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mgmcquillan.bsky.social
Martin McQuillan
@mgmcquillan.bsky.social
540 followers 270 following 130 posts
Blue Sky’s first media baron | senior entertainment correspondent at Research Professional News | The Lonely Arts Club podcast | Director of the Institute for Creative Enterprise, Edge Hill University | Twenty-One Media
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mgmcquillan.bsky.social
This week’s Ivory Tower for @resprofnews.bsky.social
December 14, 2025 at 8:40 AM
Reposted by Martin McQuillan
resprofnews.bsky.social
Doctor Know.

Ivory Tower: Another REF return from a celebrity academic.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...
Doctor Know - Research Professional News
Ivory Tower: Another REF return from a celebrity academic
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
December 12, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Reposted by Martin McQuillan
resprofnews.bsky.social
Skills minister’s grip on university insolvency queried by MPs

Education Committee questions claim by Jacqui Smith that insolvent institution could continue research and teaching

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...
Skills minister’s grip on university insolvency queried by MPs - Research Professional News
Education Committee questions claim by Jacqui Smith that insolvent institution could continue research and teaching
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
December 10, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Reposted by Martin McQuillan
resprofnews.bsky.social
🚨BREAKING🚨

REF 2029: Research culture metric overhauled (and weighting reduced).

Research Excellence Framework reworked “to reduce burden”, with elements of 2021 exercise reinstated.

All the headlines as the three-month pause ends. Free to read.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
REF 2029: research culture metric overhauled - Research Professional News
Research Excellence Framework reworked “to reduce burden”, with elements of 2021 exercise reinstated
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
December 10, 2025 at 11:04 AM
mgmcquillan.bsky.social
Still can’t speak a word
December 4, 2025 at 10:18 PM
mgmcquillan.bsky.social
The annual celebration of the worst in higher education and research for @resprofnews.bsky.social
resprofnews.bsky.social Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 16d
It's time! The Ivory Tower Awards 2025 are here!

International Person of the Year, Scholar of the Year, University of the Year....find our all the winners!

(Please keep your tongue in your cheek, as we did)

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...
The Ivory Tower Awards 2025 - Research Professional News
Ivory Tower: Our annual prizegiving for the worst of higher education and research
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
November 30, 2025 at 9:14 AM
Reposted by Martin McQuillan
resprofnews.bsky.social
It's time! The Ivory Tower Awards 2025 are here!

International Person of the Year, Scholar of the Year, University of the Year....find our all the winners!

(Please keep your tongue in your cheek, as we did)

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...
The Ivory Tower Awards 2025 - Research Professional News
Ivory Tower: Our annual prizegiving for the worst of higher education and research
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
November 28, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Reposted by Martin McQuillan
dpcressey.bsky.social
I actually laughed out loud at this intro:
Is Haldane dead? The short answer is “yes”. Richard Burdon Haldane died in 1928.

Great feature on an important topic.
johnmorgan3.bsky.social John Morgan @johnmorgan3.bsky.social · 18d
Liz Kendall talked about Haldane principle this week as she set out (broadly) how UKRI would spend 4-year, £38.6bn budget.

@chrisjparr.bsky.social looks at whether Haldane under threat from more interventionist govt - or whether it is misunderstood.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...
Is the Haldane principle under threat? - Research Professional News
Increasing political direction in the allocation of research funding is alarming some policy experts
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
November 26, 2025 at 10:48 AM
mgmcquillan.bsky.social
This week’s #IvoryTower for @resprofnews.bsky.social
November 23, 2025 at 9:41 AM
Reposted by Martin McQuillan
resprofnews.bsky.social
Universities in Need.

Ivory Tower: a telethon charity appeal for higher education and research, under threat of extinction.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...
Universities in Need - Research Professional News
Ivory Tower: a telethon charity appeal for higher education and research, under threat of extinction
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
November 21, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Reposted by Martin McQuillan
johnmorgan3.bsky.social
Oxford v-c Irene Tracey with some carefully phrased caution/criticism around REF people, culture and environment metric, plus govt's international student fee levy, in interview with @resprofnews.bsky.social @francesjones.bsky.social.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...
Oxford VC says REF ‘must do what it says on the can’ - Research Professional News
Irene Tracey also warns of “unintended consequences” from government’s planned international student fee levy
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
November 17, 2025 at 11:25 AM
Reposted by Martin McQuillan
resprofnews.bsky.social
UK weak spots in Horizon Europe ‘likely to feature in FP10 talks’.

Science committee chair Chi Onwurah blames Brexit for underperformance in elements of EU research and innovation programme.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...
UK weak spots in Horizon Europe ‘likely to feature in FP10 talks’ - Research Professional News
Science committee chair blames Brexit for underperformance in elements of EU research and innovation programme
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
November 14, 2025 at 11:26 AM
mgmcquillan.bsky.social
This week’s #IvoryTower for @resprofnews.bsky.social
November 16, 2025 at 11:12 AM
Reposted by Martin McQuillan
johnmorgan3.bsky.social
I wrote about how the UK needs to ensure that its disappointing Horizon Europe performance in 2024 remains a blip - or making the case to join future EU research programmes could become much tougher.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...
UK’s Horizon rebate: getting your money back is bad news - Research Professional News
Efforts needed to ensure lower-than-expected return from EU research programme remains a post-Brexit blip
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
November 14, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Reposted by Martin McQuillan
resprofnews.bsky.social
Who wants to be a Horizon rebate billionaire?

Science secretary Liz Kendall is in the hot seat in this week's Ivory Tower comedy column.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...
Who wants to be a Horizon rebate billionaire? - Research Professional News
Ivory Tower: But we don’t want to give the science secretary that
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Reposted by Martin McQuillan
resprofnews.bsky.social
Faithful to the end...

What might universities learn from David Olusoga's turn on Celebrity #Traitors?

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...
Faithful to the end - Research Professional News
Media end games are perilous for academia, as David Olusoga discovered in the Celebrity Traitors
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
November 12, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Reposted by Martin McQuillan
johnwhitfield.bsky.social
I believe this is a first for the @resprofnews.bsky.social opinion section.
theblochian.bsky.social Professor Caroline Edwards @theblochian.bsky.social · Nov 12
Well that was fast… apparently you can now BUY THE CHAOS IS COMING T-SHIRT thanks to my colleague @scholtom.bsky.social 🤣 chipsandgrady.uk/product/chao... #OpenAccess
November 12, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Reposted by Martin McQuillan
resprofnews.bsky.social
Opinion: Chaos is coming for scholarly publishing.

Buckling of commercial models alongside maturing of community-led efforts promises major shifts, says Caroline Edwards (@theblochian.bsky.social).

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...
Chaos is coming for scholarly publishing - Research Professional News
Buckling of commercial models alongside maturing of community-led efforts promises major shifts, says Caroline Edwards
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
November 12, 2025 at 10:17 AM
mgmcquillan.bsky.social
This week’s #IvoryTower for @resprofnews.bsky.social
November 9, 2025 at 8:31 AM
Reposted by Martin McQuillan
resprofnews.bsky.social
Trump ‘weaponisation’ of student debt brings fears of university hit.

Critics fear changes could jeopardise forgiveness for public service workers, as lawsuits against government launch.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-usa-...
Trump ‘weaponisation’ of student debt brings fears of university hit - Research Professional News
Critics fear changes could jeopardise forgiveness for public service workers, as lawsuits against government launch
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Reposted by Martin McQuillan
resprofnews.bsky.social
My week, by Bridget Phillipson.

Our comedy column Ivory Tower gains exclusive access to the diaries of the education secretary.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...
My week, by Bridget Phillipson - Research Professional News
Ivory Tower: exclusive access to the diaries of the education secretary
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:17 PM
mgmcquillan.bsky.social
For the niche Venn diagram of fans of Trigger Point with knowledge of university library fines policy
mgmcquillan.bsky.social Martin McQuillan @mgmcquillan.bsky.social · Oct 31
This week’s #IvoryTower for @resprofnews.bsky.social is for all the Vicky McClure fans: Trigger warning www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...
November 2, 2025 at 11:53 AM
mgmcquillan.bsky.social
This week’s #IvoryTower for @resprofnews.bsky.social is for all the Vicky McClure fans: Trigger warning www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...
October 31, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Reposted by Martin McQuillan
chrisjparr.bsky.social
"Dsit’s assessment is that every £1 of civil public R&D investment generates £8 in economic benefits. This rather raises the question of why we don’t just bosh it another £3bn and wipe out the budget deficit, but we’re probably oversimplifying things"
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-he-govern...
Silver linings - Research Professional News
Reports consider the economic value of research and problems with Global Talent visas
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
October 31, 2025 at 10:55 AM
mgmcquillan.bsky.social
This week’s #IvoryTower for @resprofnews.bsky.social
October 26, 2025 at 8:07 AM