Election 2015 – Top Ten Actions

Ahead of the election, CaSE has published a booklet of ten actions we want to see the next government take to champion science and engineering.

This booklet of ten actions details feasible and practical actions that we want to see taken in the next term of Parliament to build on the UK’s science and engineering strength. The actions are drawn out of our three election briefings on Investment, Science and Engineering in Government, and Education & Skills.

The top ten actions are:

Investment

• Increase investment in R&D  over 10 years to reach the level of USA and Germany
• Reduce tax on sharing of R&D equipment and facilities to foster innovative collaboration
• Provide running costs linked to new facilities to make the most of public capital investment

Education

• Remove the immigration limit on skilled workers so Britain can benefit from top science and engineering talent
• Require every primary school to nominate and train a science leader to inspire and equip the next generation
• Link STEM apprenticeships to professional registration standards to provide quality pathways into skilled careers
• Commit to fully-fund additional costs of science and engineering degrees to retain the excellence of university teaching

Advice

• Create a searchable, online archive of government research to increase transparency and efficiency
• Appoint a Chief Scientific Adviser in each Department to ensure evidence informs policymaking
• Provide Select Committees with any evidence received during a policy’s formation to inform and improve scrutiny