KPMG UK and Mills & Reeve have released their joint report, Radical Collaboration: A Playbook. This comprehensive guide explores innovative strategies for fostering collaboration within the higher education sector, aiming to help universities consider their options to collaborate more widely. Radical collaboration is a topic that is being widely discussed across the sector in response to the financial headwinds and other forces affecting the sector and this report aims to help move the conversation forward in a practical way.
This practical playbook on Radical Collaboration has been written in response to a request from Universities UK’s (UUK) Transformation and Efficiency Taskforce to help institutions examine the types of structures that are available to them and the issues to consider if they are looking to change how they operate as a single entity and develop opportunities to save costs and transform operations through forms of collaboration.
Martin Priestley, head of Education at Mills & Reeve, commented on the report's significance: "Our Radical Collaboration playbook provides invaluable insights and practical tools for educational institutions looking to work more effectively together. This report is a must-read."
Justine Andrew, head of Education, Skills and Productivity at KPMG UK, added: "The release of this report comes at a crucial time. As the education sector faces unprecedented challenges, our report offers a roadmap for institutions to navigate these complexities through partnership and innovation. We are proud to be part of this initiative and believe it will make a significant impact."
By de-mystifying radical collaboration structures and providing some practical tips to consider, the report aims to help institutions navigate some of the themes and challenges when deciding how to position themselves for the future. It calls for a collective approach to problem-solving and highlights the benefits of shared knowledge and resources. The report’s practical and iterative approach provides a tool to help develop ideas in the radical collaboration space but acknowledges such strategic decisions will be for the institutions themselves, as mergers or more radical forms of change may not be the answer.
Sir Nigel Carrington, Chair of UUK’s Transformation and Efficiency Taskforce, said: “This report marks an important step in moving us towards deeper collaboration. Like the wider taskforce’s work, it is guided by conversations with the sector and learning what has come before. It sets out the principles and practical steps for the sector to engage in new ways of structuring themselves and to continue to deliver world-leading higher education.”
Professor Sir Chris Husbands, added: “The report, based on deep analysis and presented thoughtfully and accessibly, outlines the toolkit of ideas, concepts and questions which will help leaders shape different future for their organisations.”
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