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After the Solstice Attack, the University of Rural England has become a bastion of hope and survival, writes John Gilbey. But how far can it push its role as the ultimate post-apocalyptic anchor institution?

Tokenistic and irrelevant assessments of research’s social value are holding back progress, say Clarence Tam and three others

Academics should not sneer at Simon Birmingham’s appeal to what ‘most Australians’ would think about projects, says Hannah Forsyth

Paper calls for scientific organisations to monitor platforms ‘known to spread false and misleading’ information about research and ‘respond quickly’

Both the rationale and the mechanism for redistributing research activity around the regions are far from clear cut, say Sarah Chaytor and Graeme Reid   

More than 60 US institutions to work with 800 others worldwide in tackling global strategy on environment, education and equality

Take-up of research by business is difficult to catalyse and record. Far better to focus on the impact central to universities’ missions, say Vince Mitchell and William Harvey

A Twitter storm over a remark he made on diversity policy reminds Jeffrey Flier why he was so wary of speaking out while a Harvard dean

Universities say they must be able to supplement metrics with contextual or narrative information

Call for university funding to be tied to institutions’ role in their local communities

Survey respondents question value of degree-level education, but most would encourage their children to enrol

Academics staging events on everything from ‘pseudo-death’ to convict ballads claim that public events can often drive future scholarship

Russell Group university’s return to the local highlights higher education’s role in the wake of the Brexit vote in addressing post-industrial decline, and supporting austerity-hit councils

If women in particular must watch what they say for fear of a social media mauling, public scholarly fora will be the poorer, warns Charlotte Galpin

Universities around the world can participate in new ranking based on UN Sustainable Development Goals 

Case may show that Canada needs a broader strategy to become an innovation powerhouse

Seeking a greater share of imagined profits from commercialisation would undermine technology transfer, says David Secher

In an unpredictable, increasingly digital age, Singapore’s universities are rethinking how to equip alumni with relevant skills throughout their lives

Fresh facilities at new Waterside campus will transform fortunes of town, says vice-chancellor

President of Humboldt University of Berlin says new public laboratory will help drive the ‘production, preservation and communication of knowledge’

Report sets outs recommendations for healthier collaborations

The Teesside pro vice-chancellor discusses promoting gender balance and being diagnosed with ovarian cancer

As universities have turned to partisan lobbying and self-promotion, new head of Allea thinks ancient organisations now fill a crucial space in public debate

Asking social scientists to demonstrate academic impact ignores the messy reality of political lobbying, says Matthew Flinders

European funders’ beefed-up open access mandate sounds the death knell for subscription publishing, but academic Armageddon is no closer, says Lenny Teytelman

‘Imprudent’ to attach too much weight to first iteration of knowledge exchange framework, conference hears

New league table will be first to measure global universities’ success in delivering on UN targets

Universities must look beyond a narrow conception of impact to communicate the true value of higher education to society, say Ulrike Felt, Maximilian Fochler, Andreas Richter, Renée Schroeder and Lisa Sigl

Australia’s top universities deliver greater economic benefits than their UK equivalents, study finds

Academic Jack Davis tells John Morgan of his surprise at learning that his history of the Gulf of Mexico had won a Pulitzer prize and his hope that it will help to deliver a pro-environmental message

Researchers jointly employed by commercial organisations less likely to partner outside academia

Telling opponents of liberal values to ‘jog on’ may be tempting, but it risks confirming opponents’ claims that universities are aloof bastions of leftism, says Julie Odams

Seekers of dispassionate truth may be irritated by the moral passion of the likes of Dostoevsky, Zola and Chekhov, but it is a much stronger influence on public opinion, says David Aberbach  

Partisan social media posts typically get more attention, but dispassionate analyses are what academics are valued for, says Stuart Brown 

The EU’s proposal for its next research and innovation funding framework focuses too narrowly on technology, say Gabi Lombardo and Jon Deer

The public sector has not expanded quickly enough to meet the demand for college degrees in India

Asian giant combines spending and efficiency to crack the top 20

Peter Doherty warns scientists about being ‘used’ by journalists with a predetermined story to tell

When the alt-right made highly dubious claims about historical Irish slavery, Natalie Zacek realised that a rebuttal from an expert would make no difference

Newer, urban universities can have impact beyond more established names, USF leaders argue

Tel Aviv University researchers face down religious objections with new museum attraction

To what extent can universities drive economic development – or vice versa? Rachael Pells explores the ways in which higher education and economic success interact

Moral and cultural organisations such as universities must strive harder to rid the body politic of populist infection, in central Europe and elsewhere, says Tomáš Halík

As a Brit leading HKU, Peter Mathieson had no baggage. The University of Edinburgh’s new v-c tells Ellie Bothwell about academic freedom, internationalisation and being treated to taxi drivers’ views on students

University expertise gives decision-makers breathing space, says former foreign secretary

We are right to celebrate the contributions that research makes to society, but why don’t we talk more about the costs? asks Rosa Freedman

Australian vice-chancellor highlights value of being considered ‘in an environment of toxic speed’

A rediscovered fascination for space means blue-sky opportunities for universities

Crackdown leaves professors needing to pay back almost €250,000 each on average

Nordic country’s higher education system punches above its weight in Universitas 21 ranking

The former LSE director tells Matthew Reisz that colleagues at Sciences Po sense an opportunity in Brexit, that the French should not fret over league tables and that academics, policymakers and bankers must talk more

Matthew Reisz considers the insights of the former LSE director who has a foothold in both the UK and France

Thailand’s education minister tells conference that a consensus is better for ensuring universities help local communities

Embracing immersive content would aid public engagement and bring research and teaching closer together, argue Vincent Tong, Sam Smidt and Matilda Katan 

Brexit could be driving shift in rankings, Reuters suggests

Regional institutions, facing uncertain funding future, build case for more federal support ahead of budget

Better recognition of the wider social benefits of both teaching and research would help universities regain public goodwill, says Nick Petford 

Struggle to engage effectively highlighted by study comparing Twitter use with other disciplines

Public health academic says studies must speak the same language as their subjects

Faculties without borders are the key to turning multidisciplinarity into more than a buzzword, says Duncan Ivison