Education and skills

	Interviews Click here for an introduction by Paul Dimblebee (click here for the transcript) Click here for more information from James Verity (click here for the transcript)
	Report - Click here to download the report - Collaboration between Higher Education Institutions
	Click here to view the press release
	Links The Higher Education Funding Council for Wales Review of the merger between Cardiff University and University of Wales College of Medicine, HW Corporate Finance, March 2007 Reaching Higher, National Assembly for Wales Strategy for Higher Education in Wales

Universities in Wales are working successfully together on a number of collaboration projects. But there is scope to do more and, in some areas, only limited progress has been made. A report, published today by the Auditor General for Wales, concludes that the full potential for collaboration in higher education - which can yield cost savings, widen teaching provision and increase research capacity - has not yet been achieved.

Although many projects are in their early stages, initial indications are that many are likely to be successful. But collaboration has been lacking in some areas and there are barriers to further progress - particularly the inevitable tensions between the Assembly Government's policy of supporting collaboration and the operation of market forces in an increasingly competitive field.

Click here for the full press release.