Professor Nick Pearce, Director of the Institute for Policy Research, is among the expert panel of commissioners brought together by Universities UK to outline the role that universities can play in driving opportunities and economic growth.

The blueprint will be published this autumn, in advance of the new government's first Budget and spending review.

Across eight chapters, it will set out steps for the government and policymakers on topics including the impact of the UK's higher education and research; generating growth for employers and local communities; the UK's international competitiveness; and the future of the higher education sector.

Professor Pearce will lead the chapter on social mobility and creating opportunity for learners in England. He said:

"I am pleased to contribute to this important work, which comes at a time of acute pressures on the higher education sector, but also – with a new government – a moment of opportunity for reshaping the policy landscape for colleges and universities."

Commissioners for other chapters in the paper include Professor Julia Black, Andy Haldane, Professor Shitij Kapur, Lord Peter Mandelson, Rain Newton-Smith, Professor David Phoenix, John Rushforth and Lord Willetts. Dame Professor Sally Mapstone is overseeing the creation of the blueprint.