An opinion poll commissioned by public universities clearly indicates that UK residents back investment in universities to maintain quality of research and teaching. The public clearly understands that high quality universities are important for the development of individuals, society and economy of the country. Universities heavily rely on external funding to provide high quality student experiences, deliver world class research and develop highly skilled graduates needed for the development of a nation. In a tight financial environment, the government is finding it tough to provide adequate funds to universities for their research activities and innovation in ways of learning.

In today’s economy, the importance of higher education extends beyond teaching. UK universities play an important role in the country’s economy. UK universities continue to enrich and impart knowledge and understanding to students globally. International students studying in the UK bring a large amount of revenue, equivalent to 3 billion pounds, to the country’s economy. International students are important for the success of the UK’s higher education system. They contribute approximately 8% to higher education budgets and also contribute to local economies through their off-campus spending. These students studying in the UK are likely to become political leaders, captains of industry and opinion formers of the future. These links play an important role for the UK in trade and diplomatic terms.

Twenty-five percent of immigrants to Britain are students and the number is bound to rise in coming years. The influx of international students is mainly the result of marketing efforts of higher educational institutions. UK universities fiercely sell their courses to international students. Each foreign students brings around 15,000 pounds in the way of fees and living expenses. UK universities continue to play an important role in an uncertain economy. International students pay full tuition fees while enabling universities to provide subsidized education to local students. In a scenario where government funding is felt inadequate, international students bring a bounty of funds that can be used by universities to improve their education and research standards to stay ahead in global competition.

UK universities now generate about 59 billion pounds and have left behind sectors such as agricultural, pharmaceutical, advertising and the postal industry. The importance of the education sector in the UK is increasing gradually. The focus of UK universities is research and teaching. Some universities are, however, research intensive and transfer knowledge to businesses and other organizations. This procedure is called knowledge transfer, and UK universities use expertise and the facilities of these business communities in return.

Tags : Education Industry, Investment Opportunity, United Kingdom

There is great deal of hype and misinformation about vitamin C. It is known to act both as an antioxidant, scavenging and quenching free radicals and also a very important factor in the production of collagen structures. Of course this is an extreme condition to which most people today are not exposed. captain James Cook, the explorer, is credited with having fed his crew vegetables and fruit such as cabbage and limes, with a high content of vitamin C, in order to prevent scurvy. This gave the British Navy advantages over the French and Spanish, although whether the British sailors had younger looking skin was never recorded!

Correctly formulated, some of the vitamin C containing creams are highly effective in quenching free radicals and also in reducing some of the immediate effects of sunlight and the number of damaged cells produced by the sunlight. However, while it is possible that they may have some mild sun protection properties, it is unknown whether the prolonged use of vitamin C-containing creams can result in skin rejuvenation and repair, and generally speaking they are extremely varied in their benefits.

Some research studies in animals suggest that a reduction in the risk of skin cancer when using vitamin C, vitamin E and selenium containing creams or oral solutions but there is no good evidence to show that this is the case in humans. Mica and men are quite different experimentally. One of the problems with topical vitamin C preparations is that they are not always stable, meaning that in many instances the vitamin C does not penetrate the skin as the active, intact substance. It is therefore essential to know that the cream in question does actually deliver the vitamin C to the skin, which is something you should check with your dermatologist.

The SkinCeuticals range, formulated by a dermatologist in the US, contains a 10 percent concentration of ascorbic acid and appears to reduce the immediate effects of sunlight as well as stimulate collagen-forming chemicals, at least experimentally. We do not as yet have proof that it actually forms enough collagen to reduce wrinkles, but given the experimental studies, it is likely that it has a good chance to do so. Look for the words ‘ stabilized vitamin C’ on the product labels. Certain products have been tested for their ability to reduce sunlight-induced skin damage and these tend to be the more thoroughly researched products.

Tags : Health & Beauty, Skin Care, Vitamin C