To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential financial effect on UK universities of the requirement that they self-fund Round 2 bids to the European Universities Initiative.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she will provide (a) financial and (b) material support to higher education institutions which have submitted a Round 2 bid for the European Universities Initiative.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to replace the funding to support the three UK universities’ ongoing participation in the European Universities Initiative.

UK universities, as autonomous institutions, can seek to participate in the European Universities Initiative on a self-funded basis, as associated partners. No recent assessment has been made of the potential financial effect of the requirement that they self-fund.

The department is committed to strong research collaboration with our European partners, and to strengthening those links with Europe as well as building new relationships. The UK is a world-leading destination for study and research and we remain an important partner of choice for European universities.

The recently announced package of nearly £500 million in additional targeted support builds on the ‘Horizon Europe guarantee' scheme and will provide investment to UK researchers, universities and research organisations, boosting research and innovation across the breadth of the country.