Should independent higher education institutions develop strategies to compete - or collaborate?
The opportunities and challenges of collaboration between institutions were a recurring theme at the recent Independent Higher Education (IHE) Annual Conference, sponsored by Jisc.
The IHE conference was well attended and felt especially well-timed this year in the wake of the government’s Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, which has a strong focus on collaboration and joined-up thinking.
I was privileged to speak as a member of a panel, with a range of specialists including those from Jisc, KPMG, technology companies, the private sector, IHE institutions and UCAS, that discussed the central question: should higher education institutions develop strategies to compete or collaborate?
Here are some of my key takeaways from a lively and engaged event.
Collaboration can be hard work - but the results are worth it
In my contribution, I spoke about the research and work Jisc has been doing on the opportunities around collaboration, but also about what the barriers are. I wanted to get across that while collaboration can take effort and hard work, the results are worth it.
Even the first steps that an institution might go through in order to prepare to collaborate with another – such as putting in place standard processes and tidying up datasets – are useful locally in their own right. So ‘getting your house in order’ is a benefit within an institution even before the real collaborative work begins.
Identifying where to compete and where to collaborate
We don’t blindly advocate for collaboration as an instant solution to the sector’s problems because we are acutely aware of the need to build a robust business case, to understand timelines, to demonstrate return on investment and to reflect the reality of each institution’s experience. Our job is to be an objective and constructive partner and only recommend solutions we believe will have a meaningful impact.
This may involve collaborating in some areas but not in others. For example, individuals in the IHE sector collaborate very easily, sharing experiences and information about how they have addressed issues.
Meanwhile, organisations that may feel they are in competition with each other may feel more uneasy about cooperation. However, there are a number of activities any organisation undertakes, such as finance and HR, which don’t drive competition, and these are areas ripe for collaborative efficiencies.
It’s all about working to identify the right areas to collaborate in, which then allow you to spend more time competing on the things that matter to the student experience. The whole focus of the conference was on delivering better outcomes for students – and that must always be at the front of our minds.
Awareness of our role in the IHE sector
Our work is already saving the sector significant money, including more than £500 million last year through sector-powered licensing, and £45m saved through one Oracle Java agreement alone.
The positive outcomes of this work are in themselves a powerful demonstration of what can happen when we act as a collective.
IHE institutions can already benefit from these agreements, even if not all are currently taking full advantage, so the conference was a good opportunity to remind delegates of the areas where Jisc can bring real value through our understanding of the sector and our ability to negotiate on its behalf.
The will to collaborate is there – it’s now time to act
From the buzz at the conference it was clear that there are highly engaged conversations happening around collaboration, and enormous interest in the opportunities it brings.
We now need to move from interest to action, which means experimenting, sharing results and building confidence. The independent HE community is well placed to lead on this, and we are ready to work with providers to design practical solutions.
Next steps
If you’re a leader or IT specialist for an independent HE provider and want to make the most of sector-negotiated agreements:
- Explore the sector-tailored licensed software and content services available to you
- Contact your relationship manager, or use our customer enquiry form, to find out how to benefit from collective negotiation and sector-powered procurement
About the author
I am managing director of higher education and research at Jisc and lead HE member engagement through and with Jisc’s account management team.
I am accountable for our HE and research strategies and their implementation. This includes engaging with senior sector stakeholders and, internally, working closely with Jisc’s product directorates to ensure we meet sector needs.
Alongside my role as managing director I am responsible for Jisc’s digital content and software negotiations, its provision of discovery services and its work in open research. My particular interest in the development of partnerships and collaborations at Jisc has seen me work with tertiary education, funders, cultural bodies, international organisations and the health sector to improve access to knowledge and information to support education and research.