Impact and engagement

Dozens of universities are already interested in striking ‘civic university agreements’ proposed by commission

Japan leads on number of submissions but institutions across 75 countries have taken part

While China’s intensification puts regional rivals in the shade, it casts a spotlight on progress in the special administrative region

Academics who want their findings to be used but not abused should bear eight things in mind, says Nick Hillman

The advent of Plan S promises to turbocharge the open access movement, but amid pushback from researchers and publishers, Rachael Pells examines whether the demand for published research truly merits the disruption

The Pacific nation’s ambitions to harness its universities to drive economic growth face many challenges, says Roger Smyth

Don’t fixate on funding cuts and market challenges, UK-born star scientist Michelle Simmons tells Australian peers

Pledges of huge investments in higher education to secure the tech giant’s second headquarters could strain academic autonomy, says Michelle Dimino

Even in tourism studies, reality often belies the bold, sunny pictures painted in the impact case study brochure, says Rhodri Thomas 

Those who fail to articulate the issues their communities feel strongly about do the academy and society a disservice, says Sandro Galea

Research England says that institutions will be assigned a decile rank in seven broad areas of knowledge exchange

Universities should use federal budget boost to help companies keep innovating, not to do it themselves, top science policy expert says

Patent citation data suggest that economies such as South Korea, where firms have capacity to drive research, are making most progress 

After the Solstice Attack, the University of Rural England has become a bastion of hope and survival, writes John Gilbey. But how far can it push its role as the ultimate post-apocalyptic anchor institution?

Academics should not sneer at Simon Birmingham’s appeal to what ‘most Australians’ would think about projects, says Hannah Forsyth

Tokenistic and irrelevant assessments of research’s social value are holding back progress, say Clarence Tam and three others

Paper calls for scientific organisations to monitor platforms ‘known to spread false and misleading’ information about research and ‘respond quickly’

Both the rationale and the mechanism for redistributing research activity around the regions are far from clear cut, say Sarah Chaytor and Graeme Reid   

More than 60 US institutions to work with 800 others worldwide in tackling global strategy on environment, education and equality

Take-up of research by business is difficult to catalyse and record. Far better to focus on the impact central to universities’ missions, say Vince Mitchell and William Harvey

A Twitter storm over a remark he made on diversity policy reminds Jeffrey Flier why he was so wary of speaking out while a Harvard dean

Universities say they must be able to supplement metrics with contextual or narrative information

Call for university funding to be tied to institutions’ role in their local communities

Survey respondents question value of degree-level education, but most would encourage their children to enrol

Academics staging events on everything from ‘pseudo-death’ to convict ballads claim that public events can often drive future scholarship

Russell Group university’s return to the local highlights higher education’s role in the wake of the Brexit vote in addressing post-industrial decline, and supporting austerity-hit councils

If women in particular must watch what they say for fear of a social media mauling, public scholarly fora will be the poorer, warns Charlotte Galpin

Universities around the world can participate in new ranking based on UN Sustainable Development Goals 

Case may show that Canada needs a broader strategy to become an innovation powerhouse

Seeking a greater share of imagined profits from commercialisation would undermine technology transfer, says David Secher

In an unpredictable, increasingly digital age, Singapore’s universities are rethinking how to equip alumni with relevant skills throughout their lives

Fresh facilities at new Waterside campus will transform fortunes of town, says vice-chancellor

President of Humboldt University of Berlin says new public laboratory will help drive the ‘production, preservation and communication of knowledge’

Report sets outs recommendations for healthier collaborations

The Teesside pro vice-chancellor discusses promoting gender balance and being diagnosed with ovarian cancer

As universities have turned to partisan lobbying and self-promotion, new head of Allea thinks ancient organisations now fill a crucial space in public debate

Asking social scientists to demonstrate academic impact ignores the messy reality of political lobbying, says Matthew Flinders

European funders’ beefed-up open access mandate sounds the death knell for subscription publishing, but academic Armageddon is no closer, says Lenny Teytelman

‘Imprudent’ to attach too much weight to first iteration of knowledge exchange framework, conference hears

New league table will be first to measure global universities’ success in delivering on UN targets

Universities must look beyond a narrow conception of impact to communicate the true value of higher education to society, say Ulrike Felt, Maximilian Fochler, Andreas Richter, Renée Schroeder and Lisa Sigl

Australia’s top universities deliver greater economic benefits than their UK equivalents, study finds

Academic Jack Davis tells John Morgan of his surprise at learning that his history of the Gulf of Mexico had won a Pulitzer prize and his hope that it will help to deliver a pro-environmental message

Researchers jointly employed by commercial organisations less likely to partner outside academia

Telling opponents of liberal values to ‘jog on’ may be tempting, but it risks confirming opponents’ claims that universities are aloof bastions of leftism, says Julie Odams

Seekers of dispassionate truth may be irritated by the moral passion of the likes of Dostoevsky, Zola and Chekhov, but it is a much stronger influence on public opinion, says David Aberbach  

Partisan social media posts typically get more attention, but dispassionate analyses are what academics are valued for, says Stuart Brown 

The EU’s proposal for its next research and innovation funding framework focuses too narrowly on technology, say Gabi Lombardo and Jon Deer

The public sector has not expanded quickly enough to meet the demand for college degrees in India

Asian giant combines spending and efficiency to crack the top 20

Peter Doherty warns scientists about being ‘used’ by journalists with a predetermined story to tell

When the alt-right made highly dubious claims about historical Irish slavery, Natalie Zacek realised that a rebuttal from an expert would make no difference

Newer, urban universities can have impact beyond more established names, USF leaders argue

Tel Aviv University researchers face down religious objections with new museum attraction

To what extent can universities drive economic development – or vice versa? Rachael Pells explores the ways in which higher education and economic success interact

Moral and cultural organisations such as universities must strive harder to rid the body politic of populist infection, in central Europe and elsewhere, says Tomáš Halík

As a Brit leading HKU, Peter Mathieson had no baggage. The University of Edinburgh’s new v-c tells Ellie Bothwell about academic freedom, internationalisation and being treated to taxi drivers’ views on students

University expertise gives decision-makers breathing space, says former foreign secretary

We are right to celebrate the contributions that research makes to society, but why don’t we talk more about the costs? asks Rosa Freedman

Australian vice-chancellor highlights value of being considered ‘in an environment of toxic speed’