A report produced in partnership with Leeds Met has highlighted the value of using digital technologies to assist learning in UK universities.

Leeds Met, working with Middlesex and Bedfordshire Universities for think-tank million+, investigated the impact of funding these technologies, which are typically financed by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) of the UK's Higher Education Funding Councils.

The million+ report, titled  'From inputs to impact: a study of the impact of JISC funding on universities' examines the outcomes of 113 JISC-funded projects in 28 universities over a six-year period.

The report concludes that this funding had a far ranging impact which was often not limited to the university which had won the JISC award. Many projects benefited a wide range of learners, providers, partner organisations and the wider community.

The research also sought to identify barriers in both the bidding process and in those universities which had not benefited from a JISC award in the six-year period.

Pam Tatlow, chief executive of million+ said: "The UK's global position as a world leader in higher education will only be maintained by the innovative use and application of digital technologies to learning, teaching, research and operational activities.

"This research shows that even very modest funding awards of £30,000 can have a profound impact with universities and individuals supported to undertake exploratory projects in a low risk environment.

"Very often the impact of project funding is much broader than originally envisaged and results in changes to university policy as well as improvements in technology enhanced learning. 69 per cent of projects met or exceeded their objectives and 44 per cent of projects provided additional benefits that had not been envisaged at the outset."