University seals funding agreement with bank

A SCOTTISH university has signed a “milestone” deal with one of the world’s largest banks.

Strathclyde University is entering into a partnership with banking giant Santander – which has already committed to investing £500 million in higher education over the next five years.

It has reached agreements with 52 universities in the UK since 2007, and Strathclyde is the sixth institution in Scotland to sign up to the scheme.

Strathclyde joins a group of nearly 1,000 universities across Asia, America and Europe that have the support of Santander.

Santander Banking supports higher education and research through funding for scholarships, mobility grants, special projects and non-academic achievement awards.

Professor Jim McDonald, university principal and vice-chancellor, said: “This agreement represents another milestone for Strathclyde and provides an opportunity for our students and staff to strengthen our leading international reputation by collaborating with a high quality, ambitious, global organisation.”

He added: “Our world-class research capabilities and high quality of students puts us in an excellent position to make the most of this partnership.”

Luis Juste, director of Santander Universities UK, said: “We want students and researchers to establish long-lasting contacts with other universities in the 15 countries where Santander Universities is present.”