Some excellent news in the Spending Review, but there will be devil in the detail

Save British Science today welcomed the Chancellor’s announcement of substantial rises in funding for UK science, and was especially pleased with new funds to meet the full costs of research projects that have been underfunded in the past. But SBS warned that, at first sight, there does not appear to be any substantial new money to pay competitive salaries, to ensure that the UK can attract world-class researchers.

“A steady real terms increase of 5.8% a year in funding for the science base is good news, it’s faster than the overall rate of growth in spending” said Peter Cotgreave, Director of SBS, “and we’re especially pleased that the gap between the Funding Councils and the Research Councils will be closing.

“Research Councils only pay part of the costs of research, and with the other budget not keeping pace, universities have been having serious difficulties balancing the books. This will give some help.”

“But at first sight, there does not appear to be any substantial new
money to recruit and retain the best people, which means we are in danger of
having fantastically well-equipped labs but not being able to attract the
world-class people to work in them”.

The target that the country should invest 2.5% of its national wealth in research is a reasonable medium term aim, but the UK already signed up to the European target of 3.0%.

If the Chancellor wants the UK to be the best place in the world for science, he must aim to have truly world-class levels of overall investment.

SBS was also concerned that the spending review statement did not mention science in individual government departments such as the Department of Environment, the Department for International Development and the Home Office.

ENDS