QAA awarded DBT funding to address barriers in HE sectors worldwide

QAA is very pleased to announce that it has been awarded grant funding from the Department for Business and Trade's Regulatory Partnership for Growth Fund to deliver a set of international interventions designed to address barriers to UK higher education in priority nations.

The government's new £2.3 million fund is intended to unlock export opportunities worth nearly £5 billion for UK companies over five years. This initiative is designed to help regulators to bring down barriers to trade by working with international counterparts and to build on the Prime Minister's pledge at the recent Investment Summit to ensure the UK's regulatory framework is aligned to deliver the government's core mission of economic growth.

Work on these projects will be delivered during this academic year. It will draw upon expertise and relationships developed by QAA through its extensive engagements overseas in terms of both its international quality review activities for the formal accreditation of courses and institutions, and its engagement activities with regulators, quality agencies and education authorities through bilateral partnerships and quality assurance networks.

These initiatives will focus on:

• the ongoing development of UK transnational education (TNE) provision in Kazakhstan
• the recognition of UK TNE qualifications in Uzbekistan
• the recognition of non-standard degrees from UK providers in Qatar
• the recognition of international qualifications in Vietnam
• the recognition of transnational distance learning provision in India
• the recognition of blended learning programmes in China.

QAA Chief Executive, Vicki Stott said: ‘Through our international work and networks, we see firsthand the role that the HE sector plays, both economically and reputationally, in building cultural and business connections across the world. So, we’re really grateful to the Department for Business and Trade for the funding for these projects that aim to break down barriers to the UK's higher education collaboration worldwide.’

Minister of State for Trade Policy, Douglas Alexander said: ‘Economic growth is a defining mission of this government, and bringing down trade barriers in key sectors will unlock more markets and more opportunities for exporters up and down the country. This investment shows that we are working to pull every lever we have to create jobs and support businesses as we look to drive the growth this country needs. We look forward to working with the Quality Assurance Agency to help create these fresh opportunities for UK business.’