What does Brexit mean for Catholic universities both in the United Kingdom and in Europe? Geraldine Hackett examines the uncertainties lying ahead and asks what is being done to prepare

A  week before the European Union referendum, Liverpool Hope University formalised a partnership with the Catholic University of Lille. The decision to set up a pan-European institute means the two universities have agreed to collaborate on research and develop joint degree programmes.

The agreement, as it transpired, was prescient. With the decision by Britain to leave the EU, many UK universities now fear they could be exiled from research projects and are scrambling to build partnerships with European institutions.

Across the higher-education sector, there are worries about the future and the flow of students from Europe into British universities. Professor Nicholas Rees, dean of humanities at Liverpool Hope, explained that the prospect of Brexit had triggered huge uncertainty, saying: “Will the Government make additional funds available? Will we have to pay to participate in research? No one knows.”