Top universities consider new campuses in Europe

Leading British universities are considering opening campuses in Europe in order to keep crucial research funding and partnerships, amid uncertainty over the consequences of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union. The idea comes as universities wrestle with how to reassure students and academics across the world that they will not close their doors to Europe, writes Anna Fazackerley for the Guardian.

Universities are playing their cards close to their chests, and it is not yet clear where they intend to set up overseas operations. Senior figures say that although these campuses would probably take students, the main motivation would be research money.

Cardiff University is re-examining its strategy after the EU referendum result, and its vice-chancellor, Colin Riordan, says a new campus will be one of the items up for discussion. “I know there are universities who are thinking about setting up campuses in Europe,” he says. “We’ve considered it before because of visa restrictions and so on, but the critical thing is thinking it through. The world is littered with universities setting up new campuses and getting their fingers burned. If you are going down that route you have to be clear about the risks and how you mitigate them.”
Full report on the Guardian site