As Germany, France and Nordic and Alpine countries continue with increased investment, much of the rest of the Continent has not recovered from the financial crisis.
The European university funding divide is getting wider, with many countries in Southern, Central and Eastern Europe failing to repair cuts to public spending made since the financial crisis despite an economic recovery, and so falling further behind better-funded systems in the north.
By David Matthews  Twitter: @DavidMJourno  david.matthews@timeshighereducation.com