Tuesday, October 11, 2011
University of Wales and POWIS
The Welsh Business Enterprise and Technology Minister has announced today that she is arranging a managed closure of the Prince of Wales Innovation Scheme (POWIS) which uses European money to help fund research linked to and based around the specific needs of industry.
Given the problems of the University of Wales, which leads on this scheme, this announcement was perhaps inevitable, especially as the scheme had been suspended due to alleged irregularities. However the demise of POWIS means that there is now no comparable scheme in which the Welsh Government directly invests in such research.
That is to be regretted and I hope that the Minister can look at finding a replacement for this scheme as soon as possible.
Given the problems of the University of Wales, which leads on this scheme, this announcement was perhaps inevitable, especially as the scheme had been suspended due to alleged irregularities. However the demise of POWIS means that there is now no comparable scheme in which the Welsh Government directly invests in such research.
That is to be regretted and I hope that the Minister can look at finding a replacement for this scheme as soon as possible.
Comments:
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Who exactly was in charge of running POWIS at the University of Wales and will there be a published report forthcoming on any findings of irregularities?
POWIS was at least part financed out of public funds (if memory serves a European grant was handled/paid to POWIS via the Welsh Assembly, but the payments were suspended as far back as January). cw
POWIS was at least part financed out of public funds (if memory serves a European grant was handled/paid to POWIS via the Welsh Assembly, but the payments were suspended as far back as January). cw
# posted by 
: 4:16 PM
: 4:16 PM
Peter, you make a good point as it is alleged that in less than two years, Powis has brought in £12.5 million of investment to Wales and has spent only £400k of Euro funding in doing so.
That is over 30 times the benefit from EU funds and is there any other govt scheme that has had the same level of success? Makes the ERP look pretty lame.
If this level of output is true, the real question for Lib Dems and other opposition parties is what has been serious enough to stop the programme as it is "delivering for Wales". Or is it just part of the Minister for Education vendetta against the University.
One final point: Would this have all stopped if the Chairman and previous Vice Chancellor had just gone as demanded by all?
That is over 30 times the benefit from EU funds and is there any other govt scheme that has had the same level of success? Makes the ERP look pretty lame.
If this level of output is true, the real question for Lib Dems and other opposition parties is what has been serious enough to stop the programme as it is "delivering for Wales". Or is it just part of the Minister for Education vendetta against the University.
One final point: Would this have all stopped if the Chairman and previous Vice Chancellor had just gone as demanded by all?
# posted by : 6:32 PM
: 6:32 PM
Anon (6:32 PM) You accuse Leighton Andrews of having a vendetta against the University (of Wales). Do you also include the VCs of other Welsh universities demanding that the University of Wales be stripped of its title? Andrew Leighton had nothing to do with the scams linked to the University of Wales so called validated degrees which has done great harm to both the UoW and the international reputation of Wales in Higher Education. The UoW sold its soul to the God of Money – raked in fees for validating degrees via which UoW validated qualifications were sold to willing buyers for hard-case. The Welsh media have also raised serious questions linked to POWIS. The public deserves straight answers about the UoW validated degree scams and POWIS. Christopher Wood
# posted by : 8:54 PM
: 8:54 PM
Sorry, "hard-case" should have read "hard-cash" ...
"Anon (6:32 PM) You accuse Leighton Andrews of having a vendetta against the University (of Wales). Do you also include the VCs of other Welsh universities demanding that the University of Wales be stripped of its title? Andrew Leighton had nothing to do with the scams linked to the University of Wales so called validated degrees which has done great harm to both the UoW and the international reputation of Wales in Higher Education. The UoW sold its soul to the God of Money – raked in fees for validating degrees via which UoW validated qualifications were sold to willing buyers for hard-cash. The Welsh media have also raised serious questions linked to POWIS. The public deserves straight answers about the UoW validated degree scams and POWIS. CW
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"Anon (6:32 PM) You accuse Leighton Andrews of having a vendetta against the University (of Wales). Do you also include the VCs of other Welsh universities demanding that the University of Wales be stripped of its title? Andrew Leighton had nothing to do with the scams linked to the University of Wales so called validated degrees which has done great harm to both the UoW and the international reputation of Wales in Higher Education. The UoW sold its soul to the God of Money – raked in fees for validating degrees via which UoW validated qualifications were sold to willing buyers for hard-cash. The Welsh media have also raised serious questions linked to POWIS. The public deserves straight answers about the UoW validated degree scams and POWIS. CW
# posted by : 8:57 PM
: 8:57 PM<< Home
