* Constitutional experts at University College London have welcomed the assemblies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as an opportunity to study the political dynamics of a devolved system.
Academics at UCL's Constitution Unit have started a series of studies on devolution. Work will be carried out on the new proportional voting systems, how far the new assemblies ape the Westminster model, multi-level democracy, the possibilities of Scottish independence and a case study of how the governance and management of the health services change in each country.
The unit is also bidding against Edinburgh University for a Pounds 1.1 million five-year research project, funded by the Leverhulme Trust, on nation and regions.