WELCOME TRUST PLACED IN UNIVERSITIES

Save British Science today warmly welcomed the Government’s statement of intention on funding for university research, congratulating ministers on the apparent increase in the degree of trust they place on researchers and administrators.

“Within the constraints of the available money, the Office of Science and Technology has done just about as good a job as it could have in this first step of creating a more sustainable research base,” said Dr Peter Cotgreave, Director of SBS, speaking after the Science Minister, Lord Sainsbury and the Higher Education Minister, Kim Howells MP, wrote to Vice Chancellors, setting out changes in research funding for the next few years.

“It is of course good news that Research Councils will be paying 80% of the full costs of the projects they fund, higher than the figure of 60-70% first floated a couple of years ago. And we’re pleased that a method has been found to prevent researchers being prohibited from carrying out some experiments because of the costs of expensive equipment.

“But the thing that we are most positive about is that the letter from Lord Sainsbury and Dr Howells seems to set a tone in which staff in universities are to be trusted rather more than they have in the past. This can only be good for science and engineering, if it translates into less micromanagement from the centre.

“For example, the extra £120 million that is available in the current financial year is to be divvied up among the universities in proportion to their existing research income, but there is no mention of strings being attached, or complex assessment procedures. Moreover, the ministers have made it clear that they realise that researchers are delivering outstanding results, and it is the Government’s own handling of the finances that has been one of the biggest threats to British science in recent years. This is one of the first steps in putting that right.

“Having made some significant progress in how the Research Councils will distribute money for research, now they need to turn their attention to the Higher Education Funding Council, whose crazy moves to cut funding for nationally-excellent research and move money out of teaching science and engineering are major factors in the current crisis for teaching that is seeing university science and engineering departments close down.”

For further information, contact Peter Cotgreave on 07958 570591.