Eight northern mayors have warned that universities in northern England face having their contribution to the economy undermined after missing out on a share of £54 million. In all 12 institutions have access to the Government money – via the Global Talent Fund, to help attract 60 to 80 leading researchers into the UK – but none in the North.
Global Talent Fund
On 22 June the government announced that there is to be a £54mn fund and a new taskforce to attract world-class researchers and their teams to the country.
The government stated that the global talent taskforce was being launched to “attract world’s exceptional talent to relocate to the UK, supporting the success of our Industrial Strategy sectors”.
The government statement continued: “The brightest minds in the world will be welcomed to bring their talents to the UK, the government has announced today [Sunday 22 June], supported by £54mn in fresh backing to bring the world’s top science and tech talent here…”
Beneficiaries include Oxford and Cambridge universities, the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, which is also based in Cambridge, Imperial College London, and the University of Birmingham.
No northern universities will benefit from the fund.
Response from northern Mayors
It was stated soon after the announcement that northern Mayors, including Kim McGuinness and Ben Houchen, have called on the government to build a “new funding model that truly reflects the strengths and aspirations of all of our regions”.
It was also noted that they had warned that investment was “concentrated disproportionately in London and the South East”.
Government had said that geography should not matter
It was also reported that when supporting the fund last month, science minister Lord Vallance said “genius is not bound by geography”.
Comment
In the bigger scheme of things, a £54 million fund, might not seem such a big deal, but surely there is a message behind the complete rejection of the North which should be of concern to us here. The message seems to be that it will be the south that will be expected to drive innovation and be creative and grow the economy.
The irony of this of course, doesn’t end with the statement by Lord Vallance. The greater irony is that this snub for our region fails to recognise our incredible heritage of innovation and invention, from the railways whose 200th anniversary this year we are celebrating with many events here in the Northeast, to the turbine, the light bulb to the lifeboat and so many others. We are also seeing great innovations in areas such as green energy with the work being done at Tyne Dock on the Dogger Bank Project, the largest windfarm in the world and the use of mine workings to provide green energy in Gateshead and east Durham.
As ever, all we ask for in the North is for a fair deal and a chance to show what we can achieve. And yet again, we have to ask for this and protest that we are not being given that chance.
It is not as if universities don’t deserve to be included in this fund. As just one, Newcastle University announced last year that it was a “World Top 140 university (QS World University Rankings 2026) and a founding member of the prestigious Russell Group of world-class, research-intensive UK universities. Our diverse community welcomes students from all countries and backgrounds to be part of our legacy of pioneering learning, teaching and research”.
Lord Vallance is correct. Geography shouldn’t come into decisions like this. But fairness should and I hope we all support the northern Mayors in their statement asking for fairness in funding. We are all surely sick and tired of being treated as second-class citizens in our own country.
