The Research Councils UK strategy group has warned against the government's attempts in its higher education white paper to concentrate research excellence in fewer institutions.
The response, which represents the combined views of all seven research councils and the Arts and Humanities Research Board, stresses that the move to concentrate research funding in fewer institutions would threaten the current research council policy of funding excellence wherever it is found.
The AHRB has gone further in its own independent submission, saying funding research in only a few universities would cause "a stifling of competition and the stagnation of innovation".