Furthering my conversations with colleagues across the sector around digital and data trends, a key focus emerged on the ways in which universities will need to (continue to) transform to remain fit for purpose and financially sustainable.  

In a recent blog for HEPI, Professor Aleks Subic, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive at Aston University, articulated his vision for University 4.0. He argued that the speed with which the world is changing requires universities to ‘transcend their traditional roles to address complex global challenges, harness emerging opportunities and embrace heightened responsibilities’. Furthermore, they would need to champion inclusive innovation and drive socioeconomic transformation and create ‘thriving innovation ecosystems that deliver sustainable, place-based development and inclusive growth’. 

Subic’s piece chimed nicely with the conversations I had with my three contributors as you can see… 

Collaborate to innovate 

Inter-organisational collaboration will be needed to maintain the role of universities as anchor institutions in their localities. Brunton described initiatives at the University of Bedfordshire as part of their Career-Powered Education strategy developed on the back of a wider curriculum change project. Considerable work has been undertaken to improve partnerships with local employers to connect teaching, research and industry together in more meaningful ways. Elements of work-related or work-based learning are now embedded into all programmes and the entire portfolio has been revised to help ensure currency and fitness for purpose.  

Simpson cites the Northeast of England collaboration as an example of ways that universities can work with their local authorities to be more joined up than previously, especially given the pressure on resources that all sectors of the workforce are facing. The collaboration acknowledges that regional universities need to find ways to not compete unnecessarily. Supporting mental health, he argues, should be an obvious area for collaboration rather than competition. Blagden cites streamlining student helpdesk provision as his example. 

The outcomes of these exploratory collaborations may be institutional mergers, although Simpson feels that this agenda has probably been overplayed and won’t, in hindsight, prove to be the magic bullet that some think it will be even where organisations look broadly similar in nature. In Simpson’s experience, bedding in changes is costly and there are rarely savings to be made in the short-medium term. Merging to save money is therefore not necessarily the right driver; mergers should be strategic and be appropriately resourced. 

Brunton challenges universities to consider how better to collaborate meaningfully in a marketised HE economy. She considers a wider approach to tertiary education provision across a region, where FE, HE and employers collaborate to sustainably develop the broader FE and HE offer and achieve the right mix of degree programmes required for an upskilled workforce. There may be implications for students who would prefer to learn in an institution that is close to home. For the University of Bedfordshire, with its high percentage of mature students for example, this is particularly pertinent. 

Furthermore, she considers increased inter-disciplinary provision as a way to prepare a future workforce to tackle the more complex issues facing society – as well as to enable innovative degree programmes and portfolio structures. Blagden’s response to the question of merging to survive is for higher education to reinvent itself in a different way. He envisages a situation where a venture capitalist will enter the HE market with a streamlined administrative and registry function that meets the regulatory requirements but without legacy technologies that hinder the creation of an agile and responsive digital infrastructure. Students will access superior online education programmes, benefiting from the creation of high-quality online resources from the best experts in the world. These resources will be integrated into the VLE (if they continue to exist as in their current form), and, once the credit transfer conundrum is resolved, sold on a modular basis around the world. In this scenario, the emphasis is less on content and more on context, with in-person sessions or residentials supporting the meaningful building of peer networks and connections. Blockchain technology will support the recognition of prior learning and enable the development of cohesive study, aggregated into a meaningful degree statement recognised around the globe. 

Global security considerations 

These potential collaborations and innovations run in parallel to the complex security issues, social and ethical concerns around free speech, foreign policy considerations and new geopolitical realities that will play out over the course of 2025. These are high on Simpson’s agenda given the implications for university research, intellectual property, cyber security and learning and teaching. While the social and cultural value of embracing diverse student populations within HE is clear, university governing bodies must contend with some thorny questions around the recruitment of international students (as outlined in our previous blog) and manage the tension between the value of education as a social good in overcoming despotism and the political fallout from working with those nations. 

These challenges are playing out closer to home than has previously been the case and are likely to remain for a while. What will the challenges of global insecurity mean for national security and national growth areas? What will be the implications on UK HE from the expected protectionist agenda in the US now that Donald Trump has resumed power? Brunton recognises the challenges that universities face in ‘right-sizing’ themselves within this wider political and economic environment. Simpson agrees, arguing that furthering the UK Government’s growth agenda will be difficult given how these geopolitical realities will impact a nation already impacted by Brexit. 

Many of these implications will only become apparent as the year progresses as universities start to grapple with new ways of working with their local authorities to impact civic, local and regional growth agendas. Coming from the Tees Valley, Simpson appreciates the need for long-term thinking to meet devolved, regional growth plans, whilst simultaneously addressing current crises without storing up challenges for the future. 

Skills, skills, skills 

The final consideration from these conversations was around skills. HE will have to work more closely with FE to provide a more seamless set of routes for those interested in developing their skills and for businesses upskilling their workforce. Businesses don’t want to work with multiple institutions or multiple stakeholders within an institution to work out how best to support their workforce. Better mapping of progression routes from Levels 2 to 8 will be required from universities to meet industry needs. Simpson says 

‘universities will need to turn themselves inside out. More externals will need to come into the university and more academic staff will need to go out into the workplace’.  

Large regional employers such as the NHS, police and teachers are prime examples of where this transformation could valuably occur. As new technology changes the way people live and work, the opportunities for universities to support reskilling of employees will be significant, enabling businesses to adopt and benefit from the evolving digital landscape. 

How prepared are you? 

As we reflect on our preparedness for this digital future, it’s clear that the journey is multifaceted. The rapid advancement of technology offers unprecedented opportunities, but it also presents complex challenges that require thoughtful consideration and proactive measures. Each cog, from technological innovation, to collaboration, to ethical considerations, plays a crucial role in shaping a resilient and adaptable educational landscape. 

Are we ready for this evolution? The answer lies in our collective efforts to adapt, innovate, and prioritise the values that will guide us through this transformative era.  

Here at Kortext, we’re ready embrace the challenge and seize the opportunities that lie ahead. 

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