Speaking after the meeting at Downing Street, Diana Warwick, Chief Executive, Universities UK, said: "We appreciate the significant investment the government has made in higher education and we are urging them to protect this level of support.
Investment "more important than ever"
"In an economic downturn, investment in research, development and higher-level education by government and private enterprise is more important than ever. Higher education is ideally placed to deliver the workforce needed for a highly skilled knowledge-based economy. As the economy continues to shift towards knowledge based activities, it is likely that a larger percentage of the workforce will need higher-level skills."