PFI database registers 200-project increase

The number of universities registering formal interest in the Private Finance Initiative has grown by 19 per cent in the past three months. A total of 75 institutions have put forward upwards of 200 projects to a database compiled for the Higher Education Funding Council for England. More private companies are also registering an interest in financing university activities. Management consultant Newchurch, which is developing the database, says 141 firms are on the books.