5 September 2025
The Universities UK (UUK) commissioned report led by Jisc has outlined recommendations to improve the use of shared services across UK higher education. While long-standing examples such as UCAS and Jisc’s Janet Network are widely adopted, many others remain underused because of limited awareness, funding constraints, and restrictive VAT policies.
The study, produced under the UUK Transformation and Efficiency Taskforce, emphasizes that shared services have delivered efficiencies and cost savings, but broader uptake is needed to support financial resilience across the sector. Rising costs and declining resources were cited as reasons for urgent reform.
Key findings:
• Existing services deliver proven value but reach only part of the sector
• Growth is limited by lack of awareness, funding, and restrictive VAT policies
• Sector networks such as UUK, BUFDG, and AHUA should promote collaboration to scale services
• Successful models, such as jobs.ac.uk, show how shared initiatives can benefit from coordination
Recommendations:
• Create a central catalogue of all higher education shared services to improve visibility and uptake
• Convene groups of committed institutions to ensure shared services gain from network effects
• Encourage a “shared services first” mindset before adopting in-house or commercial alternatives
• Support regional mergers and transfers of shared services to national bodies to reduce duplication
• Implement VAT reforms to enable cost-sharing groups to reinvest and expand services
The report also outlined four operational models, ranging from university-led provision to nonprofit and third-party arrangements. It concluded that sector-wide collaboration is essential to unlock efficiencies, strengthen sustainability, and improve outcomes for students and institutions.