New breed of university will make UK 'best place in world to do science'

The UK government wants to encourage the formation of a new class of university that will focus on science, technology and postgraduate training. Science minister David Willetts says that there would be no extra public funding for the new institutions but that they would help to build the UK's research base through private and international investment.

In a speech at the Policy Exchange thinktank, Mr Willetts said the government's ambition was to make the UK the ‘best place in the world to do science’. He said that globalisation was still at its earliest stages when it came to higher education and so it was a good time to attract international investment to the UK.

The Minister said: "There's a lot of talk about British universities setting up campuses abroad. But then you think there is international resource here and perhaps some overseas universities might want to make a partnership with a British university or a British business and set up some kind of operation here.

"There will be no additional government funding. This time we will be looking to private finance and perhaps sponsorship from some of the businesses that are keen to recruit more British graduates."

Mr Willetts added that the government would seek to remove, through legislation if necessary, any regulatory red tape in setting up the new institutions.