JISC

Tighter funding and better technology have prompted universities to co-operate more in teaching and research, according to university leaders at a recent Guardian roundtable event sponsored by JISC. In today’s Guardian, directors of research, pro vice-chancellors and senior decision-makers explore whether it is possible for joint working and competition to exist side by side and where existing resources should be targeted: research, staff, technology or administrative systems?

While everyone agreed that technology has the power to transform the sector on both a national and global scale, there were contrasting views on how universities and colleges might operate in the future. With the average prospectus still showing a group of smiling twenty-year old students, the question is not only how we need to redefine the concept of a university but also to what extent universities do understand themselves. 

The universities of the 21st century will need to be imaginative and open up new global conversations through technology; they need to be as good as business at managing uncertainty.

The universities of the 21st century will need to be imaginative and open up new global conversations through technology; they need to be as good as business at managing uncertainty.

The event was conducted on March 25th under Chatham House rule to encourage frank debate, so the full report picks up on the key themes of the discussion, without attribution.

Follow the 2010 JISC conference for more discussion and advice about how universities and colleges can integrate technology into all aspects of their strategic planning to ensure their competitiveness in the coming years.

Read a full account of the debate and follow-on seminar in today’s Guardian