Professor Adam Tickell, pro-vice-chancellor for research and knowledge transfer at the University of Birmingham said that universities were hugely supportive of the move toward the new model of scientific publishing.

BBC: Report calls on government to back open access science

Pro-vice chancellor Kelvin Everest said it would widen the reputation, profile and strength of the university.

BBC: Liverpool University plans to open London campus

"No one has done anything like this before, " says Macquarie University pro-vice chancellor Professor Tony Adams.

CNN: 'Scholar Ship' ready to set sail

"Academics have always refreshed their expertise, " said Professor Ian Lesley, a pro vice-chancellor at Cambridge University.

BBC: A blend of youth and experience?

Trevor Davies, UEA's pro-vice chancellor for research, said the potential for damaging relations was still a concern.

BBC: Climate unit releases virtually all remaining data

Paul Inman, pro vice-chancellor of Oxford Brookes University, said Swindon was "one of those areas that desperately deserves success".

BBC: Swindon railway works is preferred UTC site

The supercomputer is part of The Mike Barnsley Centre for Climate Research, named in recognition of a former pro-vice chancellor and his contribution to both Swansea University and the field of environmental science.

BBC: Supercomputer to study glaciers