30/11/06 The future of science policy
CaSE today called on young scientists to get more engaged with the political process. Speaking to young scientists at Queen Mary University of London, CaSE' Director, Dr Peter Cotgreave, highlighted several issues that affect their working lives and urged more scientists to take responsibility for ensuring that politicians and civil servants are aware of the policies that are needed to sustain the UK's scientific excellence. "Government ministries are hopelessly at fault for not bringing in enough scientific expertise, as the recent report by the House of Commons demonstrated," he said, "but scientists must not let them off the hook; we must be banging on their doors forcing them to listen to us".

30/11/06 Science education
CaSE today highlighted several problems with the system of science education. Interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, CaSE's Director, Dr Peter Cotgreave, said: "universities are closing physics and chemistry departments left, right and centre. And that’s partly because not enough students want to do it, but it’s also partly because the universities are grossly underfunded on teaching those students. There’s a combination of government money and the fees they get from those students, but it doesn’t add up to enough to teach them." On the subjects of science in schools, he added: "The fact of the matter is you can have any curriculum you like, but if a quarter of schools don’t have a physics teacher, you can have any physics curriculum you like, but they’re not going to bring it alive."

30/11/06 Conservative proposals on high risk research
CaSE today welcomed the Conservative Party's proposals for an agency to fund research projects with a high risk of failure but potentially high rewards. Commenting on the proposed Innovative Projects Agency in the Financial Times, CaSE's Director, Dr Peter Cotgreave, said "The Tories are now doing some interesting thinking about science and technology. Here they have come up with an imaginative response to an importance challenge - how to turn more of the ideas of our scientists into commercially viable products and services." On the suggestions for funding the £1billion agency, he added: "I find it refreshing when politicians admit that they are going to cut something in order to fund something else. Money from the Regional Development Agencies and the DTI innovation budget could make more impact within an Innovative Projects Agency like the one proposed."

28/11/06 Caroline Holland met with Dr Barry Murrer of Johnson Matthey

27/11/06 Chancellor's plans for science
CaSE today called on the Chancellor of the Exchequer to sort out problems of science in schools and universities when he publishes his pre-Budget report. Writing for the Financial Times, CaSE says that the Chancellor must stick to his guns and abolish the Research Assessment Exercise that is an 'albatross around the neck of the research community'. CaSE also calls for more details of how the Treasury intends to achieve the ambitious targets it set out for increasing the numbers of science teachers. On the issue of using public procurement to stimulate innovation, CaSE suggests "a small, focused team with a strict time limit to identify ways in which innovation could be better supported by the hundreds of billions of pounds the government spends annually on everything from massive computer systems to soldiers' boots.

read the article

24/11/06 Shadow Education Secretary
CaSE was today pleased to engage with the Shadow Education Secretary, David Willets MP. At a meeting organised by the UK Deans of Science, CaSE was able to discuss issues of science both in schools and colleges and in higher education with Mr Willets. "It is fascinating to watch as the Opposition develops it policies, and important for CaSE to be able to help," said CaSE's Director, Dr Peter Cotgreave. "In the summer when I met Mr Willetts, the agenda was broad and freestyle; today he came armed with a list of specific points he wants to work on."

23/11/06 Science Policy in Wales
CaSE was today pleased to see the Welsh Assembly Government publish a science strategy, but disappointed it had not taken the opportunity for significant improvements. "This document shows that the First Minister, Rhodri Morgan, and his team recognise that science is crucial to the future of Wales," said Dr Peter Cotgreave, "but they have not taken the chance to implement the suggestions of the Welsh Assembly's science review, published a few weeks ago. The members of the Welsh Assembly, for example, saw the need for a Chief Scientist to coordinate policies and be responsible for driving through changes."

23/11/06 Peter Cotgreave attended a meeting with the Engineering Professors' Council

23/11/06 Peter Cotgreave attended a meeting of the Parliamentary Affairs Committee of the Royal Society of Chemistry

22/11/06 Caroline Holland met with Dr Mike Rodd of the British Computer Society

21/11/06 Careers advice for children
CaSE today held a highly successful Opinion Forum on the information and guidance about the opportunities available to young people who choose to study science. Sponsored by the Science Council and the Engineering & Technology Board, the meeting brought together business people, academics, teachers, learned societies, careers professionals and others to examine ways in which Government, schools and colleges, and the wider scientific community, can ensure that the best information and advice is available to youngsters. "We heard some shocking stories about the incredibly poor advice students get," said Dr Peter Cotgreave, "and we hope that when we publish our report in a few weeks, it will contain some practical suggestions for action."

Nicola Hannam of the Science Council, Anil Kumar of the etb, Danielle Miles of the University of Leeds, Lord Jenkin of Roding, Mike Hill of Prospects and CaSE Director Peter Cotgreave at the Opinion Forum

20/11/06 Peter Cotgreave attended the Second Special Meeting on the Image of Science & Engineering at the Institution of Engineering & Technology

17/11/06 Public funding for science
CaSE called on the Government to ensure that its increases in funding for science were organised to optimise the benefits. Commenting in the Times Higher Education Supplement, CaSE said that in regard to the reorganisation of medical research funding, "People in the sector were in favour of the proposed single fund because they thought it could be about dragging the NHS research up to the level of the Medical Research Council. That would be good. But if the Treasury's plans end up dragging the MRC down, that would be disastrous." Commenting about funding for teaching science in the universities in yesterday's Independent, CaSE said "The Higher Education Funding Council has got the funding formula wrong in the universities. Two years ago, they reduced the proportion of money available for science - which is difficult to reconcile with the Government's priorities. HEFCE has not taken science as seriously as you would expect, given what the Prime Minister and Chancellor have said about science being so important to the economy".

14/11/06 Science in Government
CaSE today supported moves to encourage better use of scientific information and advice in Government. Commenting in the Daily Telegraph, CaSE points out that even though the Council for Science & Technology advised the Prime Minister seven years ago to bring more scientists into the civil service on short term secondments, most ministries have taken no action to make it happen. "When they were asked what they had done about it, the ministries answers were pathetic. The Department of Trade & Industry, responsible for science policy, had no idea how many such secondees it had hosted and, astonishingly, the Department for Education had not brought it a single external scientist in to help it understand science," said CaSE's Director, Dr Peter Cotgreave.

10/11/06 Science minister
CaSE today paid tribute to the retiring science minister, Lord Sainsbury. Speaking on BBC television's Newsnight, Dr Peter Cotgreave, Director of CaSE, said, "He's the first Science Minister for quite a long while who wanted to be Science Minister. He didn't see it as a staging post to a job in the Cabinet, or something like that. So, he's earned, I think, the respect of the science community for taking a real interest in what they do." Asked if there were 'any science reasons why he might not want the job now?', Cotgreave added: "the Science Budget has doubled during his tenure, the Government's put in place this thing that it calls its Ten Year Science Framework, so for the next ten years, it knows where it's going. So, I think he just sees a sort of natural break point, when it's time for him to say 'well, I've done my job, and someone else can take it from here."

08/11/06 Funding for university teaching
CaSE was today delighted that the Government has accepted its argument that university science teaching is in financial crisis. Speaking at the launch of a new science centre at London Metropolitan University, Dr Peter Cotgreave, Director of CaSE, said, "It is a real pleasure to be at a university that is bucking the trend and opening rather than closing a science facility. Many university science faculties have been in serious financial trouble because the Higher Education Funding Council has a funding formula that is biased against science. It is good news that this morning, the Funding Council has publicly acknowledged that we have been right and that science departments need extra funding if they are not to close. The £25million a year for three years announced this morning will help keep chemistry, physics, engineering and materials science departments open while the basic funding formula is corrected."

08/11/06 Scientific advice to Government
CaSE today welcomed the report of the House of Commons Science & Technology Committee on the use of scientific advice by Government. The report drew on CaSE's oral and written evidence and made a number of key recommendations regarding the way in which science and engineering feed into the policy-making process. "We are especially pleased about the recommendations on scientific capacity in the civil service," said Dr Peter Cotgreave, Director of CaSE, "since it was we who highlighted the fact that most Government departments have not done anything to implement a recommendation from 1999 that they should be bringing more scientists into the ministries on secondments, so they are constantly updating their science and technology expertise."

07/11/06 Annual Distinguished Lecture
CaSE's Annual Distinguished Lecture was today given by Lord May, former Government Chief Scientist and former President of the Royal Society. Speaking to a large audience in London, Robert May spoke about the strengths of the UK science base and some of his concerns for the future. He was especially concerned about science education in schools and the growing burden of unnecessary bureaucracy in UK universities.

see his presentation in Powerpoint

see the images as a pdf

07/11/06 Science teaching in universities
CaSE today called on the Government to deliver on recent commitments regarding the funding of university science. In his final report to CaSE members after ten years as Chairman, Professor Richard Joyner, said he was astonished by the decision two years ago to reduce the proportion of available funding that was devoted to teaching science and engineering. "Now is the time for the problem to be put right, before it is too late for all the university science departments that are under threat of closure," he said.

read the press release

05/11/06 Science in schools
CaSE today urged the Government to accept the House of Lords's recommendations on science teaching. Speaking on the BBC's Breakfast television programme, CaSE's Director Dr Peter Cotgreave, said that good physics and chemistry graduates had a massive range of opportunities open to them, many of which were both intellectually and financially rewarding. Teaching, he said, had to be made a more attractive career if the country was to solve the problem that a quarter of schools have no physics teacher. While agreeing that the science curriculum could be made more relevant to students' lives, he warned that this was not an excuse for dumbing down. Commenting in the Guardian yesterday, CaSE said there is still a long way to go before science in schools reaches the level needed to deliver the Government's vision of the UK as the best place in the world for science.

03/11/06 Prime Minister
CaSE was today delighted to hear the Prime Minister say that he accepts the need to look again at the funding package for university science. After his speech about science policy, the Prime Minister answered a question from CaSE's Director about whether the UK funds its university science departments properly to remain internationally competitive,saying that he acknowledged the issue, and that his Government would review the matter. Speaking on BBC TV News after the speech, CaSE's Director, Dr Peter Cotgreave, said, "I was very pleased to hear that there is some level of receptiveness in Government to addressing this issue." He later added: "Tony Blair is entitled to take the credit for the fact that investment has science has risen sharply on his watch, but I am not convinced that the measures he mentioned today will solve the problem that a quarter of schools have no physics teachers, and what he did not address was how his Government intends to cut back on the bureaucracy and conditions that come with funding today, that can tend to stifle creativity in the science base".

read CaSE's press release

02/11/06 Caroline Holland met with Dr Andrew Young Head of Adminstration at the Faculty of Science, University of Newcastle

01/11/06 Science in Scotland
CaSE was today delighted to press the case for science with Members of the Scottish Parliament. At the annual Science & The Parliament event, Dr Peter Cotgreave, Director of CaSE said, "With the elections coming up next May, now is a good time to be influencing Scottish policy. We were especially pleased to be recognised as one of the first movers in this area. David Davidson MSP was kind enough to tell the 300 people in the audience that it was a dinner organised by CaSE a few years ago that started the process of scientists lobbying Scottish politicians."

CaSE's Peter Cotgreave and Caroline Holland meet Scotland's Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Anne Glover