Jonathan Grant joins Nous Group as a Senior Advisor
Global consultancy Nous Group has appointed Jonathan Grant as a Senior Advisor in its UK practice. An expert in public policy, Grant is an incumbent Professor at the Policy Institute at King’s College London.
Nous Group is an international consultancy which supports clients in the education, health, government and social care sectors to adapt to a sustainable future. From the UK, Canada and Australia, Nous specifically advises on designing and implementing strategies to improve their sustainability and environmental impact – enabling clients to find efficiency savings in the process.
As the consultancy prepares to support clients in the education sector not only meet new sustainability requirements – such as hitting ‘net-zero’ carbon emissions by 2050 – but to deal with a drastic drop in funding following the coronavirus pandemic, the firm has appointed Jonathan Grant as a Senior Advisor. He brings more than two decades of public policy expertise to the role, as well as specialisms in biomedical and health R&D policy, research impact assessment, the use of research and evidence in policy and decision-taking, and the social purpose of universities in the 21st century.
Currently Professor of Public Policy at the Policy Institute at King’s College London – where he has taught since 2014 – Grant is also the Director of Different Angles. Founded by Grant earlier in the year, the boutique platform focuses on the social impact of universities and research. He previously spent 11 years with RAND Europe, enjoying spells as Principal Research Fellow and President during his tenure, following a five-year stay with Wellcome Trust, where he was latterly Head of Policy.
According to an Institute for Fiscal Studies estimate, the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic is stark: long-run losses to UK universities due to Covid-19 will total £11 billion. Consulting firms like Nous will play a key role in helping clients in higher education adapt to this colossal fall in funding.
Commenting in a recent article co-authored with Nous Principal Simon Lancaster, Grant warned, “The largest financial impact (£3.8 billion) relates to increases in the deficits of pension schemes that universities will eventually need to cover, while the second-largest impact (£2.8 billion) is the anticipated fall in international student enrolments. This financial plight leaves universities occupying a burning platform. In taking action the time is ripe to address the structural flaws that have been exposed.”
The piece closed with the assertion that the current challenges could present UK higher education with an opportunity, arguing, “As we debate research funding in the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review, we must keep in mind that nuanced reforms could lead to a radical realignment of the social purpose of higher education in the 21st century, and significantly greater benefits for society as a whole.”
