University of Dundee: Strategic Advisory Taskforce report

Chapter 2: Summary of Taskforce Advice

10. The University has moved on from its first financial recovery plan developed in March 2025. This plan was not given to the Taskforce due to commercial sensitivity, although the Chair received the plan and was briefed on this matter. A new recovery plan – to be known as the University Recovery Plan – is currently being developed under the leadership of the new interim Principal appointed on 20 June 2025, this for the approval of the University Court, and onward transmission to the SFC. It is against this incomplete background that the Taskforce has considered the overall position, and its advice to the University and other parties is summarised below.

University Recovery Plan

11. In shaping and finalising the University Recovery Plan, the University should recognise that this is the first important step in what could be a very significant programme of change, and that it should provide a platform to address the complexities of achieving medium and long term financial sustainability, and a new way forward for the University. These issues are explored in more detail in Chapter 4, paragraphs 30-34.

To kick-start the process of change, the University should take account of the following advice:

i. Understand the key elements contributing to the 2024/25 financial crisis in detail, and agree the sum of public finance required to support the transitional costs of short term recovery. Without the cash resources in place to support the voluntary severance scheme and other transitional costs, cost reductions cannot be delivered and the cash position of the University, already critically low, will deteriorate further.

ii. Recognise that the implementation of the University Recovery Plan is contingent on this critical sum of finance being secured at the level required and with the phasing required, providing the platform necessary for a more sustainable way forward.

iii. Address the findings of Professor Pamela Gillies’ report (19 June 2025) and meet the conditions integral to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills’ Statement to the Scottish Parliament (24 June 2025).

iv. Confirm a vision for a more secure and successful future by developing the recovery plan as a platform for medium and long term sustainability. This should include reference to the University’s contributions to the regional and national skills base and future workforce, research and innovation, and its economic and social impact.

v. Set clear financial goals backed by a robust business model, effective financial management and transparent financial reporting.

vi. If necessary, adjust short term budgets informed by the 2025 intake of students.

vii. Ensure that staff, students, campus trade unions, and the staff council are actively and appropriately engaged in understanding and supporting the short-term action required to deliver the recovery plan as the precursor to medium and long term sustainability.

viii. Maintain existing strong and valued links with the Dundee University Students Association (DUSA), and provide a reasonable level of funding support as it continues to play a crucial role in the life and work of the University at this time of change.

ix. Provide a timetable for implementation and the phasing of funding required to deliver change, and a methodology for monitoring progress and value for money.

x. Support the development of the current skillset required of executive and non‑executive leaders with a particular focus on transformation, turnaround and high level financial skills and experience which meet the needs of the University. Steps already taken on this matter are welcomed.

xi. Consider the key risks that could impede or impact adversely on the delivery of the recovery plan, the actions required to improve the financial position, and any necessary mitigations.

xii. Build and maintain effective working relationships with the University’s bank(s), auditors and the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator to ensure transparency, regulatory compliance, and timely communication around all aspects of the financial recovery process.

The regional and national skills base

12. The University has a strong track record of developing partnerships with other tertiary education institutions, regional employers, government agencies, and industry bodies to align university programmes with emerging skills needs, ensuring that graduates are well equipped to contribute to both the local and national workforce. This has strengthened economic resilience, with the University playing a pivotal role in addressing current and future skill gaps. A synopsis of the University’s own description of the educational offer at undergraduate and postgraduate level is set out in Chapter 5. This provides a baseline for testing the strengths and weaknesses of current provision, and new opportunities to address student markets. Further information in the form of presentations made to the Taskforce by the Schools of Life Sciences, Medicine, Dentistry, Health Sciences and Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design have also been provided to Scottish Ministers, the University, SFC and Dundee City Council alongside this report.

The University should:

i. Ensure that decisions taken in the voluntary severance scheme (VSS) protect the interests of all students, and ensure continuity and high standards of quality in every aspect of their education during their time at Dundee. Particular care needs to be taken with students studying in accredited programmes, and those which cross disciplinary boundaries. The system of decision making on this issue recently put in place by the leadership team is welcome.

ii. Ensure a sharp focus on strengthening existing student markets and building new ones as the recovery plan and medium and long-term strategy is developed.

iii. Respect and properly manage the relationship with NHS Education for Scotland (NES), and with a range of other bodies which set professional standards, specified teaching frameworks, educational requirements and registrable qualifications.

iv. Initiate further discussions around work experience, apprenticeships, masters programmes and continuous professional development which could lead to new partnerships and sources of income.

v. Engage students as partners through an active, inclusive and research-based approach to learning; providing education based on sector leading pedagogies, digital resources, new technologies and experiential learning.

vi. Be wary at a time of change to protect relationships with significant partners e.g. specific degree programmes and articulation agreements with Dundee and Angus College.

vii. Continue to develop a lifelong community of students, staff, alumni, and partners; embedding environmental sustainability in the curriculum, and giving students the knowledge and skills to make a positive difference in the world.

viii. Given the pre-eminent position of the University in education for professional careers – recognise the importance of courses which incorporate a code of ethics, the principles of self-regulation, and a sense of vocation, whilst ensuring an ever increasing emphasis on professional accountability shaped by third party regulation, market forces and a tougher regime of standards, performance monitoring, and mandatory continuing professional development.

ix. Work together with professional bodies and employers to ensure that the University plays its part in developing professionals in a way that maximises their contribution to the economic, social, cultural and environmental development of the country.

x. Ensure that development of the recovery plan is informed by an understanding of where there are particular strengths, unique offerings and revenue generation.

xi. Follow up on discussion and actions from the Regional and National Skills Base workshop.

Research and Innovation

13. The University submitted to 16 Units of Assessment in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF), ranging from Clinical Medicine to Art and Design, with 84% of its research being assessed as ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. For the second successive REF, Dundee was the top University in the UK for Biological Sciences. Strong performances were also recorded in clinically related research in Clinical Medicine and the Allied Health Professions, underlining the University’s capacity to deliver research outputs which measurably transform the lives and life chances of people locally and globally. The College of Art and Design was also confirmed as the highest graded art school in Scotland. The range of research activity in each School is also outlined in Chapter 5 of the report. The Taskforce’s advice is as follows.

The University should:

i. Protect existing strengths in research and innovation, recognising the importance that the research community and major funders attach to challenge-led research, by promoting interdisciplinary working, and alignment and collaboration with other institutions and businesses, nationally and internationally.

ii. Improve the robustness of research grant finances – making bids on accurate assessments of costs, and understanding the impact of research funding that does not fully cover the costs of the research. This is part of the wider challenge around university finance but is a specific area where advice and collaboration could be helpful.

iii. Identify research opportunities that might arise in the UK and Scottish Government’s industrial strategies, e.g. in relation to life sciences, digital technologies, and creative industries.

iv. Minimise academic time for unfunded research by implementing an agreed research performance threshold for academics with Education and Research contracts.

v. Aim to develop, and in some Schools maintain, vibrant PhD and post-doctoral communities with young researchers encouraged to work across disciplinary boundaries.

vi. Keep pace with technology which is redefining the way we think about knowledge and opportunity, ensuring staff are supported with appropriate development; technology is transforming the way students learn and the way in which researchers assimilate and analyse data to support the physical, biological, engineering and social sciences.

vii. Engage further with regional further and higher education institutions, looking critically at where there is overlap between offers to undergraduate and postgraduate students.

viii. Maintain constructive and purposeful working relationships with research funders, including UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and its specialist groups; Horizon Europe (FP9), soon to be replaced by Framework Programme 10 (FP10), the National Institute for Health and Care Research; the Scottish Funding Council; the Scottish Chief Scientist’s Office; the national academies; charitable organisations; and government departments.

ix. Follow up on discussion and actions from the Future Vision for Research workshop.

Attractiveness of the City and the ability to grow the local economy and drive local economic development

14. The University makes important contributions to the City of Dundee, the Tay Cities Region, and the wider national and global economy. In 2020-21, the University’s Impact Assessment showed that it supported:

• £449m Gross Added Value (GVA) and 6,760 jobs in the City;
• £507m GVA and 7,270 jobs in the Tay Cities Region;
• £975m GVA and 9,410 jobs in Scotland;
• £1.5bn GVA and 15,000 jobs in the UK;
• £1.6bn GVA and 16,070 jobs globally.

At that time, the economic value created by the University was calculated to be more than five times greater than its income, and the impact in Scotland was ten times greater than its income received from the Scottish Government. The Taskforce’s advice is as follows.

The University should:

i. Undertake an updated Impact Assessment as part of the development of the University’s medium and long term strategy … this will also provide a means of tracking progress or attrition in the quality, competitiveness and economic impact of the University.

ii. Track the impact generated from a wide range of activities – graduate productivity; the support the University provides to business through innovation and entrepreneurship; the economic and social benefits of research, eg. improved health outcomes; the employment it supports internally and through its supply chain; and the range of students it attracts to live, study and work in the area.

iii. Finalise and implement its Reputation Recovery Strategy informed by discussion at the Dundee City, Region and Communities Workshop.

iv. Build on the success of The School of Life Sciences in developing the Innovation Hub for high-growth spin-out BioPharma, BioTech, MedTech and Informatics companies, and continue to build on a record of high-growth company creation, with strong pipelines of invested spinouts and companies in development.

v. Promote the further advancement of TayMed Connect as a collaborative platform for bringing the NHS, industry and University academics together to innovate and co-create solutions to real world healthcare problems.

vi. Maintain close working relationships with NHS Tayside. The School of Medicine has good relationships through the Tayside Medical Science Centre (TASC) which supports researchers in the delivery and governance of high quality clinical research, providing patients with access to innovative treatments, interventions and medicines. As one of Europe’s leading drug trial sites, it has taken part in more than 170 commercial research studies, generating £7m investment in the research infrastructure in the City.

vii. Engage further with Dundee City Council and other local partners on the support it provides to the tourism and cultural sectors in the City.

viii. Work with Skills Development Scotland following the VSS scheme to ensure PACE arrangements are in place for exiting staff to build on support already offered by the University.

ix. Continue to be defined by:

• Collaboration – with a small team of experienced professionals working to understand companies’ innovation needs, and link them to the expert support they require. Developing shared objectives with companies which result in high quality, high impact projects.
• Connectivity – in support of companies’ ambitions, the University alongside colleagues from St Andrews and Abertay should continue to be a focal point for colleagues with a shared interest in innovation. This should include research partners, investors and funders of research and innovation, intellectual property lawyers, and business agencies and networks.
• Enterprise and Communication – continue to play an important role in nurturing a culture of enterprise, equipping students and staff with the skills they need to collaborate with business, and make connections across the region and beyond.

x. Follow up on discussion and actions from the Future Vision for Research workshop.

Income generation and shared services

15. The main sources of income for the University are grant funding from the Scottish Funding Council, tuition fees, research grants and other sources (residences, endowments, services rendered). The University already has in place shared education services such as pathways and articulation agreements. There are opportunities to boost income and reduce costs but this is difficult to achieve quickly. The Taskforce’s advice is as follows.

The University should:

i. Explore expanding its offering of continuing professional development (CPD), where other universities make a significantly larger percentage of income. Dundee could explore working with local partners to join up offerings to improve ease of access for employers and delegates.

ii. Look at expanding business development links from individual Schools within the University including the potential for decentralisation of business development resources to provide immediate opportunities for income sources.

iii. Make full use of real estate and facilities, following appropriate rationalisation.

iv. Ensure that decisions are informed by an understanding of accurate costings, income generation and value for money, while not allowing controls around spending to throttle opportunities for income.

v. Consider the findings of the Transformation and Efficiency Taskforce led by Sir Nigel Carrington, and explore opportunities for expanding shared services, with a sensitivity to impact on students and staff, potential additional costs and impact of VAT.

vi. Follow up on discussion and actions from the Income Generation and Shared Services workshops.