Precisely, then, at the moment when, worldwide, the idea of the university is poised to be elevated towards a new stage – beyond that of ‘the entrepreneurial university’ – and into a new level of interconnectedness, so UK universities may be seen, however unfairly, as falling back to a more parochial stance. If this happens, purely as a result of changing perceptions, the position of UK universities in the global rankings will be in jeopardy, irrespective of any readjustment in the actual pattern of their activities.