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Report The Bloomsbury Colleges University of London Delivering support and success through collaboration The Bloomsbury Colleges Report Chair’s Collaboration across Higher Education is being highlighted how (TBC) provide a good example of encouraged by Government and by the Higher how institutions can cooperate on matters of mutual Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). interest while retaining their integrity and Four years ago a grant from HEFCE led to a independence. This has been across a wide range of management report which examined the benefits academic and administrative activities, which are which could flow from greater cooperation across described in more detail in this report. the six Higher Education institutions in Bloomsbury. These are Birkbeck, the Institute of Education, the Academic collaboration has been a priority and has London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, built on existing bilateral and multilateral links. We the Royal Veterinary College, the School of Oriental aim to broaden and deepen academic collaboration. and African Studies and The School of Pharmacy. A major catalyst for this is the newly-established These are medium-sized autonomous colleges of the London International Development Centre (LIDC). University of London, each with an international This Centre draws on the unique range of expertise reputation for research and teaching. The report across the six partners, which was recognised by identified a number of areas where the colleges HEFCE in a major grant of £3.7 million to cover could work collaboratively to achieve greater value LIDC’s set-up costs, including the purchase of its than through independent activity. premises in Gordon Square. introduction Since the establishment in 2004 of The Bloomsbury Another major success which benefits staff and Colleges (TBC), a consortium of the six colleges, students across the six colleges is the Bloomsbury much has been achieved and HEFCE itself has Virtual Learning Environment. TBC has also established research studentships tenable at two or more of the partner institutions. Project proposals are put forward which require the successful PhD candidate to be supervised at a lead college with another college providing the second supervisor. The second tranche of these studentships have been awarded for September 2008. Looking to the future, TBC has begun a feasibility study, funded by HEFCE, to examine the options for a major project on administrative systems convergence and this should bear fruit in 2009. The Bloomsbury Colleges will continue to explore other opportunities through collaboration to further research and teaching and to improve the services offered to staff and students. Professor Paul Webley Chair, The Bloomsbury Colleges The Bloomsbury Colleges Report 1 Who’s who in The Bloomsbury Colleges Birkbeck Birkbeck is a multi-disciplinary university with The Royal Veterinary College programmes in humanities, sciences and social UK’s first and largest veterinary school. One of the sciences. It has a wide range of full-time masters leading veterinary teaching and research centres in and research degrees with 80% of its research Europe; it provides support for veterinary and rated as internationally important. It is also unique related professions through its three referral in its portfolio of part-time degrees and other hospitals, diagnostic services and continuing courses. All of its undergraduate degrees are professional development courses. through part-time study creating a mature learning environment where the majority of students have work experience. The Institute of Education The only college of the University of London dedicated entirely to teaching, research and The School of Oriental and African Studies consultancy in education and education-related (SOAS) areas of social science and professional practice. The leading centre in Europe for the study of Asia, Widely recognised as a world leader in educational Africa and the Middle East. It enjoys a worldwide research, the range and depth of IOE expertise is reputation for the quality of its teaching and unique in the UK. research in the arts and humanities, languages and cultures, and the law and social sciences. The School of Pharmacy The London School of Hygiene and Tropical The only UK institution dedicated entirely to Medicine pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences. Britain's national school of public health and a Internationally top-rated research is integrated with leading postgraduate institution in Europe for public up-to-date teaching to further knowledge and health and tropical medicine. An internationally understanding of medicines – how they are made, recognised centre of excellence in public health, how they act and how people use them to prevent global health and tropical medicine, it is one of the and cure disease. highest-rated research institutions in the UK. 2 The Bloomsbury Colleges Report London International Development Centre A new and pioneering multi-million pound London. LIDC was set up with a £3.7m Bloomsbury initiative to share expertise across The grant in 2007 from the Higher Education Bloomsbury Colleges (TBC) to improve Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to Colleges unite international development research has establish a collaborative and made an impressive start. Since March interdisciplinary centre to address the to create new 2008 the London International complex problems of international Development Centre (LIDC) has convened development. The Secretary of State for six workshops on development issues and International Development, the Right Centre for won high profile support for its unique Honourable Douglas Alexander MP, spoke interdisciplinary approach. It is a at LIDC’s public launch in April this year International collaboration between the six Bloomsbury and HRH The Princess Royal formally Colleges (Birkbeck, Institute of Education, opened LIDC’s Gordon Square premises in Development London School of Hygiene and Tropical June 2008. LIDC is TBC’s flagship Medicine, Royal Veterinary College, School intellectual project and it has already of Oriental and African Studies, and The attracted 255 members from across the School of Pharmacy) of the University of six colleges. LIDC serves as a catalyst for researchers to pool their work and develop new projects together. Workshops designed to broaden horizons have already taken place and have provided new insights. So far natural and social scientists from The Bloomsbury Colleges have met to discuss HIV/AIDS, anthropology, economics and the difficulties of fighting zoonotic diseases (diseases shared by animals and humans). At a reception during the Fifth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning in July 2008, LIDC unveiled its plans to audit existing Distance Learning for Development (DL4D) resources at the University of London and to help develop new and innovative DL4D programmes in conjunction with University researchers, international partners and funders. HRH The Princess Royal unveiling the commemorative plaque marking the opening of the LIDC Photo: Geoff Wilson Photo: Geoff Wilson The Bloomsbury Colleges Report 3 LIDC’s mission is to tackle the complex issues. For instance, many of the most problems of international development by: serious infectious diseases affecting poorer countries are zoonotic in origin, like avian • Facilitating high quality and relevant flu. The London School of Hygiene and interdisciplinary research among staff Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the Royal within the colleges and other partners Veterinary College (RVC) can provide • Developing new teaching programmes, complementary technical expertise to particularly focusing on postgraduate and understand these threats, while other continuing education, and capitalising colleges can provide a social and on the expertise within the colleges in economic research dimension to their distance and blended learning management. The School of Pharmacy and LSHTM have complementary technical • Informing national and international skills in the development and trialling of policies on development by generating new medicines for diseases affecting the and synthesising appropriate evidence poor, and with the Institute of Education and working with policymakers to (IOE) they share complementary capacity to promote linkages between research, assist the policy, educational and delivery policy and practice challenges to ensure access to these • Building capacity in low- and middle- products by poor communities. Conflict income countries to address the needs and violence frequently interfere with the of partner higher education and research development of the poorest countries. institutions, NGOs and government Complementary expertise on the political Delegates at the Fifth Pan-Commonwealth Forum departments. and economic origin of conflicts, their on Open Learning with LIDC’s Distance Learning for Development (DL4D) Resource Pack impacts on health, education and Benefits of Interdisciplinary Research livelihoods, and recovery from conflict is Day-to-day leadership and the strategic LIDC members across TBC conduct widely available from the School of Oriental direction of LIDC are provided by Professor development-related research, ranging from and African Studies (SOAS), IOE, LSHTM Jeff Waage, Director of LIDC, with the impact of globalisation and trade on and Birkbeck. These colleges have already assistance from the rest of the six-strong poor countries to the development of new begun to explore together useful areas of