Funding for capital projects in higher education institutions will be linked to environmental performance in the future, according to the public funding body for the sector.
The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) will also make £30-40m available over the next three years to pay for projects to help institutions cut greenhouse gas emissions. Salix Finance will partner with HEFCE on the fund.
A spokesperson said the council was consulting with institutions about capital funding changes and was due to report back to the government in September. He added: “It is too early to say we know how to implement this and how to take it further.”
John Denham, the minister for universities, wrote to the council last month, saying: “All institutions in receipt of capital funding should have plans to reduce carbon emissions, and performance against these plans should be a factor in future capital allocations.”
A spokesperson for the Department for Universities, Innovation and Skills said: “A 60% cut in emissions by 2050 will take effort across public life to achieve.”
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