17 February 2021 - Planning for recovery and economic growth – the role of universities and their finance teams

Date: Thursday 11 March 2021

Time: 12:00 - 13:00

Booking: www.ucisa.ac.uk/events

Universities must move quickly, to meet urgent demands, while planning for an uncertain financial future. In this webinar we will discuss how universities can adapt and move quickly, leveraging internal and external data, planning for multiple scenarios, modelling change and supporting decision making, including establishing the costs and benefits of new initiatives, translating strategy into operational programmes and tracking achievement over time.

Rapid economic and social recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic is vital. Universities will play a vital role in this recovery, increasing skills, supporting innovation and attracting investment and talent. However, the ongoing crisis poses a significant risk to the higher education sector. While class closures might be temporary, it is hard to foresee where the pandemic will result in long-term change.

For example, will restrictions remain for some students and what are the implications for student numbers? Do universities need to retain student accommodation or invest more and accelerate digital offerings? And will the priorities for research funding change, requiring changes to faculties, staff and infrastructure?

The only certainty is that challenging economic circumstances mean universities will be required to increase efficiency, reduce costs and release funding to invest in teaching and research.

This event is