University of Manchester response to Government announcement on research funding

27 Jun 2020

Message from the President and Vice-Chancellor

It is very important to see that the Government recognises the importance of research to the economy and society, along with the significant impact that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on the funding of this vital work. The announcement of £2.3bn funding to support University research is welcomed.

Myself and colleagues across the sector have been involved in intense discussion in recent weeks to secure additional support and this is a clear step in the right direction to help with the potential loss of income we face. Most of the funding (75%) is in the form of Government loans, which will then be ‘supplemented by a small amount of grants’. We are unlikely to know the detail of this grant for several weeks, or the conditions of any award.

Whilst this is more modest than we would have hoped for, it will help with the funding challenges we face in the short term. I look forward to continuing to work with Government to secure a longer-term sustainable solution for funding research and the sector.  

This funding is extremely unlikely to make up for the potential scale of the loss of international students, and as a University we are committed to developing plans to minimise the impact on our core goals of teaching, research and social responsibility, and guarantee a long-term and sustainable future for our University.

Nancy Rothwell

President and Vice-Chancellor

Further information

• Government announcement press release
• University research support package: explanatory notes