Higher Education Funding Council for England
The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) was a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom, which was responsible for the distribution of funding for higher education to universities and further education colleges in England since 1992. It ceased to exist as of 1 April 2018, when its duties were divided between the newly created Office for Students and Research England (operating within United Kingdom Research and Innovation).
Agency overview
1992
2018
- Office for Students (OfS) and United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI)[1]
England
Nicholson House, Lime Kiln Close, Stoke Gifford, Bristol, BS34 8SR
c.260
£3.5 bn (2016–17)[2]
- Jo Johnson, Minister of State for Universities and Science
- Professor Madeleine Atkins CBE, chief executive
- Sir Tim Melville-Ross, Chairman
Most universities are charities and HEFCE (rather than the Charity Commission for England and Wales) was their principal regulator. HEFCE therefore had the duty to promote compliance with charity law by the universities for which it was responsible.
Teaching initiatives[edit]
Higher Education Academy[edit]
The Higher Education Academy (HEA), founded in May 2004, is funded by the UK HE Funding Councils (including HEFCE) and institutional subscriptions. It was established as the result of a merger of the Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (ILTHE), the Learning and Teaching Support Network (LTSN), and the TQEF National Co-ordination Team (NCT).[8]
National Teaching Fellowship Scheme[edit]
HEFCE also funded a National Teaching Fellowship (NTF) scheme for those working in England and Northern Ireland. The initiative is administered by the HEA and has two separate strands providing individual awards – recognising individual excellence in teaching within the Higher Education sector – and awards for large-scale projects typically undertaken by Higher Education institutions over periods of up to three years.[9]
Criticism[edit]
The journal Nanotechnology Perceptions expressed doubt about the ability of HEFCE to effectively regulate the universities for which it was responsible, suggesting that while it would have the power to impose financial penalties on universities engaging in dishonest practice, there was no indication that it was prepared to do so.[13]