Jo Johnson, the key architect behind the Higher Education and Research Act (HERA) 2017, recently shared his insights on the transformative legislation. As the former minister of state for universities, he played a pivotal role in shaping this act, which has since reshaped the landscape of UK higher education.
HERA introduced significant changes, including the creation of the Office for Students (OfS) and a streamlined pathway for new institutions to achieve degree-awarding powers and university status. Its goal is clear: to foster competition, innovation, and greater choice for students.
In the south of England, progress has been made with the emergence of new institutions such as the London Interdisciplinary School (LIS) and the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology. However, the same momentum has yet to reach the north. Both Jo and The School of Innovation (TSOI) are in agreement: the familiar north-south divide cannot be left unchallenged.
We believe that students across the UK, particularly in the north, deserve equal access to diverse choices and opportunities. TSOI is taking concrete steps to address this by working to become one of the first new independent universities to open in northern England since 1964. TSOI aims to serve as a beacon, demonstrating how HERA can drive positive change in the north, just as it has in the south.
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