A hard Brexit could cause the “biggest disaster” in higher education for many years, academics have said.
Their warning to MPs came after Professor Sir Pete Downes, the principal of Dundee University, spoke of the risk of staff and students leaving the city because of the “hostile” Brexit vote.
His opposite number at St Andrews, Professor Sally Mapstone, has said any weakening of EU ties through Brexit would lead to “impoverishment way beyond the financial”.
Alistair Fitt, vice-chancellor of Oxford Brookes University, told the Education Select Committee on Wednesday that a hard Brexit will “probably be the biggest disaster for the universities sector in many years”.
Some academics said that quitting the EU provides opportunities to improve research funding and international collaboration.
Academics warn MPs of hard Brexit ‘disaster’ in higher education
