This article from the United States of America embassy discusses the importance of higher education in the UK and the US, and how it powers the economies of both nations.
You can read the full article here
"Prime Minister Cameron and President Obama agree that science and higher education are the foundation stones of their two nations’ 21st century economies and that the UK and U.S. have a responsibility to further their global leadership roles in these essential fields. The U.S. funds approximately one-third of the world’s scientific research and the UK is first among G-8 countries in scientific publications and citations as a fraction of GDP. In higher education, the U.S. and UK are home to the world’s ten highest ranking universities."
