Ahead of the chancellor's Budget next week, university heads are today calling for additional investment into the higher education sector.

Details of additional funding should be announced in the next three-year comprehensive spending review, which is expected to be published in July.

Forum Response: Universities UK

Diana Warwick, chief executive of Universities UK, told ePolitix.com: "We share the government's commitment to widening participation in higher education. But it's now time to back up words with new investment.

"Universities don't expect the chancellor to pre-empt his spending review announcement. But the sector will be listening closely to his speech for signs that the £9.94 billion investment needs that Universities UK has identified will be met.

"There needs to be full funding of the results of the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise. Universities UK will be looking for commitments here as well.

"Universities UK is also concerned about the damage that possible changes to VAT rules on the exemption from VAT of research undertaken in universities might have on research in higher education and would not want to see anything in the Budget which changed the current position, Universities UK will also be looking to the chancellor to extend the new VAT treatment for major museums and galleries - announced in last year's Budget - to include important institutions administered by universities.

"Universities UK welcomed the chancellor's announcement in 2001 that helped national museums and galleries to recovertheir VAT costs.

"However, universities learnt that their collections, such as those in the Ashmolean Museum, the Fitzwilliam Museum and the Whitworth Gallery, would not benefit from this measure. This year's Budget would give the chancellor an ideal opportunity to remedy this unequal treatment for university museums and galleries."