Many shades of green

director of promotion and international initiatives, said there were six large-scale collaborative projects with aims such as making the best use of the capital’s science base. London also has a world-class collection of material for biomedical scientists and historians. Apart from the internationally renowned Natural History Museum, the Wellcome Collection and Kew Gardens, many smaller bodies hold rich historical material. The Royal Veterinary College, the first of its kind in the world, holds thousands of artefacts and books dating back to its inception in 1791. St Bartholomew’s Hospital, one of the world’s oldest hospitals, founded in 1123, holds a substantial store of mediaeval artefacts and medical instruments, and many other smaller collections also exist, providing a valuable resource. The concentration of public resources in London’s higher education institutions means that universities and colleges are under constant pressure to demonstrate that the investments are justified. Michael Driscoll, vice chancellor of Middlesex University, said it was easy to question the need for more than 40 higher education institutes in one city. But he believed that the combination of large and small, specialist and general institutions, served its purpose well. “London benefits from having the most diverse and rich higher education sector of any city in the world — not even New York or Tokyo compares. It is an asset to Britain, not just London,” he said. Collaboration is also to be ‘steadily enhanced’ at the University of London, the federation of 19 colleges in the capital, according to its vice chancellor, Sir Graeme Davies. But cash remains a problem. The best UK universities trail well behind the best in the US in terms of endowed funds and income and this will be a key issue in bolstering the city’s case to achieve global status. Magazine R871