Following on from the EU referendum, the UK is now adapting and planning for an exit strategy that will see all sectors adjust and respond to future challenges and opportunities.
For Northumbria University, our position as a global university has not changed and we will continue to welcome and support our students, alumni, and staff from Europe and other continents.
We will continue to embrace academic and business partnerships around the world, always working towards maintaining mutually beneficial links with our worldwide community of students, alumni, staff and friends.
Commenting on the outcome of the EU Referendum, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, Professor Andrew Wathey CBE said 'The news of the Referendum result to leave the EU has, I am sure, left many of you feeling disappointed and unsettled and, while much is in flux still and will be for a period, I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you some of my own thoughts.
I know from messages that myself, and other colleagues, that the referendum outcome is cause for concern for a number of our community, particularly those who are nationals of other EU countries and/or who hold grants or are working in partnerships with other EU agencies or institutions.
I want to reassure you that, barring any unilateral action by Government, nothing will change immediately as a result of the referendum. There will be at least a two-year window for exiting the EU, allowing universities time to reflect and organisations like Universities UK to negotiate on behalf of the sector. As far as areas such as research and staff mobility funding are concerned, the current programme cycle will end on 31 December 2020 and it is expected that the UK, including UK universities, would continue to be able to access EU programmes on the same basis until the beginning of the next budgetary period from 2021.
I would therefore like to reiterate that EU staff and students are as welcome now here at Northumbria as they always have been and we have written to EU staff, students and applicants to reassure them of this. We are also contacting our EU partners and other stakeholders to reassure them of our continued support.
To reiterate, for the moment we can assume that for some while - which may well be two years or more - there will be:
- no change in the immigration status of EU students currently studying at the University or planning to join in 2016;
- no change in immigration or employment status for EU nationals currently employed by the University or planning to join us;
- no change in fee status - and continued access to student loans until the end of their course - for EU students currently studying at the University or planning to join us in 2016;
- no change to existing EU-funded grants or collaborative projects with other EU institutions;
- no change to the way in which we collaborate with academic, industrial and commercial partners.
We will continue to focus on our core activities and will be using all of our influence and all available channels to try to ensure the best long-term outcomes. In the run up to this referendum I have been working with my Senior Leadership Team to develop a strategy in response to just such a scenario and we are in a strong position to meet this new challenge.
The decision has been made and we now need to work with that decision to ensure the University is in the best possible position. Our immediate priority right now must be to reaffirm our position as a global University and to come together across the University community to provide support for staff, students and collaborators who are affected in different ways by the referendum vote.'
