Sheet
HESA data 2007/8 shows a 3 percent annual
increase in the number of international students
studying in London. The city remains the number
one choice in the world for international students
with 93,000 international students choosing to
study here.
Study London Guide
A new Study London Guide has been produced
in association with Visit London and containing a
foreword from the Mayor. It is an updated version
of the previous Study London Guide which
received good feedback from staff and students.
100,000 copies have been printed and distributed
to London’s universities and HE colleges as well
as being sent to 110 countries via Visit Britain
offices, British Council offices and Mayoral
representatives in India and China.
Insight Magazine
Insight is a quarterly magazine targeted at
international students and key influencers
around the world. Four editions were published
this year with feature articles in business and
finance, the creative arts, science and
technology, and health and public policy. Insight
also includes the latest news from London’s
universities and HE colleges including cutting-
edge research and showcasing the breadth,
depth and diversity of London’s HE sector. In
total, over 100,000 copies of Insight have been
distributed all around the world.
International Student Reception at City Hall
Study London in association with the Mayor’s
Office, hosted an International Student
Reception at City Hall on 19 March 2009. An
astonishing 4,500 students applied to attend the
reception but due to room capacity, 250 students
from 130 countries met the Mayor. Nearly 1,000
student testimonials were submitted, which will
be added to the testimonial world map on the
Study London website at
studylondon.ac.uk/whylondon
Students were asked to complete a short survey
about their study choices and experiences of
studying in London. The result has given us a
greater insight into the penetration of the Study
London campaign with 43 percent of
respondents saying they had used the Study
London website when researching their overseas
study options (this has increased from 15
percent in 2006 when we carried out the same
survey). In addition, we used the event to recruit
international students to join focus groups and
give us a greater insight into their decision-
making process as well as getting their feedback
on Study London’s promotional materials.
Website
The Study London website is a key promotional
tool when communicating with an audience of
prospective international students. 550,000
unique users have used the site since its launch
in May 2004 with over 290,000 in the last 12
months alone. Recent additions to the
site include a database of student
testimonials based on a map of
the world.
7 Promotional Initiatives
Promotional Initiatives 8
Study London created a Facebook group for
international students to contact one another. The
group has 1,000 members and a recent survey
revealed that one in four of all members
contacted another group member to discuss
studying in London.
Online and Print Advertising
Study London continues to work with Footprint
Advertising to project manage an online media
campaign aimed at the international student
market in key countries such as China, India and
the United States. The campaign promotes
London as an educational destination and
pushes prospective students to the Study
London website.
In 2009 we ran a competition for an iPod shuffle
loaded with 50 songs recorded by artists, either
born in London or who studied in London, as an
incentive to sign up to the Study London site.
Consequently registrations more than doubled
to 20,000.
International Recruitment Survey
In April, an international student survey was
sent to international offices in London’s 42
universities and HE colleges to determine
current and future international student
recruitment activities. 24 universities responded
to the survey, including 13 of the top 15
international student recruiting institutions.
Of those that responded, 92 percent expected to
see an increase in international student numbers
in the coming year, with an average growth of 8
percent but the majority expressed concern that
recent changes to student visa applications
could threaten overseas student recruitment.
This was seen as the biggest threat to London’s
market share, ahead of the cost of studying in
London or the increased competition from other
cities/regions around the world.
Over 90 percent of respondents also believed that
London’s HEIs should continue to be promoted
overseas to either increase international student
numbers or prevent a decrease.
Working with Partner Agencies
Study London was invited to be a part of the
working group to establish a brand identity for
London. Spearheaded by the Mayor’s Office and
including the London Organising Committee of
the Olympic Games (LOCOG), Visit London,
Think London, Film London and others, the new
working group aims to create a brand identity for
the city that will take us to 2012. A public
consultation exercise is expected to take place
during the summer of 2009.
Study London continues to work closely with the
London offices in Mumbai, Delhi, Shanghai and
Beijing and supporting their activities. On our
behalf the China and India representatives have
undertaken educational visits and tours and
between them have signed up 2,000 prospective
students to the Study London website, who
receive regular information on studying in London.
In addition, 10,000
copies of the Study
London Guide have
been translated and
printed in China.
The in-country
representatives are
distributing them to
prospective Chinese
students.
Beijing Olympics
August 2008
We took the
opportunity to host a London
Alumni Club meeting in the London House as
part of the London-themed activities taking
place in Beijing during the Olympic Games. We
received good feedback from attendees with 180
alumni from 22 institutions registering to attend
the reception.
In addition, Study London has been invited to
work with partner agencies to establish a London
presence at the Shanghai Expo in 2010.
FA
CT: The percentage of respondents
who used the Study Londonwebsite when researching theiroverseas study options43%
9 Promotional Initiatives
FA
CT: The number ofGB Olympic medals won by UK students,graduates or alumni 32
Podium
Podium is the Further and Higher Education Unit
for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Located inside London Higher the Unit has a
national remit and is funded by HEFCE, HEFCW
and the LSC.
Following a successful initiation period in the
summer of 2008, a revised remit was agreed by
the Podium Board, chaired by Professor Simon
Lee, that focussed on the three central priorities
of Communicate, Collaborate and Enhance.
• Communicate - To communicate both within
the sectors and with outside agencies about
the potential for universities and colleges to
support the successful staging and delivery of
the London 2012 Games and to help create a
wide-reaching and lasting legacy;
• Collaborate - To facilitate collaborative work
and the sharing of best practice within the
sectors (and their communities) in order to
develop projects and events which maximise
the benefits of hosting the 2012 Games;
• Enhance - To work with institutions to use the
2012 Games as a catalyst to enhance existing
activity and place the Further and Higher
Education
Gareth Smith was appointed Head of the Unit in
August 2008. His part-secondment into LOCOG
is helping to ensure that the HE and further
education (FE) sectors are able to share in the
global spotlight that the Games provides.
Podium Conference
On December 10 Podium held its first Annual
Conference at the University of Westminster. The
original target attendance was 300 delegates,
but the event proved to be so popular that it was
expanded to allow for almost 500 delegates to
attend from across FE and HE sectors.
Speakers at the event included Sebastian Coe,
John Armitt, Lord Young and Olympic Gold
medal-winning rower Pete Reed. The
conference also featured over twenty workshops
covering a wide variety of topics highlighting the
many ways that universities and colleges are
contributing towards London 2012, including
skills, research, sport, culture and volunteering.
Feedback about the Conference was very
positive and plans are being made to run such
an event annually.
Podium Website
From a zero base two years ago, Podium has
built an extensive network of Games related
contacts across both the FE and HE sectors,
both domestically and internationally. The
Podium newsletter now has well in excess of
2,300 subscribers, representing an increase of
more than 500 since December 2008, and it
continues to grow on a daily basis. The unit has
also launched separate Business Opportunities
and Student bulletins.
Promotional Initiatives 10
The podium website (www.podium.ac.uk) was
upgraded and relaunched in February 2009. Since
then the number of unique users has trebled – they
are now approximately five times the levels seen in
2007, making it one of the most popular Games-
related websites. Additional features include RSS;
opportunities, showcase and regional sections;
plus, an improved events section that promotes the
vast range of Games-related conferences and
events that HEIs are involved with delivering.
Podium Survey
In May 2009 Podium launched an extensive
survey of the UK’s FE and HE sectors to help
establish attitudes and activities with regard to
London 2012. At the time of writing the survey
had received over 350 responses nationwide
with just over 50 percent being from the HE
sector and 20 percent being from those working
at London institutions.
A Global Spotlight
Podium produced its first edition of Spotlight
magazine in December 2008. The second edition
is currently being edited and will be published
in June 2009. The magazine is distributed
electronically and in hard copy format to
all Podium contacts and stakeholders,
including the head of every English HEI.
Spotlight features case studies and opportunities
from every region in the country, across a broad
range of topics including; sport, volunteering,
culture, science and research. There is already
considerable interest from institutions in putting
forward material.
The first edition was very well received. A number
of different organizations outside, as well as inside
of HE and FE requested multiple copies for wider
distribution. In addition to enjoying the chance to
showcase their own successes, staff and
students clearly find Spotlight to be directly useful
in describing what other institutions and people
are doing. It helps to inform them when shaping
their own programmes, considering their own
activity development, and assists their decision-
making about whether or not to respond to
particular opportunities. There is no comparable
Games publication that is aimed specifically
towards HE and FE.
Beijing Success
The last twelve months also saw the final summer
Games before London 2012. Students and
alumni played crucial roles in ensuring the
success of Team GB at the Olympic and
Paralympic Games in Beijing both on and off the
sports field. Notable contributions included
Christine Ohuruogu, an alumnus of UCL, who
took Gold in the Women’s 400m, and no less then
15 students from the London College of Fashion
who produced the costumes for the handover
section of the Closing Ceremony.
FA
CT: The percentage of survey
respondents who said Podium hadhelped to inform them about Games-related activities and opportunities 90%
11 Promotional Initiatives
Employer Engagement
At our AGM in June 2008 London Higher
launched Highly Skilled London which set out a
comprehensive employer engagement strategy
tailored to the unique needs of London.
The strategy called for the establishment of a
‘London Higher Business Development Unit’
(LHBDU), hosted by London Higher.
In October 2008, together with project partners
London First and the Learning and Skills
Network, we submitted a funding proposal to
HEFCE to establish the LHBDU and in November
the proposal was provisionally accepted by
HEFCE. There were however some conditions to
be met, including a requirement that a number of
London HEIs make an up-front contribution.
We spent early 2009 revising the proposal and
bringing together a group of contributing
members to meet the new criteria and in April a
‘Foundation Members’ group was established.
The new group will help to provide operational
direction to the LHBDU while the reconstituted
London Higher Skills Board (which guided the
original research underpinning the strategy
detailed above) will determine the strategic vision
for the LHBDU.
In May 2009 HEFCE approved the revised
proposal and awarded London Higher £1.45m
over five years to set up and run the LHBDU. This is
a significant investment, the biggest single grant
London Higher has won to date, and the Unit will
add an exciting new dimension to the organization.
FA
CT: Grant awarded
by HEFCE toset up and runthe LHBDU1.45m
Promotional Initiatives 12
School and Higher EducationLinks in London
In July 2008, The London Challenge published
Vision for London 2008-2011 – London on the
way to world class which set out particular
pledges to further strengthen secondary schools
and post-16 learning in the capital.
Two of the pledges made specific reference to
HE. Namely that by 2011 (the end of the London
Challenge):
• ‘…every maintained secondary school in
London will have a partnership with a HE
institution; and
• a higher proportion of young Londoners will
go on to higher education, including the more
competitive universities.’
The publication also announced the
appointment of Professor Malcolm Gillies (Vice
Chancellor, City University London and Vice
Chair of London Higher) as London’s new
‘Champion for HE Partnerships’ to help steer
work to meet these pledges.
In the early autumn of 2008, London Higher
successfully applied to the Department for
Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) for grant
funding to support the preparation of a delivery
plan to further enhance school and HE links in
London (SHELL) and assist the Department to
deliver these two pledges
A Steering Group chaired by Professor Gillies,
comprising a range of expertise from the
schools and HE sectors was formed in order to
shape and oversee the plan. The fieldwork
included the undertaking of extensive mapping
exercises of both schools and HEIs, including
online surveys and interviews. A well attended
discussion forum was also held.
In April 2009 we submitted the delivery plan
to the Minister for London Schools outlining
recommendations to achieve the HE pledges.
The plan was received positively by the Minister.
London Higher now hopes to be able to secure
funding to enable us to act on the
recommendations.
FA
CT: The overall response
of London HEIs tothe online SHELLsurvey88%
13 Partnerships
The Mayor & The Greater London Authority
We organized a delegation of members to meet
with the Mayor in January 2009. Issues we raised
included the Olympic Park legacy, higher level
skills and the LHBDU and the future of Catalyst
(London’s Science and Industry Council).
Since then we have engaged proactively with the
Mayor’s consultation on the Olympic Park legacy.
In response to the consultation document,
A Proposition for a Centre for Research and
Learning, we commissioned a study of members’
thinking in this area to supplement HEIs’ individual
submissions. This was delivered to the Mayor’s
Office in early June 2009. We have also set up an
Olympic Legacy Group that will enable us to help
co-ordinate HE input into this exciting area.
We work with the Mayor’s Office in a number of
other ways too, both formally and informally,
including nominating representatives to the
London Cultural Strategy Group (Prof. Barry Ife),
the London Skills and Employment Board (Prof.
David Latchman), the London Health Commission
(Prof. Pat Hughes), briefing the Mayor on various
HE-related matters and, of course, in further
developing our Study London programme.
Alongside our promotional activities – and inextricably linked to them – is
our work with London’s many and varied stakeholder agencies and bodies.
London Higher maintains working links with over thirty such organizations
and fostering these partnerships is a vital part of our work.
Below we highlight just some of the work we have undertaken with our
partners during the year.
PartnershipsFA
CT: The average
number of peoplewho download eachissue of our e-zine300
FA
CT: Different
organizations with which we havesubstantial contact30
EEX
TE
RNAL REGIO
NA
L
PO
LITICAL BUSINE
SS
EX
TE
RNAL REGIO
NA
L
PO
LITICAL BUSINE
SS
TSB
Sector Skills
Development
Agency
Olympic
Delivery
Authority
LOCOG
Barclays Bank plc
Grant Thornton
LSEBoard
Visit London
Think London
City of London
Catalyst
London First
GLA
London AssemblyLDA
The Mayor’s OfficeHEFCE
LSN
LSC
DCSF
Department of Health
DCMS
DIUS/BIS
HERA
UUK
UK T&I
British Council
London’s European Office
MEMBER
INSITUTIONS
London Cultural Strategy Group
AoCLRLondon AimHigher
M25 Libraries Group
NHS London
NHS Innovations London
Partnerships 14
The London Development Agency
This year sees the end of our sector
development grant with the agency which has
run, in one form or another, since 2003.
Under this grant this year we held a conference
in collaboration with KnowledgeLondon looking
at how London HEIs can access funding from the
Technology Strategy Board. We also completed
further collaborative mapping work and finished
the CaseMakerHE publishing tool and website.
As part of the grant terms we commissioned an
external evaluation of the outputs of the joint
London Higher/Study London programme and
this report is now with the LDA for consideration.
Prof. David Latchman, Chair of London Higher,
continues to sit on the LDA Board and the LDA
has reciprocal representation on the London
Higher Board.
Business Relationships
We seek to build relationships with the corporate
sector wherever possible, and where this may be
in the interests of our members.
Aside from our major ‘Employer Engagement’
strand (see above) and our own commercial
activities, we have provided consultancy to
several companies seeking to make links with
London HE, including the Metropolitan Police,
Unite, BT, Creative Mediapulse Technologies,
Freud Lemos and Visit Britain.
In addition, we are pleased to have worked with a
number of our longstanding business partners,
especially Barclays Bank, who are sponsoring
our summer reception in June 2009.
Higher Education Funding Council for
England (HEFCE)
The Funding Council has continued to be a core
sponsor of our Podium Unit and also provides
funding to London Higher as a regional HE
association.
This year we have been working with the Funding
Council on our proposal to set up a Business
Development Unit (see above) worth over £1.45m
over five years which, if successful promises to
capture for HE an important slice of the corporate
higher-level skills training market.
In addition we have been working on a variety of
smaller initiatives including exploring the social
impact of London HEIs and demonstrating how
London’s HEIs are supporting businesses in the
economic downturn.
The Media
We continue to work to raise the media profile of
London’s HE. This year we placed our ‘Transform’
advert in all three of the main party conference
issues of Modern Government. In December 2008
we placed the advert in the Knowledge Transfer
edition of The House Magazine and in May 2009 it
appeared in British American Business.
In November 2008 we placed adverts entitled
‘Skills – It’s what you do with them that counts’ in
the SkillsLondon editions of the Evening Standard,
Metro and London Lite (see back cover).
15 Working with the Membership
Membership Engagement Strategy
Now in its fourth year the Membership
Engagement (ME) Strategy has continued to fulfil
an important role.
We have visited many of our member institutions,
some on multiple occasions and at differing levels.
We will continue this year’s visits over the summer.
Committees and Advisory Groups
Much of the work we do centres around monitoring
the HE landscape and evaluating threats to, and
opportunities for, the London HE group.
As examples we can cite our response to the
London Challenge and our proposals to the
Minister for London Schools to forge meaningful
relationships between London’s secondary
schools and HEIs in the London region.
This painstaking policy analysis takes time and
frequently goes unnoticed by most members not
directly involved.
Nevertheless, creating space for discussion is
increasingly a vital role for the organization to play
and one that is valued by our many partners.
The table below sets out the main consultative
groups that have been active this year. The
membership of these groups can be found on
our website.
A list of our current member institutions is
presented in Section 7 of this document.
The Website
Our website received over 1 million hits this year
with more than 45,000 unique visitors viewing
the pages.
This year we have redesigned the site to reflect
our new independent status and show off the
new London Higher branding.
New features include a news feed, a members’
‘spotlight’ (a rotating panel which displays
information for each of our member institutions),
accessibility functions and quicklinks to the e-
zine and factsheets.
An online discussion board will be trialled later in
2009 for “virtual” debates on London Higher
reports and consultations.
As a membership organization comprising over 40 HEIs
in London we are responsible to our members in all we
do. We take this part of our work as seriously as we do
our external partnerships.
Working with the Membership
STRATEGY STANDING COMMITTEES ADVISORY GROUPS CONSULTATION GROUPS
• London Higher Board • Healthcare Education
• Research Excellence
• Teacher Education
• London Europe Group
• Social Impact of
London HEIs Group
• The SHELL Steering
Group
• Olympic Legacy
Group
• London HE Forum
• Creative/Cultural
working Group
• The Plenary
• Podium HE FE
Steering Group for the
2012 Games
• London Higher Skills
Board
• Remuneration
Committee
FA
CT: Committees,
advisory groupsand working partiesthat we service14
Finance Report 16
In December we took the decision to leave the
University of London’s financial system and
appointed, after tender, Kingston Smith to run our
accounts and payroll.
In January we changed our financial reporting
period from the academic cycle to the tax year to
align with our new reporting requirements. This
has meant that the 2008-9 year has been
shortened to eight months which is reflected in
the year-end position.
Interim figures for the shortened year show that
London Higher received income of c. £1.8m and
disbursed c. £1.7m. It should be noted, however,
that with accruals (which have yet to be made as
we have not closed down our old University of
London accounts) the picture will change.
For the 2009-10 financial year we are predicting
income of c. £2.8m. The greater part of the
projected increase is related to setting up the
LHBDU and London Medicine, with further funding
decisions concerning Study London awaited.
The incorporation of London Higher on
1 April 2009 has had a profound impact
on the financial set-up of the organization.
Finance Report
Income 2008-9 (to March 09) (£)
Core Grant (574,230)
HEFCE (279,230)
LDA (295,000)
Subscription Income (426,000)
Other Grant (568,712)
Carry-over 2007-8 (243,002)
B
A
Expenditure 2008-9 (to March 09) (£)
Projects (322,522)
Case for London HE (106,300)
Study London (93,723)
Podium (20,038)
Schools & HE (47,139)
Employer Engagement (55,352)
Salaries (393,657)
Administration (85,138)
Fixed Costs (28,320)
Contingency (231,302)
Transfers (111,626)
E
D
C
B
A
C
D
E
B
A
A
B
FA
CT: The additional amount
raised by London Higherfor every £1 of membercontributions £4.3
17 Publications & Reports
We have maintained a high output of publications and
reports this year, all of which are now available as
downloads through our website.
London Higher publications not only promote the
member group to our stakeholders and potential
students, but increasingly add valuable trend information
of the development of the HE sector in London and in
comparison to elsewhere in the UK and internationally.
Our main publications this year include:
Publications & Reports
JADECEMBERNOVEMBEROCTOBERSEPTEMBERAUGUST JADECEMBERNOVEMBEROCTOBERSEPTEMBERAUGUSTJULYJULY
London Higher: Pilot
Mapping of Collaboration
(Aug 2008)
A report by King’s College
London exploring how
funding collaborations in
London and beyond can
be mapped.
Insight
(August 2008,
November 2008,
February 2009
and May 2009)
A quarterly magazine
from Study London
targeted at
international students
and key influencers
around the world.
Profit from
Knowledge
(Sept 2008)
A flier produced
directing
employers to
London HEIs for
their skills needs.
Research
Council
Funding Awards
(Sept 2008)
A report
comparing
success rates of
London HEIs with
other UK regions.
Developing a project
to understand the impact
of creative and cultural
HE institutions and
faculties in London
(Dec 2008)
A joint report with the Work
Foundation proposing an
innovative impact framework
aimed at the Research
Excellence Framework.
HEFCE Higher Education -
Business and Community
Interaction Surveys for
2005/06 and 2006/07
(December 2008)
A synthesis of results for
London HEIs
London Higher
Directory of
Members 2008
(Dec 2008)
A complete directory
of London HEIs for
businesses and
stakeholders.
Higher Returns
(Sept 2008)
An updated version of
a leaflet providing
information on financial
support available from
the Government for
part-time HE study.
Study of the Engagement
of London HEIs in TSB-
Funded Collaborative
Research & Development
and KTPs
(Nov 2008)
A survey analyzing the
pattern of TSB funding to
London and exploring the
main barriers and
opportunities for London
HEIs (in Members’ Area).
Publications & Reports 18
JULYJUNEMAYAPRILMARCHFEBRUARYANUARY JULYJUNEMAYAPRILMARCHFEBRUARYANUARY
Most of our publications can
be accessed via our website;
some, with restricted access,
are in our Members’ Area.
London Higher E-zines
(Sept 2008, Dec 2008
and April 2009)
Topical news from
around London’s
HE sector.
London Higher
Factsheets
(Sept 2008, Dec 2008
and April 2009)
Up-to-date statistics
on London’s HE sector
based on data provided
by HESA.
Analysis of RAE
2008 Results
(January, March 2009)
Overview of UK and
London statistics using
Times Higher and
Research Fortnight
institution measurements.
Universities Working with
London’s Schools: A
Working Partnership
(April 2009)
An article published in
Public Service Review:
Central Government
outlining the SHELL project
Building Stronger School-
University Partnerships in
London: the ‘School-HE
Links in London’ Delivery
Plan 2009-11
(April 2009)
Recommendations on
improving school-HE links
prepared for the Minister for
London Schools.
Spotlight
(December 2008
and June 2009)
Podium’s magazine
highlighting what is going
on in HE and FE as the
2012 Games draw near.
Study London Guide
(April 2009)
A new edition of the
familiar guide for
international students
produced in association
with Visit London.
Student Demographic
Changes in London:
Predictions for 2009 – 2027
(April 2009)
A short report on projections
for London’s student
population using simple
regression-based
forecasting.
London Higher Data
Visualization: Mapping
HEIs in London
(Jan 09)
A study mapping all London
HEI campuses, outstations
and offices and producing
headline statistics.
Social Engagement by
London’s Higher
Education Institutions
(June 2009)
A summary report of
project findings and
recommendations to
improve communication
and awareness of social
engagement opportunities
to the public.
A regional response to
the Mayor’s Consultation
on the legacy of the
Olympic Park
(June 2009)
A summary of research
commissioned to augment
HEI responses to the
Mayor’s consultation.
FA
CT: Publications
on, about, or in support ofLondon’s HEIs28
19 People & Places
Membership organizations are driven by the enthusiasm
and skills of the people who are associated with them.
London Higher is fortunate in being able to draw on
unparalleled expertise across the sector.
This year our officers have been:
People & Places
2008-9 INSTITUTION / TITLE
Board (elected)
Professor David Latchman (Chair) Birkbeck, University of London
Mr Anthony Bowne Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Drama
Professor Malcolm Gillies City University London
Professor Barry Ife CBE Guildhall School of Music & Drama
Professor Paul O’Prey Roehampton University
Professor Martin Everett University of East London
Professor Geoffrey Petts University of Westminster
Board (co-opted)
Professor Pat Hughes St George's, University of London
Professor Stephen Smith Imperial College London
Mr Richard Sumray Chair, London 2012 Forum
Board (observers)
John Attree Director of Skills & Olympics Programmes,
London First
Steven Evans / Anne Creane Director of People and Skills, LDA
Derek Hicks HEFCE Regional Consultant
Executive
Jane Glanville Chief Executive Officer
Kate Filochowski Culture, Sport and Volunteering Coordinator,
Podium
Charlotte Foster Communications Manager, Podium
Maria Hicks Communications Manager, London Higher
Naz Khan Projects Officer, Learning & Skills
Kevin McCarthy Head, Study London
Simon McCaugherty Manager, Study London
Michael Reynier Deputy Chief Executive Officer
Paresh Shah Research & Data Analysis Manager
Gareth Smith Head, Podium
People & Places 20
We are grateful to all members of the Board for their commitment to the organization throughout this
and previous years. In particular, thanks are due to Paul O’Prey who will be leaving the Board this
summer and to Martin Everett who left earlier in the academic year.
An up-to-date list of officers for 2009-10 can be found on the London Higher website.
Birkbeck, University of London*
Brunel University
The Central School of Speech and Drama*
City University London
Conservatoire for Dance and Drama
Courtauld Institute of Art*
Goldsmiths, University of London*
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Heythrop College, University of London*
Imperial College London
The Institute of Cancer Research*
Institute of Education*
King’s College London*
Kingston University London
London Business School*
London Metropolitan University
London School of Hygiene & Tropical
Medicine*
London South Bank University
Middlesex University
Queen Mary, University of London*
Ravensbourne College of Design and
Communication
Roehampton University
Rose Bruford College
Royal Academy of Music*
Royal College of Art
Royal College of Music
Royal Holloway, University of London*
Royal Veterinary College*
School of Oriental and African Studies,
University of London*
St George's, University of London*
St Mary's University College, Twickenham
Thames Valley University
The Open University in London
The School of Pharmacy, University of
London*
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music &
Drama
University of the Arts London
University College London*
University of East London
University of Greenwich
University of London*
University of Westminster
*Colleges of the University of London
Member Institutions 2008-9
21 Conclusion
This has indeed been
a momentous year for
London Higher. As it
draws to an end, my
first duty is to thank
the members of our
Board for their
contributions during
the year. Special
thanks go to Paul
O’Prey and Martin Everett who have
stepped down as Board members and to
David Latchman and Malcolm Gillies, our
Chair and Vice Chair, for their ongoing
and generous inputs.
Looking forward there are, as ever, both
challenges and opportunities. The economic
climate, particularly as it relates to public funding,
the review of student fees, the next General
Election - all will be of interest to those of us
working in HE.
At London Higher we have an exciting and
valuable programme of work set out in
anticipation. Our Operational Plan for 2009-10
details over thirty new initiatives for the present
year, most addressing specific and immediate
issues of interest for the London HE group, as
well as nearly forty continuing or core activities.
In particular in the year ahead we will start to see
the benefits of two of our newest programmes
with the London Higher Business Development
Unit and London Medicine both coming on
stream. In the pipeline we also hope to see
renewed funding for the Study London
programme and we will be trying to ensure our
work with London’s secondary schools can
develop too.
Ten years is a long time in HE. Since my arrival in
2002 we have seen our turnover leap from a little
over £300,000 to nearly £3 million; our staff
increase from two to ten; our business units
expand from one to five and the multiple of
members’ contributions increase from almost
zero to over £4 for every one pound put in.
I have been fortunate to have worked with many
heads of London Higher member institutions,
each of whom has made a significant
contribution to the growth and development of
the organization. A big debt is owed to our past
Chairs - Sir Roderick Floud, Professor David
Rhind and Professor Adrian Smith - and to many
former members of the Board. One of our past
and now retired Vice Chairs, Dr Geoffrey
Copland, continues to help us as a member of
the Remuneration Committee.
Particular thanks and a tribute is owed to London
Higher’s exceptional team of staff. Without their
dedication and unceasing efforts London Higher
would not have succeeded as it has. It has been,
and remains, my privilege to work alongside such
a highly professional executive.
It remains for me to thank all our members and
partners for the help and consideration they have
given us during the year – and indeed the past
ten. I should also like to wish good luck to one of
our staff, Charlotte Foster, who leaves to take up a
new opportunity in the schools sector.
London Higher will of course try to go on
delivering value for money to our members in all
we do and to be a reliable and valued
collaborator with our many partners.
Jane Glanville
Chief Executive, London Higher
Conclusion
Picture acknowledgments:
Tim Bishop
Hazel Dunlop
James O Jenkins
UK Sport
Weymouth College
www.istockphoto.com
www.wordle.net
Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU
020 7664 4843 www.londonhigher.ac.uk
Electronic formats of this review are available at:
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© London Higher 2009
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in England and Wales No. 05731255.
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