World news

Australian minister’s call for specialisation fosters speculation that rejected idea could be resurrected

New South Wales plan, which requires federal approval, would allow for 250 arrivals a fortnight

Michael Higgins warns campuses ‘have suffered attrition of range and depth, loss of interdisciplinary exchange, leading in too many cases to a degradation of the very scholarship and teaching for which they were established’

Head of state weighs in on dispute, as war of words escalates among Pacific neighbours

Report author says increasing funding would only lead to more insecurity, and culture shift is needed instead

Shift towards studies using preregistered reports could inhibit scientific inquiry and harm researcher well-being, argue US scholars

Senior Fijian politician brands vice-chancellor’s new contract ‘illegal’ as council splits on national lines

We are in danger of underselling ourselves to ‘like-minded countries’, Australian chief defence scientist warns

Misplaced fear of racial and sexual threats, plus the need to provide a ‘feeling’ of security, cited as reasons universities are reluctant to limit armed officers

Critics argue that The Lancet failed to disclose potential conflict of interest when dismissing the leak theory

Just 10 per cent of academics account for half of all engagement with the media, according to a survey of more than 1,000 Swiss professors

Economist says university innovations can rejuvenate Australian productivity, but only if ‘bizarre’ tax arrangements are addressed

Former minister accuses Canberra of ‘McCarthyism’ amid spate of unexplained research grant delays and vetoes

As Australian minister calls for an online shift to reach 10 million foreigners, insiders warn such offering wouldn’t meet students’ needs

Geopolitical rivalry, security concerns and America’s ‘roaring 20s’ optimism generate R&D prospects down under, ambassador says

Interplay of pandemic, geopolitics and demographics generating ‘significant movement in this part of the world’

As feared, the country’s universities are being used as a weapon to crush dissent against the regime, several academic organisations say

Liberals go focus on undergraduates with collaboration push while Labor hawks reconstruction fund

Those who understand how their advice is likely to be implemented are more able to make it constructive, professor says

Australian university presses ahead with campus in Sumatra, agtech centre in Sulawesi and MBA delivery in Jakarta

After yet another minister falls to a plagiarism scandal, observers lament that a long German tradition of doctorates has descended into academic ‘credentialism’

Peter Coaldrake also warns universities against ‘sleepwalking’ through Covid-induced risks to their business model

No explanation for delay that kept 15 academics on tenterhooks for months

Aggrieved Victorian universities should see new mental health levy as an opportunity to harness resources, conference hears

European Commission says it has heard pleas for more long-term funding, and is considering allowing extra universities to join existing alliances

University broadens free speech exclusions on request of gender-diverse community

As marginalised becomes mainstream, Australian inclusivity practitioners are urged to adopt a mainstream focus

Meta-analysis of meta-analyses finds incontrovertible benefits, particularly in ‘authoritarian’ teaching cultures

Institutions accused of ‘opportunism’ over job cuts

For some students, but certainly not all, ‘this version of learning is way better than anything that existed before’

Issues for universities to address stretch beyond the supply chain, says Sydney statement

Statistics Netherlands finds that a switch away from grants has cut some students’ education short – despite government promises

Underwhelming increases in teaching subsidies and student benefits, while research misses out

ANU vows to be a negative net emitter by the end of the decade, as Adelaide unveils the panels and batteries powering its country campus

Researchers press for ministerial code of conduct amid fears that latest political intervention may never be resolved

Long-running negotiations between Brussels and Berne have stalled, risking a repeat of 2014, when the country was shut out of EU research

Resurgent student flows set to bypass Australia and New Zealand as education agents in most regions usher clients to more welcoming countries

Part of a nexus of deals between Hungary and China, the project has become a flashpoint in local politics after it emerged locals will foot the bill

Efforts to recruit a diverse student mix undermined by policy paradox, as visa applicants from many countries are viewed with suspicion

Universities out of the budget spotlight, as attention turns to training and commercial research

Tips from the top of a sector that insists on preserving its male dominance offered in Australian consultant’s guide

New South Wales proposal could have international learners on campuses in time for second semester

Analysis argues that science has a ‘critical problem’ because its self-correction process is slow and ineffective

Researchers advocate realignment of international agencies, saying sector cannot wait for the next instalment of China’s trade war

Low expectations scarcely met, as pessimistic border projections and underwhelming future spending estimates trump spending pledges

Lockdown comes days before Eid religious festival

Often dismissed as an inordinately expensive quality assurance tool, ERA could become a gatekeeper for university registration

When academics accept stints in politicians’ offices, everybody benefits, says outgoing Australian ministerial adviser

‘It is important that we clearly stand by scientists’ says Armin Laschet, as Germany gears up for September election

Decision will impact other tools that relied on Microsoft’s database and raises questions about relying on private firms, critics say

Students who take promotional jobs could face massive fines and prison time, Australian regulator says

Australian budget wish list also includes more research funding and extended transition funding for the new fee and subsidy regime

At least 10 Australian universities in the red, after three Victorian institutions notch A$50 million deficits

As Brussels tries again to push forward the European research area, the bloc remains fractured by investment levels, researcher mobility and national rules

Credit analysts warn of mass job losses, struggling peripheral businesses and homogenisation of the student mix

Train up translation specialists and fix anomalies that discourage collaboration, Australian representative group says

Eleven universities, their real estate and shares have been given over to foundations that observers say will be dominated by ruling party loyalists

Independent lobby welcomes new short course funding and regulatory ‘reprieve’ but rails against perpetuation of ‘unfair’ loan fee

Proposed acquisition of Ouriginal would give academic integrity giant vast majority of market

Ratings agency credits lay-offs, casualisation and course cuts for Australian universities’ ‘relatively robust’ position