News

“Tantalising hints” have been discovered of the fabled Higgs boson – but the data are not yet strong enough to make any conclusive statements about its existence.

Thirty higher education institutions are to offer a new teacher training programme in physics and mathematics, it has been announced.

Another paper authored by University of Manchester professor Sylvia Bulfone-Paus has been retracted – but this one does not feature the Russian postdoctoral researchers blamed for misconduct that led to a string of retractions earlier this year.

The senate of Queen Mary, University of London, has become the latest academic body to pass a vote of no confidence in universities and science minister David Willetts.

By Scott Jaschik, for Inside Higher Ed

University journalism courses are not responsible for the industry’s ethical failings, such as the News of the World phone-hacking scandal, journalism lecturers have told the Leveson inquiry

The government will fund more inducement prizes to solve interdisciplinary challenges as part of its new innovation and research strategy.

Students whose A-level grades fall just short of AAB next year could be at risk of missing out on a university place altogether, a number of institutions have warned.

The concentration of research funding in a few elite universities has been described as a "policy trap" that fails to reflect the modern trend towards wider academic collaboration.

Current university salary system may struggle to survive impetus to local deals. John Morgan writes

The "high-risk" investment strategy pursued by the Universities Superannuation Scheme has been a bigger problem for pensions than rising life expectancy, an academic has claimed.

A European Commission-funded project to compare universities is “unlikely to further boost the profile of UK institutions and may actually confuse the picture for prospective applicants”, the 1994 Group has warned a House of Lords inquiry.

UCL professor says life sciences strategy doesn't have 'big enough vision'. John Morgan reports

Plaudits for Framework Programme's simplified and increased funding provision. Paul Jump reports

John Hunter (1728-93) has been called the "father of modern surgery", since he was the first to apply a truly scientific methodology to the medical procedure.

The chair of the University of Sussex's council has issued a staunch defence of courses derided as "Mickey Mouse" degrees.

Scholar highlights flawed metadata in the world's largest digital library. Matthew Reisz writes

High levels of nepotism suggested by US analysis linked to 'brain drain'. Frank Nowikowski writes

Matthew Reisz on the awards that highlight the developing world's leading young female scientists

Institutions' efforts to cut energy use pay off, but not in the way they hoped. David Matthews writes

Institutions warned to be more transparent about postgraduate course quality, writes Simon Baker

A quarter of all new undergraduate courses fail to attract a single student, a major study has found, with the proportion rising to half for joint-honours programmes.

A pre-1992 university has cut almost £1 million in planned cash support for poorer students while offering tuition-fee discounts for high-achieving applicants so that it can bid for extra places on two fronts.

The University and College Union will make a "staggering loss" of up to £4 million in a property deal for its headquarters, a union trustee has claimed.

The University of Sheffield has withdrawn an injunction that students feared would ban campus protests.

Two proposals have been put forward to avert the “polarisation” of the sector as a result of the government’s student number plans.

By Elizabeth Redden, for Inside Higher Ed

A university is launching a competition to win an “Ultimate Scholarship”, which would give the winner free tuition at the institution for life.

David Cameron is to announce a new government strategy developing links between university medical research, the NHS and the pharmaceutical industry.

Foreign academics working in the US are more productive than their American counterparts – but are also less satisfied with their work, a study has concluded.

The UK’s higher education and college IT network, JANET, is to benefit from a £31 million boost from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills.

The students’ union at University College London has passed a vote of no confidence in the provost, Malcolm Grant, after he was appointed to take charge of the NHS in England under controversial government changes.

The government’s higher education reforms have created “unnecessary risk” for universities, the shadow business secretary has said in his first major speech on the sector.

Proposals by 25 universities and colleges to cut their tuition fees so they can bid for 20,000 cut-price undergraduate places in 2012-13 have been approved by the Office for Fair Access, but it has led to only a small fall in the sector average of £90 to £8,071.

Research libraries have reached a “new and improved” deal with the journal publisher Elsevier that ends a four-month stand-off between the two.

Call for 'safe protest zones' as demonstrators face violence on US campuses. Jon Marcus reports

Conference delegates bemoan funding system that breeds 'networks of mediocrity'. Paul Jump reports

Research excellence framework panels must be sure to make absolute rather than relative judgements of submissions to avoid the impression that the quality of the UK research base is in decline, a pro vice-chancellor has warned.

‘Damning’ report criticises governance, but Saif Gaddafi likely to keep PhD. David Matthews writes

Pedagogy postponed as scholars and support staff join huge pension action. John Morgan writes

Exam chief also warns that proposals could work against widening participation. Jack Grove reports

The University of Edinburgh has taken out advertisements in UK national newspapers to explain the new tuition fees system to non- Scottish students because it fears that they do not understand the new arrangements.

Charles Darwin spent only 18 months of HMS Beagle's five-year voyage at sea.

Historian calls for evidence, not scaremongering, to inform how subject is taught. Matthew Reisz writes

President of top institution fears funding doldrums as student numbers skyrocket. Jack Grove reports

Hiring spree aims to boost research performance to level of 1994 Group. Jack Grove reports

Agreements signed by Colombian and UK universities will herald a new era of academic cooperation between the nations, according to the president of the country.

Elite research universities fear that their state school student numbers could decline as higher tuition fees are introduced, amid suggestions that applicants are increasingly choosing local institutions to save money.

Academics have been "seduced" into using business-speak to defend higher education, according to leading scholars and politicians.

One of the English funding council's most senior officials publicly rebuked a business leader after she suggested that some universities were "perilously close" to being in financial trouble.