US, UK, Italy: University News

The TopUniversities.com guide to the latest university news from around the world, on 19 July 2013.

US: Corporate-style mergers increasing among universities

A growing number of US universities are turning to corporate-style consolidations as a way of making finances stretch further, Time reports. Among the latest such cases is the merger of Augusta State University and Georgia Health Sciences University to form the new Georgia Regents University. Across the US, similar consolidations are planned, as more institutions look for ways to reduce running costs. Richard Novak, of the Association of Governing Boards, says the process is certainly not easy – but can have multiple benefits. “Not only do you save money on administrative costs... You can build stronger programs by merging them, and provide opportunities [to] students they might not otherwise have.”

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UK: Scottish universities get £6m for robotics research center

Two Scottish universities have been awarded £6 million (about US$9m) to develop a robotics research center, BBC News reports. Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh will collaborate to explore the potential of robotics for industries including oil and gas, manufacturing, and search and rescue operations. The funding is part of £85m being allocated by the government for prioritized areas of technology research, including robotics and autonomous systems, new materials for manufacturing, and new energy storage solutions. Universities minister David Willetts says more than 20 UK universities will be involved.

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US: Universities pledge to develop ‘green chemistry’ majors

A group of 13 US universities have pledged to develop graduate-level chemistry courses focusing on the production of environmentally responsible chemicals, GreenBiz reports. The group, which includes UC Berkeley, Northeastern University and the University of Minnesota, is also collaborating with Beyond Benign, an organization dedicated to promoting a focus on green chemistry and sustainability within education. Beyond Benign president John Walker said, “The goal of green chemistry is for the term to disappear and it simply becomes how we practice chemistry... One day, we'll be able to clean up a tanker's chemical spill with water and a broom. It might take decades to get there, but that is what green chemistry will achieve."

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Italy: University of Padua shines in national evaluation of research

The first official national evaluation of research at Italian universities has been completed, naming the University of Padua as the country’s best large university for research, Nature reports. This is the first report from the National Agency for the Evaluation of the University System and Research (ANVUR), established in 2006. ANVUR assessed the research output of 95 universities, 21 research agencies and 17 inter-university groups. In the ‘large university’ category, Padua was named top in 7 of 14 research areas, while the University of Trento leads medium universities and Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa tops the list of small universities.

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