June 13, 2016

EU funding generates 19,000 university jobs in UK, says report

EU funding for universities in the UK generates 19,000 jobs and contributes over £1 billion to the country’s GDP, according to a new study.

Analysis of data from the 2014–2015 academic year showed that the UK attracted over £836 million in research grants and contracts from EU sources, representing 14.2% of all research funding.

The study, published by advocacy group Universities UK ahead of the Brexit referendum, found that EU funding directly generated 8,864 full-time-equivalent jobs in the university sector, plus a further 10,190 jobs in other industries: chiefly in business activities, wholesale and retail trade, and manufacturing.

Julia Goodfellow, president of Universities UK and head of the University of Kent, commented: “What is clear from this new analysis is that this EU funding also benefits the UK economy, boosting growth and creating jobs both directly and indirectly in a range of sectors in all corners of the UK … It also provides irreplaceable networks and frameworks which enable our researchers to have a genuine impact on society by pursuing breakthroughs, discoveries and inventions which improve our lives.”

The UK will hold a referendum on its membership of the EU on June 23, when voters will answer the question: “Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?”

On June 20, three days before the vote, IZA World of Labor and the Bloomsbury Institute will be hosting a debate on the labor market implications of Brexit at the Bloomsbury Publishing offices in central London. The panel will include L. Alan Winters (University of Sussex), Jonathan Portes (National Institute of Economic and Social Research), Allie Renison (Institute of Directors), and Geoffrey Van Orden (Member of the European Parliament), and will be moderated by Economist columnist Philip Coggan.

For more information, and to book tickets, visit our Eventbrite page.