Since 2007 HEFCE has provided funding to help secure the provision of four very high-cost STEM subjects: chemistry, physics, chemical engineering and mineral, metallurgy and materials engineering. In the new funding method from 2013/14, and in the context of HEFCE’s new policy approach to strategically important and vulnerable subjects, it has announced that it will continue to provide additional, non-mainstream funding allocations for these subjects in recognition of their high delivery costs. These allocations will supplement the standard HEFCE high-cost funding for subjects in price group B. HESA data from 2010/11 will be used to calculate allocations under this initiative for 2013/14 and 2014/15 which covers the remainder of the spending review period.
While this is welcome, is it not now time to review which subjects are included? It seems that most engineering subjects fit the definition that was developed in 2007…
