The sector will be listening closely to his speech for signs that the �9.94 billion investment needs... will be met

Diana Warwick Universities UK group

"We share the government's commitment to widening participation in higher education. But it's now time to back up words with new investment," said Diana Warwick, chief executive of the umbrella group Universities UK.

The low profile of education in the Chancellor's pre-Budget report in November did not escape the group's notice.

"Universities UK is, therefore, looking for higher education specifically to be given a much higher profile in his Budget speech on 17 April," said Baroness Warwick.

"Universities don't expect the Chancellor to pre-empt his spending review announcement.

"But the sector will be listening closely to his speech for signs that the �9.94 billion investment needs that Universities UK has identified will be met," she said.

The call from universities comes as dozens of Labour MPs are supporting a motion saying tuition fees should be scrapped.

VAT rules

Universities UK is calling on Mr Brown to extend the new VAT treatment for museums and galleries.

Baroness Warwick said the group welcomed the Chancellor's announcement in 2001 that enabled national museums and galleries to recover VAT costs.

"However, universities learnt that their collections, such as those in the Ashmolean Museum, the Fitzwilliam Museum and the Whitworth Gallery, would not benefit from this measure.

Funding per student was increased in real terms in 2001-02 for the first time in over a decade

DES

"This year's Budget would give the Chancellor an ideal opportunity to remedy this unequal treatment for university museums and galleries," she said.

Universities UK is also fearful the current system - where research undertaken in higher education is exempt from VAT - could be scrapped.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Education said the government had provided significant public funds for higher education over the past three years.

"Funding per student was increased in real terms in 2001-02 for the first time in over a decade," she said.

"Since 1998, the total additional funding for institutions is �1.7bn, an increase of 37% in cash terms over the six years to 2003-04, an 18% increase in real terms."

The outcome of the 2002 Spending Review would be announced in the summer, she added, and any announcement on the current review of student finance would be made "when it is complete".

"Any comments before that are pure speculation," she said.