The announcement ties in with its new company manifesto, A Call to Action, which outlines INTO’s belief in public-private collaboration to expand access to education on a global scale.

The Former Labour Education Secretary, Charles Clarke, also an advisor to INTO, writes in the manifesto, “Expansion of educational opportunity across the world will only take place sufficiently quickly if private and public resources are brought together in partnership to fund and drive the changes which are needed.”

Director of Knowledge at INTO, Tim O’Brien, explained that as well as possibly investing in further partnerships, enhancing its distribution network and programming delivery, INTO is also considering establishing ‘World Education Centres’, “to bring higher education access to parts of the world where there is considerable demand”.

He told The PIE News, “We already operate beyond pure pathways [offering degree programming for example] and our plan is to continue to provide pathways to students wishing to gain access to study in the US, Asia and the UK, but also to develop new modes of activity.”

INTO is also considering establishing ‘World Education Centres’

“The key principles are that it must be public-private with public universities leading on the academic elements.”

INTO’s chairman, Andrew Colin, said: “We believe the private sector has a golden opportunity to step forward and demonstrate its ability to respond and support our universities, creating sustainable partnerships that preserve the ethos and standards of the best public and not-for-profit institutions.

“Resources for the new fund will come in part from new shareholder investment and from releasing equity in our property portfolio,” he added. The funds will be made available over the next three to five years.

In February INTO announced its third US joint venture with Colorado State University, and this month signed its latest partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) extending an existing relationship. It has 11 joint ventures with universities in the UK and USA.

As part of the MMU agreement, INTO will provide recruitment and support services for the university, application processing services for pathway students and support for those who wish to apply directly to the university.