University of Dundee Strategic Advisory Taskforce: terms of reference

Background

The University of Dundee (“the university”) is an internationally-renowned higher education institution with a strong reputation for its undergraduate and postgraduate provision, as well as world-leading research. It plays a crucial role in the higher education landscape in Scotland and the UK, and its graduates make a valuable contribution to all sectors including health, justice, business and the arts.

The Royal Charter was granted to the university of Dundee on 1 August 1967 with its mission defined in the following terms:
“ …. the objects of the university shall be to advance and diffuse knowledge, wisdom and understanding by teaching and research and by the example and influence of its corporate life.” 

It is also a fundamental part of the social and economic makeup of the City of Dundee and Tay Cities Region: a major employer, a key driver for economic growth, and an asset that draws students and researchers to the area from across the UK and from other countries. The Tay Cities Region (TCR) describes the area of East Central Scotland covered by the local authority areas of Angus, Dundee and Perth and Kinross and the north-east part of Fife (including St Andrews).

The university is a key element of the TCR’s exceptional learning and research opportunities, which also includes the Universities of St Andrews, Abertay, and Highlands and Islands Perth campus, Dundee and Angus College, Scotland’s Rural College, Fife College, and the James Hutton Institute.

The university is an autonomous institution responsible for its own strategic, operational and financial planning and implementation. It faces an immediate challenge to its financial sustainability, linked to wider financial challenges across the sector but also reflecting specific issues within University of Dundee. The university’s leadership is developing strategic and financial plans to resolve the current critical situation and move them to a place of long-term sustainability. They are being supported in this by the Scottish Funding Council (“SFC”). Additional advice and support has been offered by the Scottish ministers. 

Given the critical importance of the university to the TCR and Scotland, there have been a number of calls, including from the university itself, for cross-sectoral expertise to form a task force to provide additional external advice and support on wider impacts and other possible sources of support. The taskforce is advisory only. All final decisions will be made by the appropriate governance structures whether the university, SFC, or Scottish Government.

Vision

The University of Dundee is a great university in a great city: a university that transforms people’s lives and life chances through education, research and innovation. It makes a vital contribution to the economic, social and cultural life of the City, the region and the country as whole. Public confidence in the university is vital and the Scottish ministers are fully committed to ensuring its medium and long term future and impact.

Purpose

The Scottish ministers, working together with the University of Dundee, the SFC, the City of Dundee Council, have established the University of Dundee Strategic Advisory Taskforce (“the taskforce”).

The remit of the taskforce is to draw together relevant expertise to advise the university, SFC, the City of Dundee and the Scottish ministers, such that any decisions made about the university’s short, medium and long term financial sustainability take full account of its impact on the City, the region and the country as a whole; and do everything possible to protect the interests of students and staff, taking account of all potential sources of funding and support.

Scope

The University of Dundee is an independent institution and registered charity, subject to its own governance and accountability. The taskforce is external to and independent of the university and its function is purely advisory, not directive.

The scope of the taskforce is to provide advice to inform the development and implementation of a financial recovery plan that takes into consideration the wider context of the city and the TCR. Specifically, the taskforce will advise on the current impact of the university and of any changes and reforms on: 

The regional and national skills base, particularly in life sciences and health (medicine, nursing and dentistry) and also in art and design, business, science and engineering, and humanities, social sciences and law; 

• research and innovation, including amongst others the life sciences and medical research, and research which supports Scotland’s justice system
• attractiveness of the city and the ability to continue to grow the local economy and drive local economic development

The taskforce will also advise on implementing options so that the university and the TCR should not just survive the current situation but thrive. It will be for the university and other partners to decide whether to accept that advice.

The taskforce will also explore what sources of financial or other support locally or nationally, beyond SFC funding and private borrowing, could be drawn on in securing the university’s future.

Management of the university itself is not in scope of the taskforce. The university leadership team has established its own advisory board to provide additional support.

Alongside the taskforce, the SFC is continuing to take forward work on financial sustainability, engaging closely with the University of Dundee. 

Membership

View the membership list.

Given the wide range of important groups and relevant expertise to draw in, it will be necessary to focus meetings on specific groups of stakeholders. All taskforce members have a crucial role and voice in the process, but not all members will attend every meeting for practical reasons.

There is scope to adjust or expand membership as appropriate.

Standards of behaviour

The taskforce should be a supportive and collegiate space. Participants are operating to meet the collective purpose and vision set out above.  

The Chair and members will treat each other, the university, and the Secretariat with courtesy and respect. The principles of public life are a helpful guide.

Concerns about behaviour should be raised with the Chair. Concerns about the chair’s behaviour should be raised with the Scottish ministers.

The Chair and members must not misuse their membership, or any information acquired in the course of the taskforce, to further their private interests or those of others.

The Chair and members will exercise due care in the use of information to which they have access in the course of performing their functions or in consequence of their membership of the taskforce, and will protect information that they receive in confidence from unauthorised disclosure.

The Chair and members will respect the above standards of confidentiality and collective purpose and vision in public communications, and the approach to communications will be collectively agreed, with publishing of minutes of meetings as the main avenue.

Timings and outputs 

The Chair of the taskforce will be appointed by 11 April 2025 and members invited shortly afterwards.

The first meeting of the taskforce will be held in person, week commencing 21 April 2025. Further meetings of the taskforce will be held as needed.

The Chair will submit a short report on progress by 30 April 2025 to the university, SFC, Dundee City Council and the Scottish ministers.

The Chair will agree a date to submit a final report to the university, SFC, Dundee City Council and the Scottish ministers, at which point the taskforce will be disbanded.