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Introduction - Resources 2008/09

This publication is one of four reference volumes published annually by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). HESA is a company limited by guarantee, and is owned by the United Kingdom (UK) higher education sector through the representative bodies Universities UK and GuildHE. HESA collects data from publicly-funded higher education institutions (HEIs) in the UK on behalf of funding bodies and government departments, in a framework underpinned by legislation.

This volume brings together information about the finances and the staff of HEIs during the academic year 2008/09 that is, the period 1 August 2008 to 31 July 2009. Additionally for the first time this year the volume includes information from the Higher Education-Business and Community Interaction Survey.

The staff return covers data supplied by 166 HEIs (131 in England, 12 in Wales, 19 in Scotland, 4 in Northern Ireland); one of the English HEIs, The University of Buckingham, is a non-publicly-funded institution voluntarily providing data to HESA. The number of Welsh institutions in this volume is different from the number reported in some other HESA products because of the inclusion of finance and staff data from The University of Wales (central functions).

The number of English institutions in the finance return differs from the number reported in the staff return because financial reporting for University Campus Suffolk takes place through its two parent institutions, The University of East Anglia and The University of Essex. Staff are reported separately for University Campus Suffolk from 2008/09. The total number of HEIs in the finance return is therefore 165.

The Higher Education-Business and Community Interaction (HE-BCI) Survey includes responses from 160 of the UK HEIs. This includes data from University Campus Suffolk, but excludes data from The University of Wales (central functions). Five Scottish institutions opted to make a nil return in this survey.

The data collection procedure is uniform across all institutions, regardless of size, nature and location. Tabulations are included that record and analyse income and expenditure, and the characteristics of staff, both academic and non-academic. The HE-BCI data is collected in two parts, part A is a qualitative questionnaire and part B a set of quantitative data.

The other reference volumes published by HESA are as follows.

Students in Higher Education Institutions. This volume draws on HESA’s collection of data about students in HEIs. It includes information at the institutional level about entry qualifications, programmes taken and outcomes, together with background variables such as age, gender, ethnicity and disability. Data on HE provision in further education colleges (FECs) is not included in this volume except for students funded indirectly through HEIs, in which case it is reported by the HEI through which funding passes.

Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education. This volume draws on the Destinations of Leavers from HE (DLHE) survey and provides information about patterns of employment and further study or training at a point about six months after completion. DLHE covers leavers from part-time as well as full-time programmes.

Higher Education Statistics for the United Kingdom. This is the only HESA reference volume that currently falls within the National Statistics framework, and it accordingly carries the National Statistics logo as well as that of HESA. It provides an overview of higher education in the UK from a statistical perspective, including statistics about applications, participation, institutional finance, staffing, student awards and loans. To achieve this broad coverage, this volume draws on data collected by other bodies as well as HESA, and in particular includes some information about directly funded HE provision in FECs.

HESA also publishes annually two Statistical First Releases within the National Statistics framework. Detailed data for institutional planning purposes is published on CD (HE Planning Plus and HE Finance Plus). The HESA Information Provision Service exists to meet more specialist needs of data users on a bespoke basis. The Higher Education Information Database for Institutions (heidi) commenced operation in April 2007, and offers a subscription service to institutions and approved HE bodies to allow the interrogation of HESA and other data through the production and export of tabular reports, and their display as charts.

Format of publications

Commencing with the 2002/03 cycle of publications, HESA reference volumes now comprise a relatively slim printed volume containing only a limited range of tables, together with a CD, which contains all the remaining data familiar to users from earlier years, supplemented with additional and more detailed tables. The tables on the CD are in Microsoft® Excel 2003 format. This has the further benefit of allowing users to select data from the tables and manipulate how it is displayed. However, arithmetical manipulations should be carried out with caution because of the effect of the rounding strategy applied to counts of staff (see Definitions under ‘Rounding strategy’ for details on this).

Finance data

This commentary draws attention to some of the headline figures and key points that emerge from the main tables. The information is displayed graphically where appropriate. It should be noted that where comparisons are made between the latest financial year and a previous year, the figures for the previous year are as re-stated in the most recent financial statements available; any exceptions are noted explicitly. They are not therefore necessarily reconcilable with figures for that year published in previous HESA volumes. However, it is understood that all such figures can be reconciled to the published accounts of the institutions.

Because of rounding, published totals in finance tables may differ from the sum of the published figures that contribute to them.

Summary of key points

Balance sheet

  • Tangible assets have increased by £1,774 million (7.1%).
  • There has been an increase of £712 million in short-term borrowing and an increase of £138 million in short-term investments.

Income and expenditure

  • Income during the year amounted to £25.4 billion.
  • The surplus of income over expenditure was £330 million.

Sources of income

  • Funding body grants increased by £333 million (3.9%).
  • The amount of income received from tuition fees and education contracts increased by 16.2%. Income from full-time Home/EU domiciled undergraduate students provided 46.3% of the income in this category, and that from overseas (non-EU) students provided 30.2%.
  • Research Councils provided 36.9% of research grants and contracts, the largest share of the total.

Expenditure

  • The £2,067 million (9.0%) rise in total expenditure was largely the result of broadly similar percentage rises in each of the two large components, staff costs (£1,034 million, 7.9%) and other operating expenses (£829 million, 10.0%).

Balance sheet

A comparison of the HE sector’s balance sheet at 31 July 2009 with that at 31 July 2008 (both as stated in the 2008/09 accounts in Table A below) shows a £712 million increase in short-term creditors while amounts due after more than one year have increased by £311 million. There was an increase of £105 million in debtors.

The value of tangible assets has increased by £1,774 million (7.1%), whereas endowment assets have fallen by £280 million (a loss of 8.0%).

Table A - Balance sheet(#5)
  Balance (£ thousands) as at 31 July
  2009 2008 Change % change
Fixed assets
Intangible assets1 (58167) (35240) (22927) 65.1%
Tangible assets 26815019 25040999 1774020 7.1%
Investments 1361837 1106797 255040 23.0%
Investments in joint ventures: share of gross assets 202377 145223 57154 39.4%
Investments in joint ventures: share of gross liabilities (134932) (85568) (49364) 57.7%
Total 28186134 26172211 2013923 7.7%
Endowment assets 3230766 3510180 (279414) (8.0%)
Current assets
Stock 112857 93721 19136 20.4%
Debtors 2708025 2603262 104763 4.0%
Investments 3440741 3302629 138112 4.2%
Cash at bank & in hand 2024660 1785828 238832 13.4%
Total 8286284 7785440 500844 6.4%
         
Total creditors (amounts falling due within one year) 6445864 5734064 711800 12.4%
Net current assets/(liabilities) 1840419 2051376 (210957) (10.3%)
Total assets less current liabilities 33257319 31733767 1523552 4.8%
Total creditors (amounts falling due after more than one year) 5091929 4780829 311100 6.5%
Provisions for liabilities & charges 368924 310958 57966 18.6%
Net assets excluding pension asset/(liability) 27796465 26641980 1154485 4.3%
Net pension asset/(liability) (4409230) (2895590) (1513640) 52.3%
Net assets including pension asset/(liability) 23387235 23746390 (359155) (1.5%)
         
Deferred capital grants 9452699 8702480 750219 8.6%
Endowments
Expendable* 884003 942621 (58618) (6.2%)
Permanent* 2348191 2569106 (220915) (8.6%)
Total 3232194 3511727 (279533) (8.0%)
Total reserves 10702342 11532183 (829841) (7.2%)
Total funds 23387235 23746390 (359155) (1.5%)
# see relevant footnote in Notes to tables
*For one HEI the endowments expendable and endowments permanent figures were transposed in error. For further information see note #19 in Notes to tables.
All values in the FSR are shown in units of £1000, and where necessary rounded to the nearest £1000; the consequence of which is that sum of individual values in each row or column may not match the total value.

Income and expenditure

The income of the HE sector totalled £25.4 billion during the financial year to 31 July 2009; this compares with £23.4 billion for the previous year. The surplus of income over expenditure decreased from £488 million in 2007/08 to £330 million in 2008/09.

Table B - Income and expenditure, financial years 2008/09 and 2007/08(#5)
      (£ thousands)
  2008/09 2007/08 % change
Total income* 25373267 23428930 8.3%
Net income* 25274298 23365635 8.2%
Total expenditure 24944436 22877440 9.0%
Surplus/(deficit) for the year* 329862 488195 (32.4%)
Surplus/(deficit) as percentage of net income 1.3% 2.1%  
# see relevant footnote in Notes to tables
* See definitions for further details

To provide the context for these figures, Chart 1 shows the HE sector’s surplus/deficit (re-based and re-calculated as appropriate) for each of the last 10 years. These are cash figures to which no deflator has been applied. Data were returned to HESA for financial year 1993/94 onwards; figures for these financial years are set out in earlier editions of this volume.

Surplus/(deficit) of net income over expenditure 1999/00 to 2008/09

The number of institutions reporting a surplus or breakeven was 125 out of 165 in 2008/09 compared with 135 out of 165 in 2007/08. 19 institutions reported deficits in both financial years.

The final table in this section aggregates figures for institutions funded by each of the four UK countries’ funding councils. It should be noted that in this and other tables, The Open University is counted as an institution based in England, although its funding now includes contributions from other administrations. The tables include finance data for The University of Buckingham, which is a non-publicly-funded institution in England and operates on a different financial year from the 1 August to 31 July financial year standard for the rest of the sector.

Table C - Income and expenditure by UK country 2008/09 and 2007/08(#5)
                      (£ thousands)
  Financial Year 2008/09   Financial Year 2007/08
Location of Institution Total income* Net income* Total expenditure Surplus/ (deficit) for the year* % of net income   Total income* Net income* Total expenditure Surplus/ (deficit) for the year* % of net income
England 21027238 20930047 20654164 275883 1.3%   19388966 19327524 18937586 389938 2.0%
Wales 1171536 1170423 1149380 21043 1.8%   1091645 1090027 1060040 29987 2.8%
Scotland 2663203 2662542 2636974 25568 1.0%   2482602 2482377 2437650 44727 1.8%
Northern Ireland 511290 511286 503918 7368 1.4%   465717 465707 442164 23543 5.1%
Total 25373267 25274298 24944436 329862 1.3%   23428930 23365635 22877440 488195 2.1%
# see relevant footnote in Notes to tables
* See definitions for further details

Income

The table and chart below summarise institutions’ sources of income in terms of proportions contributed by, and the growth or otherwise of, each source over time.

Table D - Sources of income 2008/09 and 2007/08(#5)
      (£ thousands)
  2008/09 2007/08 % change
Funding body grants 8819359 8486066 3.9%
Tuition fees & education contracts 7282639 6267029 16.2%
Research grants & contracts 4144582 3713077 11.6%
Other income 4769744 4440978 7.4%
Endowment & investment income 356942 521780 -31.6%
Total income* 25373267 23428930 8.3%
Less: share of income in joint venture(s) (98969) (63295) 56.4%
Net income* 25274298 23365635 8.2%
# see relevant footnote in Notes to tables
* See definitions for further details
All values in the FSR are shown in units of £1000, and where necessary rounded to the nearest £1000; the consequence of which is that sum of individual values in each row or column may not match the total value.

Sources of income 2004/05 to 2008/09

Funding body grants represent a 34.8% proportion of total income. Tuition fees & education contracts represent a 28.7% proportion of total income. Compared to 2007/08, the first of these proportions has fallen by 1.5% and the second has risen by 2.0%. The breakdown in Table D also shows the component of income arising from joint ventures, and the net income after removing this component.

Funding body grants

Institutional funds for academic and other purposes are allocated primarily by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW), the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) and by the Department for Employment and Learning for Northern Ireland (DEL(NI)) acting as a funding agency for the four Northern Ireland higher education institutions. Some funds are also provided in England by the Department of Health (DH) and the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA). In relation to some categories of FE teaching funding comes from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) in England and the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG).

Table E - Breakdown of funding body grants 2008/09
    (£ thousands)
    % of total
Grants for HE provision (SFC grants for all provision)
Recurrent (teaching) 5754562 65.2%
Recurrent (research) 1834091 20.8%
Recurrent - other (including special funding) 741045 8.4%
Release of deferred capital grants - buildings 237208 2.7%
Release of deferred capital grants - equipment 149179 1.7%
Grants for FE provision (not applicable to SFC) 103274 1.2%
Total funding body grants 8819359 100.0%

Tuition fees and education contracts

The total income for tuition fees and education contracts increased by 16.2% this year to £7.28 billion from £6.27 billion in 2007/08. New fee arrangements, which came into effect in 2006/07, contributed substantially to increases in this component of income in 2006/07 and 2007/08, and again in 2008/09. The breakdown in Table F differs from that in years prior to 2006/07 because the previous breakdown is no longer compatible with the different fee systems in each of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Income from full-time Home/EU domiciled undergraduate students provided 46.3% of the income in this category, and that from overseas (non-EU) students provided 30.2%.

Table F - Income from tuition fees and education contracts 2008/09
    (£ thousands)
    % of total
HE course fees
Home & EU domicile students
Full-time undergraduate* 3373530 46.3%
Full-time postgraduate* 553817 7.6%
Part-time undergraduate* 279526 3.8%
Part-time postgraduate* 311464 4.3%
Non-EU domicile students 2199627 30.2%
Total HE course fees 6751566 92.7%
Non-credit-bearing course fees 357066 4.9%
FE course fees 44516 0.6%
Research training support grants 129491 1.8%
Total tuition fees & education contracts 7282639 100.0%
*For one HEI home & EU domicile HE course fees figures have been excluded. For further information see note #20 in Notes to tables.
All values in the FSR are shown in units of £1000, and where necessary rounded to the nearest £1000; the consequence of which is that sum of individual values in each row or column may not match the total value.

Research grants and contracts

Research grants and contracts increased by 11.6% this year to £4.14 billion from £3.71 billion in 2007/08. The Research Councils continue to be the largest providers by representing a 36.9% proportion of total research grants and contracts income.

Table G - Income from research grants and contracts 2008/09
    (£ thousands)
    % of total
BIS Research Councils, The Royal Society, British Academy & The Royal Society of Edinburgh 1531128 36.9%
UK based charities (open competitive process) 771733 18.6%
UK based charities (other) 124290 3.0%
UK central government bodies/local authorities, health & hospital authorities 706300 17.0%
UK industry, commerce & public corporations 312514 7.5%
EU government bodies 324832 7.8%
EU based charities (open competitive process) 6690 0.2%
EU industry, commerce & public corporations 37143 0.9%
EU other 22890 0.6%
Non-EU-based charities (open competitive process) 87317 2.1%
Non-EU industry, commerce & public corporations 88772 2.1%
Non-EU other 80266 1.9%
Other sources 50708 1.2%
Total research grants & contracts 4144582 100.0%
All values in the FSR are shown in units of £1000, and where necessary rounded to the nearest £1000; the consequence of which is that sum of individual values in each row or column may not match the total value.

Other income

Income in this category increased by 7.4% this year to £4.77 billion from £4.44 billion in 2007/08.

Table H - Other income 2008/09
    (£ thousands)
    % of total
Other services rendered
UK central government/local authorities, health and hospital authorities, EU government bodies 479069 10.0%
Other 1089712 22.8%
Total other services rendered 1568781 32.9%
     
Residences & catering operations (including conferences) 1411220 29.6%
Grants from local authorities 12483 0.3%
Income from health & hospital authorities (excluding teaching contracts for student provision) 355028 7.4%
Released from deferred capital grants 110194 2.3%
Income from intellectual property rights 43722 0.9%
Other operating income 1268316 26.6%
     
Total other income 4769744 100.0%

Expenditure

The 9.0% (£2,067 million) rise in expenditure to £24.9 billion as shown in Table I did not vary greatly as a percentage between the two largest components, of staff costs and other operating expenses. In 2008/09 there was a slightly smaller percentage increase in depreciation, and the largest percentage increase was in the smallest component, interest and other finance costs.

Table I - Expenditure, financial years ending 2008/09 and 2007/08(#5)
      (£ thousands)
  2008/09 2007/08 % change
Staff costs 14164715 13130490 7.9%
Other operating expenses 9097354 8268654 10.0%
Depreciation 1299748 1191349 9.1%
Interest and other finance costs 382619 286947 33.3%
Total 24944436 22877440 9.0%
# see relevant footnote in Notes to tables

The percentage distribution of expenditure by activity within the total as shown in Table J has changed little from the previous year. Academic departments represent a 39.9% proportion of total expenditure and residences and catering operations represent a proportion of just 5.1%.

Table J - Distribution of expenditure by activity 2008/09
    (£ thousands)
    % of total
Academic departments 9958603 39.9%
Academic services 1906605 7.6%
Administration & central services 3698514 14.8%
Premises 2843787 11.4%
Residences & catering operations (including conferences) 1276866 5.1%
Research grants & contracts 3392978 13.6%
Other expenditure 1867082 7.5%
Total expenditure 24944436 100.0%
All values in the FSR are shown in units of £1000, and where necessary rounded to the nearest £1000; the consequence of which is that sum of individual values in each row or column may not match the total value.

The clinical medicine cost centre (1,017 million, 10.2%) and business & management studies cost centre (£1,017 million, 10.2%) continue to have the largest shares of total expenditure on academic departments in 2008/09. Other shares of at least 5% are those of social studies (£794 million, 8.0%), design & creative arts (£644 million, 6.5%), education (£624 million, 6.3%), biosciences (£595 million, 6.0%), nursing & paramedical studies (£586 million, 5.9%) and humanities & language-based studies2 (£576 million, 5.8%). These numbers are derived from the Total UK row of Table 2d.

Staff data

The HESA Staff Record covers all academic and non-academic staff who have a contract of employment with a higher education institution (HEI) in the UK, or for whom the HEI is liable to pay Class 1 National Insurance contributions. Other staff, such as those employed under consultancy contracts, or on the basis of payment of fees for services but without a contract of employment, are not included in the record.

Within this record, staff designated as ‘academic’ include academic professionals who are responsible for preparing, directing and undertaking academic teaching and research within HE institutions and also medical practitioners, dentists, veterinarians and other health care professionals who undertake lecturing or research activities. By custom and practice, a small number of other staff who do not have direct responsibility for the delivery of either teaching or research, including some institutional officers, are also designated as ‘academic’. All other staff in HEIs are designated as ‘non-academic’, and are grouped in twelve categories. In some tabulations these are combined into three broad-brush groups.

The amount of information collected on individual members of staff depends on the staff category into which they fall. Academic staff are recruited within a national, or indeed international, market, but one that is specialised by subject area. It is of value to be able to identify patterns of career progression as staff move from institution to institution, and to compare staffing resources with teaching and research commitments and funding streams. For such staff, the full record is collected. By contrast, for clerical, secretarial and manual staff, recruitment is from the labour market local to each institution. Although the individual institution may need to monitor its staffing position in considerable detail, the national data requirement is very limited, and is focused mainly on equal opportunities monitoring. For staff in these categories, the data collection is limited to a subset of the fields in the full record.

A key feature of the HESA Staff Record is the format of collection. Data can be analysed in terms of both people and employment contracts. The record consists of two tables. The person table contains one record for each person employed by an institution during the reporting period and contains attributes of the individual such as birth date, gender and ethnicity. Each person’s employment with an institution will be governed by one or more legally-binding contracts and each contract that exists is recorded on the contract table. If a person has a single contract with the institution there will be one record on the person table and one record on the contract table. If a person has three contracts with an institution there will be one record on the person table and three records on the contract table.

Prior to 2003/04, the coverage and structure of HESA data collections on staff were very different, and caution is needed if it is desired to make meaningful comparisons between data from those collections, and from collections for 2003/04 onwards. Reference should be made to the 2003/04 or 2004/05 volumes for more details. From 2003/04 onwards, the only fundamental changes have been the inclusion of atypical staff, starting in 2004/05, and the revision of the cost centres, also introduced for 2004/05. Atypical staff are, broadly speaking, staff on contracts that qualify them for inclusion in the HESA Staff Record, but are not on a full-time or proportionate part-time basis. Such staff may be found throughout the sector, but form an important component of the total staffing in subject areas such as performing arts and fine art.

As most HE institutions have moved to align with the Framework for the Modernisation of Pay Structures over the past few years, the previous national academic grading structures have become outmoded. As a consequence of this there is no longer a single grading structure that can be used to compare institutions across the HE sector. The analyses by staff grade seen in previous editions of this volume can therefore no longer be published. HESA, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, has concluded that the most appropriate and comparable replacement measure of staff seniority is one based upon salary information reported within the HESA Staff Record. Salary ranges have been defined which align with the nationally-agreed pay spine (for non-clinical staff). Because salary range boundaries have been linked to the national pay spine, they will change annually in accordance with nationally-agreed pay settlements, thereby removing the need for average earnings adjustments.

Whilst the previous disaggregation of academic staff grade is no longer available, collection of information on professorial status has been retained. However, the definition of this information from 2008/09 onwards differs from that used in 2007/08 and prior (see definitions for details). HESA therefore advises caution when comparing numbers of professors in 2008/09 with previous years.

Summary of key points

In 2008/09 there were in total 252,520 (2007/08: 248,025; 2006/07: 242,620) full-time staff in the HE sector, of whom 46.5% (46.0%; 45.9%) were female, and 130,240 (124,430; 121,540) part-time staff, of whom 67.3% (67.6%; 67.5%) were female. Also, there were 194,125 (192,230; 180,710) atypical staff, of whom 52.1% (51.3%; 50.9%) were female. The increase in the number of atypical staff may be in part a reporting effect as institutions become progressively more familiar with this reporting requirement.

Of all academic staff other than atypicals, 43.4% (42.6%; 42.3%) were female; for full time academic staff the proportion was 37.8% (37.1%; 36.8%) and for part-time academic staff, 54.2% (53.7%; 53.3%). The proportion of atypical academic staff who were female was 47.1% (46.7%; 46.5%).

The total (full-person-equivalent) number of academic staff other than atypicals was 179040 (174,945; 169,995), of whom 117,465 (116,495; 113,685) were full-time, constituting 46.5% (47.0%; 46.9%) of all full-time staff, and 61,575 (58,450; 56,310) were part-time, constituting 47.3% (47.0%; 46.3%) of all part-time staff. There were 83,290 (84,560; 85,000) atypical academic staff, constituting 42.9% (44.0%; 47.0%) of all atypical staff. The number of full-time academic staff increased by 2.5% between 2006/07 and 2007/08, and by a further 0.8% between 2007/08 and 2008/09.

Of all full-time academic posts, 72.1% (72.0%; 71.6%) were wholly financed by the institutions themselves.

Teaching as a primary employment function was included in 70.9% (71.0%; 70.8%) of full-time and 88.7% (88.1%; 87.8%) of part-time academic posts.

The average age of full-time academic staff was 43.1 (43.0; 42.9), and 41.4% (41.1%; 41.1%) were aged over 45.

Ethnicity was reported for 91.5% (90.8%; 90.7%) of all full- and part-time staff. Of those of known ethnicity, 10.6% (10.3%; 9.9%) were drawn from ethnic minority groups. For academic staff the percentages were 90.3% (89.7%; 89.7%) and 11.6% (11.4%; 11.0%). Both the overall proportion of ethnic minority staff, and the pattern on which different ethnic minority groups were represented, varied considerably by staff group. Ethnicity was reported for 60.8% (57.2%; 51.8%) of atypical staff, and, of those of known ethnicity, 17.3% (17.0%; 16.0%) were from ethnic minority groups.

Disability status was reported for 90.9% (92.6%; 92.4%) of all full- and part-time staff, and of those of known disability status, 3.0% (2.7%; 2.6%) had a disability. For full- and part-time academic staff, the percentages were 90.8% (92.4%; 92.4%) and 3.1% (2.5%; 2.2%). For atypical staff, the percentages were 80.5% (72.8%; 75.7%) and 1.6% (1.4%; 1.3%).

Among full-time academic staff, 40.7% had contract salaries between £41,118 and £55,258. For part-time academic staff, 48.3% had contract salaries between £30,594 and £41,118.

Of all full-time academic staff, 26.5% (26.2%; 26.3%) were employed in medicine, dentistry, or health.

Of all research-only staff, 73.9% (75.5%; 77.8%) were employed on fixed-term contracts.

General

Table K shows the overall pattern of staffing in UK HEIs, including atypical staff.

Table K - All staff in all UK institutions by activity, mode of employment and gender(#3) 2008/09
  Full-time   Part-time   Atypical
  Female Male Total   Female Male Total   Female Male Total
All activities 117315 135205 252520   87695 42540 130240   100785 92625 194125
Managers 6860 7390 14250   1360 350 1710   170 225 400
Academic professionals 44350 73115 117465   33400 28175 61575   39180 43920 83290
Non-academic professionals 11680 10455 22135   4260 1220 5480   5385 5595 10985
Laboratory, engineering, building, IT & medical technicians (including nurses) 6775 16265 23040   3060 1510 4570   2340 3405 5740
Student welfare workers, careers advisors, vocational training instructors, personnel & planning officers 4365 1980 6345   2840 625 3465   4845 2835 7695
Artistic, media, public relations, marketing & sports occupations 2425 1980 4405   1090 430 1520   3045 2210 5275
Library assistants, clerks & general administrative assistants 25555 7655 33215   17560 3935 21495   30220 21440 52130
Secretaries, typists, receptionists & telephonists 9980 850 10830   6260 510 6775   2855 2005 4860
Chefs, gardeners, electrical & construction trades, mechanical fitters & printers 610 4250 4865   265 140 405   275 340 615
Caretakers, residential wardens, sports & leisure attendants, nursery nurses & care occupations 1245 1610 2855   1475 855 2330   1590 1315 2905
Retail & customer service occupations 375 215 590   545 165 715   840 525 1365
Drivers, maintenance supervisors & plant operatives 160 1170 1325   110 125 235   80 135 215
Cleaners, catering assistants, security officers, porters & maintenance workers 2935 8265 11205   15475 4495 19970   9955 8680 18640
In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of 5.
# see relevant footnote in Notes to tables

In 2008/09 (that is, on 1 December 2008) there were in total 252,520 full-time staff, of whom 46.5% were female, 130,240 part-time staff, of whom 67.3% were female, and 194,125 atypical staff, of whom 52.1% were female. Of the full-time staff, 46.5% were academic (group 2 in detailed tabulations), 27.8% were managerial, professional and technical (groups 1, 3, 4, 5, 6), 17.4% were secretarial and clerical (groups 7, 8), and 8.3% were manual (groups 9, 10, 11, 12, 13). The corresponding figures for part-time staff were 47.3%, 12.9%, 21.7% and 18.2%, and for atypical staff, 42.9%, 15.5%, 29.4% and 12.2%. The numbers in Table K are full-person equivalents (headcounts, but apportioned across contracts where there are multiple contracts), not full-time equivalents (FTE; weighted by proportion relative to full-time), and for most purposes it is not useful to compare absolute numbers across the three different modes of employment because of the very different FTE weights involved. An extreme example is given by an atypical member of academic staff giving just a single class in the course of the year, who might have an FTE weight as low as 0.001. Even when comparing percentages of totals, it should be borne in mind that among part-time staff, and to an even greater extent among atypical staff, the FTE weighting of individuals varies greatly and may be correlated with the group into which they fall.

43.4% of all academic staff other than atypicals were female. Women comprised 37.8% of those working full-time and 54.2% of those working part-time. Of atypical academic staff, 47.1% were female.

Table Li and Lii respectively provide a breakdown of academic and non-academic staffing in HE excluding atypicals. The reason for this exclusion is that the factors by which numbers are broken down in the rows of this table are not recorded for atypicals, with the exception of gender where the information is available in Table K.

Table Li - Summary of academic staff (excluding atypical) in all UK institutions 2008/09
  Full-time Part-time Total
Total academic staff(#3) 117465 61575 179040
Gender
Female 44350 33400 77745
Male 73115 28175 101290
Source of salary
Wholly institutionally financed 84700 54745 139445
Other sources of finance 32760 6830 39595
Academic employment function
Teaching only 8210 37610 45825
Teaching & research 75110 17025 92135
Research only 33170 6745 39915
Neither teaching nor research 970 195 1170
Salary range
Contract salary < £17,026 185 1500 1685
Contract salary ≥ £17,026 and < £22,765 1115 1380 2495
Contract salary ≥ £22,765 and < £30,594 11180 9855 21035
Contract salary ≥ £30,594 and < £41,118 33485 24800 58285
Contract salary ≥ £41,118 and < £55,259 47685 10280 57965
Contract salary ≥ £55,259 23505 3545 27050
Contract salary not applicable 315 10210 10525
Professorial status
Professor 15530 2005 17535
Not a professor 101930 59575 161505
Terms of employment
Open-ended/permanent 86135 29805 115945
Fixed-term contract 31330 31770 63100
In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of 5.
# see relevant footnote in Notes to tables

In 2008/09, the total number of academic staff other than atypicals employed by UK HEIs was 179,040, of whom 117,465, or 65.6% were in full-time employment.

72.1% of full-time academic posts were wholly financed by the institutions themselves, this proportion rising to 88.9% for part-time posts.

70.9% of full-time academic posts and 88.7% of part-time academic posts included teaching as a primary employment function.

Among full-time academic staff, 40.7% had contract salaries between £41,118 and £55,258. For part-time academic staff, 48.3% had contract salaries between £30,594 and £41,118. It is worth clarifying here that salaries for part-time staff are not reported to HESA as pro-rata amounts but as salaries scaled up to full-time equivalent rates. Therefore the different modal points noted are likely to reflect material differences in the profiles of full and part-time staff.

Table Lii - Summary of non-academic staff (excluding atypical) in all UK institutions 2008/09
  Full-time Part-time Total
Total non-academic staff(#3) 135055 68665 203720
Managerial, professional & technical staff 70175 16745 86920
Clerical staff 44045 28270 72310
Manual staff 20835 23655 44490
Gender
Managerial, professional & technical staff
Female 32105 12605 44715
Male 38070 4135 42205
Clerical staff
Female 35535 23820 59355
Male 8510 4445 12955
Manual staff
Female 5325 17870 23195
Male 15510 5785 21295
Terms of employment
Managerial, professional & technical staff
Open-ended/permanent 60355 11670 72020
Fixed-term contract 9820 5075 14895
Clerical staff
Open-ended/permanent 38810 20895 59705
Fixed-term contract 5230 7375 12605
Manual staff
Open-ended/permanent 19900 20115 40015
Fixed-term contract 935 3540 4475
In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of 5.
# see relevant footnote in Notes to tables

The total number of non-academic staff, other than atypicals, employed by UK HEIs in 2008/09 was 203,720. Of these, 135,055 or 66.3% were in full-time employment.

Over half, 52.0%, of full-time non-academic posts were managerial, professional and technical. Of these, 54.2% were male. Of the non-academic part-time staff, 24.4% were in managerial, professional and technical posts, of which 75.3% were female.

Chart 3 shows contract salary ranges by activity group. The salary ranges have been defined with reference to the nationally–agreed pay spine for non-clinical staff.

81.2% of managerial, professional & technical staff contract salaries fell between £22,765 and £55,259. Academic staff were better represented in the upper salary ranges with 85.0% of academic contract salaries greater than or equal to £30,594. At the lower end of the salary spectrum, 79.4% of clerical staff had contract salaries between £17,026 and £30,594, while 88.7% of manual staff had contract salaries less than £22,765.

All staff (excluding atypical) by activity and salary range 2008/09

Inflow/outflow of academic staff

Tables 14a and 14b give details of the inflow and outflow of academic staff during the year. For a variety of reasons, it would be extremely difficult to draw out from those tables any easily understood human capital balance sheet for academic staff. Tables Mi and Mii achieve this by presenting numbers on a different basis, for headcount (used only in Tables Mi and Mii) rather than full-person-equivalent (used in all other contexts) academic staff only. This results in numbers that are slightly different from those in Table Li.

Table Mi - Full-time academic staff (excluding atypical) inflows and outflows 2007/08 to 2008/09 Headcount
  Total
Full-time academic staff at 1 December 2007 116695
Full-time academic staff at 1 December 2007 who are part-time academic at 1 December 2008 2965
Full-time academic staff at 1 December 2007 who are neither full-time nor part-time academic at 1 December 2008 14695
of which..
Other UK HEI 1750
Not other UK HEI (outflow) 12940
UK 2040
Non-UK 1530
Not in regular employment 1175
Retirement 1185
Death 90
Other/unknown 6920
   
Full-time academic staff at 1 December in both years 99040
Full-time academic staff at 1 December 2008 who were neither full-time nor part-time academic at 1 December 2007 16165
of which..
Other UK HEI 3960
Not other UK HEI (inflow) 12205
UK 6605
Non-UK 3320
Not in regular employment 310
Unknown 1970
   
Full-time academic staff at 1 December 2008 who were part-time academic at 1 December 2007 2485
Full-time academic staff at 1 December 2008 117685
In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of 5.

Table Mi involves linkage between the staff records for 2007/08 and 2008/09. Starting from the number of full-time academic staff as at 1 December 2007, the number who can also be identified as full-time at the same institution on 1 December 2008 is determined, as is the number who have moved from full-time to part-time mode at the same institution. The balance is the number that have left their previous institution (or are still there but are no longer full- or part-time academic staff) during the year. Similarly, the number of full-time academic staff as at 1 December 2008 is determined, as is the number who have moved from part-time-to full-time mode at the same institution. From this, the number that have joined their current institution from outside during the year (or become full-time academic staff from some status other than part-time academic staff) is derived. This provides the overall structure of the balance sheet. The (headcount) number of full-time academic staff has increased from 116,695 to 117,685 during the year, an increase of 0.8%. Of those in post as at 1 December 2008, 99,040 , or 84.2% were full-time (and a further 2,485, or 2.1%, were part-time) academic staff at the same institution a year previously.

Table Mii - Part-time academic staff (excluding atypical) inflows and outflows 2007/08 to 2008/09 Headcount
  Total
Part-time academic staff at 1 December 2007 59360
Part-time academic staff at 1 December 2007 who are full-time academic at 1 December 2008 2485
Part-time academic staff at 1 December 2007 who are neither full-time nor part-time academic at 1 December 2008 14495
of which..
Other UK HEI 495
Not other UK HEI (outflow) 14000
UK 1655
Non-UK 245
Not in regular employment 960
Retirement 640
Death 40
Other/unknown 10460
   
Part-time academic staff at 1 December in both years 42375
Part-time academic staff at 1 December 2008 who were neither full-time nor part-time academic at 1 December 2007 17110
of which..
Other UK HEI 2315
Not other UK HEI (inflow) 14795
UK 7325
Non-UK 835
Not in regular employment 550
Unknown 6085
   
Part-time academic staff at 1 December 2008 who were full-time academic at 1 December 2007 2965
Part-time academic staff at 1 December 2008 62450
In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of 5.

Table Mii provides similar information for part-time academic staff, and is constructed on the same basis with, of course, part-time and full-time modes interchanged as between the two tables. The (headcount) number of part-time academic staff has increased from 59,360 to 62,450 during the year, an increase of 5.2%. Of those in post as at 1 December 2008, 42,375, or 67.9%, were part-time (and a further 2,965, or 4.7%, were full-time) academic staff at the same institution a year previously. These figures show much lower retention rates for part-time staff than for full-time staff, and, within institutions, more movement from full-time to part-time than in the reverse direction.

Although these tables also give breakdowns of starters and leavers, regrettably the very large proportion of unknowns, particularly in the case of leavers, means that no conclusions can safely be drawn from the breakdowns. For example, leavers going to other institutions in the HE sector and starters coming from other institutions in the HE sector might be expected to balance across the sector, although moves between full-time and part-time status will make this balance only approximate within each mode, but under-reporting has resulted in widely different numbers. For the same reason, it is unsafe to draw any conclusions about the ‘brain drain/gain’.

Atypical academic staff are, by definition, employed on a basis that makes it inappropriate to construct such a table for them.

Age of academic staff

Table N presents the age distribution of full-time academic staff by grade.

Table N - Full-time academic staff (excluding atypical) by salary range and age 2008/09
  Contract salary <£17,026 Contract salary ≥ £17,026 and < £22,765 Contract salary ≥ £22,765 and < £30,594 Contract salary ≥ £30,594 and < £41,118 Contract salary ≥ £41,118 and < £55,259 Contract salary ≥ £55,259 Contract salary not applicable Total
25 & under 35 255 1375 290 5 10 25 1995
26-30 30 270 5250 7925 535 20 45 14080
31-35 25 135 2370 10745 4175 260 20 17730
36-40 15 105 900 6275 8350 1655 30 17330
41-45 15 90 540 3610 9535 3815 25 17630
46-50 15 75 325 2190 8785 4760 25 16170
51-55 15 70 220 1395 7980 4990 30 14705
56-60 10 55 140 785 5940 5085 35 12045
61-65 10 40 50 235 2280 2740 40 5390
66 & over 15 10 10 40 95 170 30 370
Unknown 0 0 0 5 5 0 5 10
Total 185 1115 11180 33485 47685 23505 315 117465
In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of 5.

Of those staff whose age was known, 41.4% were aged over 45 and 12.5% were aged between 51 and 55.

The average age of full-time academic staff was 43.1 and of part-time staff, 45.0 [from Table 23a]. The average age of atypical academic staff was 40.4 [from Table 23b].

In the 25 & under age group, 69.8% of full-time academic staff earned a contract salary between £22,765 and £30,594 whereas the majority 60.7% of the 31–35 age group earned a salary between £30,594 and £41,118. In the 46–50 age group, the majority (54.4%) of full-time academic staff earned a salary between £41,118 and £55,259 and in 61–65 age group, 51.2% earned a contract salary of £55,259 or more.

Ethnicity of all staff

In Table P ethnicity is shown broken down by the four broad-brush staff groups and by mode of employment. The presentation of ethnicity data in this introductory section refers to staff of all nationalities, and this should be borne in mind if comparisons are made with figures published for years prior to 2003/04, which were restricted to UK nationality.

Table P - All staff by ethnicity, activity and mode of employment 2008/09
  Total Staff of known ethnicity Staff of known ethnicity as a percentage of total staff Ethnic minority staff Ethnic minority staff as a percentage of staff of known ethnicity
All staff (excluding atypical) 382760 350370 91.5% 37250 10.6%
Academic staff 179040 161700 90.3% 18835 11.6%
Full-time 117465 108450 92.3% 13820 12.7%
Part-time 61575 53250 86.5% 5015 9.4%
Non-academic staff total 203720 188675 92.6% 18410 9.8%
Full-time 135055 126360 93.6% 10960 8.7%
Part-time 68665 62315 90.8% 7450 12.0%
Managerial, professional & technical staff 86920 81345 93.6% 6680 8.2%
Full-time 70175 65900 93.9% 5490 8.3%
Part-time 16745 15445 92.3% 1190 7.7%
Clerical staff 72310 67655 93.6% 6985 10.3%
Full-time 44045 41625 94.5% 3980 9.6%
Part-time 28270 26030 92.1% 3005 11.6%
Manual staff 44490 39675 89.2% 4745 12.0%
Full-time 20835 18835 90.4% 1490 7.9%
Part-time 23655 20840 88.1% 3250 15.6%
           
Atypical staff 194125 117990 60.8% 20465 17.3%
Academic 83290 49530 59.5% 6555 13.2%
Non-academic 110835 68460 61.8% 13910 20.3%
Managerial, professional & technical staff 30100 19875 66.0% 3260 16.4%
Clerical staff 56990 34700 60.9% 7665 22.1%
Manual staff 23740 13890 58.5% 2990 21.5%
In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of 5. Percentages are not subject to rounding.

Of all full-time and part-time staff, 91.5% reported their ethnicity. The response rate did not vary greatly by staff group and mode of employment. Among staff of known ethnicity, the proportion from ethnic minority groups varied considerably, with greater representation among academic staff at 11.6% than among non-academic staff at 9.8%.

Ethnicity was reported for only 60.8% of atypical staff. This low proportion is probably a consequence of the newness of the reporting requirement, with institutional staff record systems not yet fully adapted to collect the necessary data at the time of appointment and retrospective collection from staff on such contracts being impracticable. It may be expected to increase substantially in future, and has already increased from 40.7% in 2004/05, that being the first year of availability of the data. Of those atypical staff of known ethnicity, 17.3% were from ethnic minority groups.

Charts 4i to 4iv show the percentages of those from ethnic minorities for each of these four groups of full- and part-time staff. Charts 4v and 4vi show the position for atypical staff, broken down between academic and non-academic staff. The pattern in each group is noticeably different.

Academic professional staff (excluding atypical)

Managerial, professional and technical staff (excluding atypical)

Clerical staff (excluding atypical)

Manual staff (excluding atypical)

Atypical staff (academic)

Atypical staff (non-academic)

Disability of all staff

Table Q presents information on disability in the same style as Table P.

Table Q - All staff by disability status, activity and mode of employment 2008/09
  Total Staff of known disability status Staff of known disability status as a percentage of total staff Staff declared disabled Disabled staff as a percentage of staff with known disability status
All staff (excluding atypical) 379890 345220 90.9% 10450 3.0%
Academic staff 177870 161505 90.8% 4055 2.5%
Full-time 116520 104760 89.9% 2690 2.6%
Part-time 61350 56750 92.5% 1365 2.4%
Non-academic staff total 202020 183710 90.9% 6395 3.5%
Full-time 133960 121630 90.8% 4380 3.6%
Part-time 68060 62080 91.2% 2015 3.2%
Managerial, professional & technical staff 86195 78380 90.9% 2845 3.6%
Full-time 69610 63170 90.7% 2255 3.6%
Part-time 16585 15210 91.7% 590 3.9%
Clerical staff 71675 65945 92.0% 2220 3.4%
Full-time 43645 39995 91.6% 1425 3.6%
Part-time 28035 25950 92.6% 795 3.1%
Manual staff 44145 39385 89.2% 1330 3.4%
Full-time 20705 18465 89.2% 700 3.8%
Part-time 23440 20920 89.2% 625 3.0%
Atypical staff 192840 155240 80.5% 2470 1.6%
Academic 82695 66460 80.4% 780 1.2%
Non-academic 110145 88780 80.6% 1690 1.9%
Managerial, professional & technical staff 29685 24910 83.9% 350 1.4%
Clerical staff 56750 44060 77.6% 1050 2.4%
Manual staff 23710 19810 83.6% 290 1.5%
In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of 5. Percentages are not subject to rounding.
Data for one HEI has been excluded from these figures due to a known significant error in disability reporting in the 2008/09 Staff record. For further information see footnote #11 in Notes to tables.

Disability status was reported for 90.9% of all full-time and part-time staff. Of those of known disability status, 3.0% declared a disability. For full-time and part-time academic staff, the percentages were 90.8% reported and 2.5% declared disabled. For atypical staff the percentages were 80.5% reported and 1.6% declared disabled.

Charts 5i to 5iv show the percentages of staff with a declared disability (excluding atypical) by each activity group (academic professional staff, managers, professional and technical staff, clerical staff and manual staff) and the type of disability based on the staff members’ own assessment.

Academic professional staff (excluding atypical)

Managers, professionals and technical staff (excluding atypical)

Clerical staff (excluding atypical)

Manual staff (excluding atypical)

Funding, professorial status, and gender of full-time academic staff

Table R - Full-time academic staff (excluding atypical) in all UK institutions by source of salary, clinical status, professorial status and gender(#3) 2008/09
  Source of salary  
  Wholly institutionally financed All other sources of finance Total
Clinical academic 4175 3275 7445
Professor 955 535 1495
Female 160 80 245
Male 795 455 1250
Not a professor 3215 2735 5950
Female 1770 1120 2890
Male 1450 1615 3065
Non-clinical academic 80530 29490 110020
Professor 13120 915 14040
Female 2440 190 2630
Male 10680 725 11405
Not a professor 67410 28570 95980
Female 26510 12075 38585
Male 40900 16495 57395
In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of 5.
# see relevant footnote in Notes to tables

The proportion of women among full-time clinical academic staff professors was 16.3% and among non-clinical academic staff professors was 18.7%. Of those staff who were not professors, 48.5% of full-time clinical academic staff were female and 40.2% of non-clinical academic staff

56.0% of full-time clinical staff were wholly institutionally financed compared with 73.2% of non-clinical academic staff. This reflects the greater prevalence of joint funding arrangements for clinical staff such as joint contracts involving the NHS.

Of all academic clinical staff, 20.1% were professors compared with 12.8% of non-clinical academic staff.

Cost centre distribution of full-time academic staff

Table S - Full-time academic staff (excluding atypical) in all UK institutions by source of salary, gender(#3) and cost centre group 2008/09
  Wholly institutionally financed   All other sources of finance
  Female Male Total   Female Male Total
Cost centres 30880 53820 84700   13470 19295 32760
Medicine, dentistry & health 9135 8530 17665   7100 6310 13410
Agriculture, forestry & veterinary science 450 790 1245   290 310 595
Biological, mathematical & physical sciences 2605 9085 11685   3290 6325 9615
Engineering & technology 1820 9600 11420   910 4180 5095
Architecture & planning 500 1405 1905   75 160 235
Administrative, business & social studies 7000 12475 19470   905 1060 1960
Humanities & language based studies & archaeology 3745 5200 8950   445 540 980
Design, creative & performing arts 1675 2795 4470   65 80 145
Education 3285 3095 6380   300 220 520
Academic services 245 220 465   55 50 105
Central administration & services, staff & student facilities 410 615 1020   40 65 100
Premises 5 15 15   0 0 0
Residences & catering 5 5 10   0 0 0
In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of 5.
# see relevant footnote in Notes to tables

36.6% of female and 20.3% of male full-time academic staff worked in medicine, dentistry & health. The biological, mathematical & physical science departments accounted for 21.1% of male full-time academic staff.

43.2% of full-time academic staff in medicine, dentistry & health and 45.1% in biological, mathematical & physical sciences were financed other than wholly by the institutions themselves. Cost centre groups with the fewest partially or wholly externally funded full-time academic staff were in the areas of design, creative and performing arts 3.1%, education 7.6%, administrative, business and social studies 9.2%, and humanities and language based studies and archaeology 9.9%, together with administration and central services 9.0%. The Definitions at the end of this volume describe the current cost centre groups, some of which differ from those used prior to 2004/05.

Pattern of employment of academic staff

Table T - Academic staff (excluding atypical) in all UK institutions by academic employment function, gender(#3), mode and terms of employment 2008/09
  Full-time   Part-time
  Open-ended/ permanent Fixed-term contract Total   Open-ended/ permanent Fixed-term contract Total
Teaching only 6645 1565 8210   17175 20435 37610
Female 3270 800 4070   9065 10400 19465
Male 3375 765 4140   8105 10035 18140
Teaching & research 70150 4960 75110   10680 6345 17025
Female 23865 2050 25915   6295 2990 9280
Male 46285 2910 49195   4385 3360 7745
Research only 8555 24615 33170   1855 4890 6745
Female 3470 10480 13945   1370 3160 4530
Male 5085 14135 19225   485 1730 2215
Neither teaching nor research 785 185 970   100 95 195
Female 315 100 415   70 50 120
Male 470 85 555   30 45 75
Total 86135 31330 117465   29805 31770 61575
In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of 5.
# see relevant footnote in Notes to tables

At 74.2% for full-time staff and 72.5% for part-time staff, fixed-term contracts were the norm among research-only staff regardless of mode of employment, although these percentages continue to fall. Among staff who had teaching responsibilities, the figures were 7.8% and 49.0% respectively, so fixed-term contracts were far commoner for part-time than for full-time teaching staff. For female staff who had teaching responsibilities, the figures were 9.5% and 46.6% respectively, so the proportion of full-time female teaching staff on fixed-term contracts was somewhat higher than that of male staff, whereas there was little difference in relative terms in the proportions for part-time staff.

82.1% of teaching-only staff were part-time, compared with 16.9% for research-only staff and 18.5% for staff with both teaching and research duties.

Higher Education - Business and Community Interaction Survey

The Higher Education-Business and Community Interaction (HE-BCI) Survey is the main vehicle for measuring the volume and direction of interactions between UK HEIs and business and the wider community. HEFCE has collected data via the Survey on behalf of UK Stakeholders’ Group for each academic year from 1999/2000. From 2008/09, the collection of the HE-BCI data has been transferred over to HESA and has been collected in parallel with the HESA Finance Statistics Return (FSR).

The HE-BCI data was collected in two parts, part A is a qualitative questionnaire collected via a web form and part B a set of quantitative data collected in a spreadsheet. The data analysed in tables Ui-Y below is taken from part B data and table Z includes key indicators from part A.

In total, 160 HEIs responded to the HE-BCI survey. All tables, except those relating to income from regeneration and development programmes, are based on these 160 institutions. Income from regeneration and development programmes exclude figures from The University of St Andrews, see Notes to tables for details.

Key points

Table Ui and Uii provide analysis of collaborative and contract research.

Table Ui - Income from research related activities - collaborative research involving public funding 2008/09 and 2007/08(#6)
  (£ thousands)
  2008/09    
    Collaborative contribution    
  Public funding Cash In kind 2008/09 Total 2007/08 Total
Collaborative research involving public funding
BIS Research Councils 232253 10599 31352 274203 239018
Other UK Government departments 147595 18213 23843 189651 183644
EU Government 184257 3628 25712 213596 203817
Other 48026 4841 1489 54356 65445
Total collaborative research 612130 37280 82396 731807 691924
# see relevant footnote in Notes to tables
All monetary values in the HE-BCI part B are shown in units of £1000, and where necessary rounded to the nearest £1000; the consequence of which is that sum of individual values in each row or column may not match the total value.

Total collaborative research includes income for research projects which have public sponsorship (grant in aid from a Government or public body) to support research performed in collaboration with at least one other non-academic organisation (collaborator). Collaborative research income for the UK increased from £692 million in 2007/08 to £732 million in 2008/09, an increase of 5.8%. Of this, £274 million (37.5%) came from BIS Research Councils; 190 million (25.9%) from Other UK Government departments; £214 million (29.2%) from EU Government and £54 million (7.4%) from other sources. Income from other sources decreased by 16.9% since 2007/08, whereas income from BIS Research Councils increased by 14.7%.

Table Uii - Research related activities - contract research 2008/09 and 2007/08(#6)
  2008/09 2007/08 2008/09 Sub-total RDA area
Contract research (excluding any already returned under collaborative research)
Number with SMEs 2130 2291 733
Total value with SMEs (£ thousands) 37714 36136 16009
Number with other (non-SME) commercial businesses 10372 10478 1085
Total value with other (non-SME) commercial businesses (£ thousands) 344263 331574 30888
Number with non-commercial organisations 15629 14356 3498
Total value with non-commercial organisations (£ thousands) 555874 467025 95158
Total number of contracts 28131 27125 5316
Total value of contracts (£ thousands) 937851 834735 142055
# see relevant footnote in Notes to tables
SME - Small and medium enterprises
RDA - Regional Development Agency

Contract research income increased by 12.4% to £938 million in 2008/09 from £835 million in 2007/08. There were a total of 28,131 research contracts, of which 2,130 were with small and medium enterprises; 10,372 with non-SME commercial businesses and 15,629 with non-commercial organisations. The non-commercial contracts income accounts for 59.3% of the total contract research income.

Table V provides analysis of business and community services and focuses on the different areas of consultancy contracts, facilities and equipment related services and courses for business and the community.

Table V - Business and community services 2008/09 and 2007/08(#6)
  2008/09 2007/08 2008/09 Sub-total RDA area
Consultancy contracts
Number with SMEs 20600 22440 6604
Total value with SMEs (£ thousands) 55999 57481 21283
Number with other (non-SME) commercial businesses 9610 10712 2762
Total value with other (non-SME) commercial businesses (£ thousands) 85358 93629 14594
Number with non-commercial organisations 33824 30363 9543
Total value with non-commercial organisations (£ thousands) 190332 176462 65495
Total number of contracts 64033 63515 18909
Total income (£ thousands) 331688 327572 101371
Facilities and equipment related services - organisations involved and income
Number of SMEs 6676 5337 2882
Total value with SMEs (£ thousands) 32126 32517 23677
Number of other (non-SME) commercial businesses 4962 4527 1136
Total value with other (non-SME) commercial businesses (£ thousands) 31650 28126 9898
Number of non-commercial organisations 8248 7702 4754
Total value with non-commercial organisations (£ thousands) 46542 43014 24599
Total number of facilities and equipment related services 19886 17566 8772
Total income (£ thousands) 110318 103657 58174
Courses for business and the community - Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses and Continuing Education (CE) (excluding pre-registration funded by the NHS or TDA)
CPD for SMEs (£ thousands) 25578 28032 6824
CPD for other (non-SME) commercial businesses (£ thousands) 112324 129531 15821
CPD for other non-commercial organisations (£ thousands) 245156 222039 93835
CE and CPD for individuals (£ thousands) 175712 150451 40506
Total revenue (£ thousands) 558771 530053 156986
Total learner days of CPD/CE courses delivered 3986426 3624834  
# see relevant footnote in Notes to tables
SME - Small and medium enterprises
RDA - Regional Development Agency
CPD - Continuing Professional Development
CE - Continuing Education
All monetary values in the HE-BCI part B are shown in units of £1000, and where necessary rounded to the nearest £1000; the consequence of which is that sum of individual values in each row or column may not match the total value.

The total income from Consultancy contracts was £332 million which consisted of 64,033 contracts. There were 19,886 facilities and equipment related services amounting to £110 million. A further £559 million came from courses for business and the community with a total of 4 million learner days of CPD/CE courses delivered.

Table W provides analysis of regeneration income and activity.

Table W - Income from regeneration and development programmes 2008/09 and 2007/08(#6)
  (£ thousands)
  2008/09 2007/08
Programme
ERDF income 32921 66290
ESF income 10047 33003
UK Government regeneration funds 17914 17695
RDA programmes* 74873 84880
Other regeneration grants and income from local and regional bodies 15194 14872
Other 21377 19837
Total programmes 172326 236577
# see relevant footnote in Notes to tables
ERDF - European Regional Development Fund
ESF - European Social Fund
RDA - Regional Development Agency
*For one HEI, RDA programmes figures have been excluded. For further information see note #22 in Notes to tables. Their corrected figures within the sector totals results in the following totals: 2008/09 RDA programmes income: £75,182,000. 2007/08 RDA programmes income: £85,039,000.
All monetary values in the HE-BCI part B are shown in units of £1000, and where necessary rounded to the nearest £1000; the consequence of which is that sum of individual values in each row or column may not match the total value.

The amount of income from regeneration and development programmes decreased by 27.2% from £237 million in 2007/08 to £172 million in 2008/09. Of this £172 million, £74 million (43.4%) came from Regional Development Agency (RDA) programmes,

Table Xi and Xii provide more detailed analysis of intellectual property (IP).

Table Xi - Intellectual property (IP) 2008/09 and 2007/08(#6)
  2008/09 2007/08 2008/09 Sub-total RDA area 2008/09 Sub-total overseas
Disclosure and patents filed by or on behalf of the HEI
Number of disclosures 3822 3594    
Number of new patent applications filed in year 2097 1890   850
Number of patents granted in year 653 587   335
Cumulative patent portfolio 14276 13968   6252
Licence numbers
Non-software licences granted 2612 2149 499 349
Software only licences granted 1851 1041 603 125
IP income (£ thousands)
Income from SMEs 12388 11610 6531  
Other (non-SME) commercial businesses 35743 26252 1979  
Income from other non-commercial organisations 8352 6654 692  
Subtotal IP income 56483 44516 9202 8732
Sale of shares in spin-offs 67885 21197    
Total IP revenues 124368 65713    
Total costs 27794 22794    
# see relevant footnote in Notes to tables
SME - Small and medium enterprises
RDA - Regional Development Agency

A total of £56 million income came from IP with a further £68 million from the sales of shares in spin-offs. The bulk of the IP income came from other non-SME commercial businesses (63.3%).

Table Xii - Intellectual property (IP) - spin off activities 2008/09 and 2007/08(#6)*
  Number Number still active which have survived at least 3 years Number of active firms Estimated current employment of all active firms (FTE)
2008/09
Spin-offs with some HEI ownership 157 820 1077 11322
Formal spin-offs, not HEI-owned 34 160 243 3026
Staff start-ups 53 164 248 1062
Graduate start-ups 2031 1657 3991 7917
2007/08
Spin-offs with some HEI ownership 168 789 1098 10735
Formal spin-offs, not HEI-owned 54 132 224 3350
Staff start-ups 38 153 240 2351
Graduate start-ups 1924 1273 3829 6167
# see relevant footnote in Notes to tables
*Data for one HEI has been excluded from these figures due to a known significant error in the reporting of IP - spin-off activities. For further information see note #24 in Notes to tables.

Table Y includes analysis of social, community and cultural events intended for the external community. It is designed to measure the impact of activities where financial income is an inappropriate proxy for impact.

Table Y - Social, community and cultural engagement: designated public events 2008/09 and 2007/08(#6)
  Free events   Chargeable events
  Attendees Academic staff time (days)   Attendees Academic staff time (days)
2008/09
Public lectures 755895 13318   136637 2713
Performance arts (music, dance, drama etc.) 439734 9299   1659598 9389
Exhibitions (galleries, museums etc.) 5926479 26069   735605 3210
Museum education 407427 5468   263029 2103
Other 212135408 15248   1814590 5051
2007/08
Public lectures 703955 16260   138881 3608
Performance arts (music, dance, drama etc.) 587362 8378   1666982 10270
Exhibitions (galleries, museums etc.) 4512610 26879   558402 3529
Museum education 372558 4810   76515 2367
Other 217167262 11680   1985174 4256
Note: Events designed for the external community
# see relevant footnote in Notes to tables

It is worthy of note that the 'Other' figures above include alternative public events held by the HEI, which cannot be disaggregated further. This can include viewing and listening figures for television and radio programmes produced by institutions, and downloads from institutional websites.

In total there were 219.7 million attendees to free events and a further 4.6 million attendees to chargeable events. Public lectures, performance arts, exhibitions and museum education combined only accounted for 3.4% of the attendees to free events. Performance arts alone accounted for 36.0% of the attendance to chargeable events.

Table Z provides some key indicators from part A of the HE-BCI survey.

Table Z - Key indicators from HE-BCI Survey part A 2008/09
  England Wales Scotland Northern Ireland Total
Percentage of HEIs with a central dedicated unit which provides an enquiry point for SMEs 91.6% 100.0% 92.9% 50.0% 91.3%
Percentage of HEIs with a central dedicated unit which provides a contracting system for all staff business and community interaction activities 71.0% 72.7% 78.6% 50.0% 71.3%
Percentage of HEIs who provide distance learning (online course content) 73.3% 90.9% 64.3% 75.0% 73.8%
Percentage of HEIs who provide continuous work-based learning 73.3% 81.8% 42.9% 50.0% 70.6%
Percentage of HEIs who provide short bespoke courses for business on campus 93.1% 100.0% 92.9% 50.0% 92.5%
Percentage of HEIs who provide short bespoke courses at business premises 86.3% 63.6% 78.6% 50.0% 83.1%
SME - Small and medium enterprises

Of all HEIs who responded to part A of the survey, 91.3% indicated that they had a dedicated unit which provided an enquiry point for SMEs and 71.3% had a dedicated unit which provided a contracting system for all staff business and community interaction activities.

Of all UK HEIs who responded to part A of the survey, 73.8% offered a distance learning (online course content) and 92.5% offered short bespoke courses for business on campus.


1 The negative figures within 'Intangible assets' are attributable to negative goodwill within institutional accounts.

2 Despite its name, this cost centre does not include modern languages, which is a separate cost centre.