German universities likely to benefit from Brexit

UK universities are likely to suffer because of Brexit while German universities may benefit, according to new UCL-led research. The report, published today by the Centre for Global Higher Education, based at the UCL Institute of Education, finds that since the referendum result, European academics were less likely to seek UK partners as leaders on collaborative research bids. Germany emerged as a significant potential 'winner' from Brexit, with countries in both northern and eastern Europe planning to reinforce their existing partnerships with German universities. There was also a reluctance from some European academics to involve UK partners in research bids at all. Dr Aline Courtois (UCL Institute of Education) said: "The report reveals a mixture of anxiety and hope. Our findings indicate that while the UK is an extremely important player in European research and higher education, it is not as central as Germany. "Germany is currently the top research collaborator for 19 European countries and the second top collaborator for seven countries.