CaSE responds to the Queen’s Speech

CaSE has responded to the October 2019 Queen’s Speech, with re-commitments from Government on funding, skills and strategies for science and innovation.

Commenting, CaSE Executive Director Dr Sarah Main said:

“We welcome the Government’s renewed commitment to science and innovation, placing it at the heart of it’s agenda in today’s Queen Speech. Increased public investment in science is vital to the UK’s future prosperity, improving quality of life and creating high skilled jobs.

The Prime Minister has been keen to associate himself with science on the front pages; from his inaugural speech, peppered with glowing references to UK science, followed by bold announcements on research funding and skills. Brexit is a counterpoint to this, with many concerned about the scale of disruption that a No Deal outcome could cause for science.

We look forward to working with the Government to develop its proposals. In particular we await further details on the proposed creation of a new funding agency and how it will complement the work of UKRI, itself just a few years old.”

CaSE is already working with the Home Office, BEIS and other stakeholders to make sure the proposed new fast-track visa for science meets the needs of the UK’s science and research community. In particularly that it reflects the interdisciplinary nature of modern, cutting edge research and the various individuals, including technicians and early career researchers that make up successful research teams.”

Details announced in the Queen’s Speech that affect science and innovation include:

• Setting out plans in the autumn to significantly boost public R&D funding, providing a framework that gives long-term certainty to the scientific community.
• Establishing a new National Space Council and launching a comprehensive UK Space Strategy.
• Introducing a revised visa system to attract global scientific and research talent.
• Backing a new approach to funding emerging fields of research and technology, broadly modelled on the US Advanced Research Projects Agency. We will work with industry and academics to finalise this proposal.
• Reducing bureaucracy in research funding to ensure our brilliant scientists are able to spend as much time as possible creating new ideas, not filling in unnecessary forms.

NOTES

• CaSE published five actions that the new Prime Minister can take in the first three months of his Premiership to harness the science and engineering potential of the UK:

1. Set a long-term plan and a budget to reach 2.4% by 2027
2. Attract Global Talent: Extend post-study work visa to 2 years
3. Harness the power of government to deliver the benefits of innovation faster
4. Promote the UK overseas: Create a digital shop window for the UK innovation offer
5. Increase the pool of available talent: monitor diversity data 

• We have now seen success in 1 and 2 of those action points:
  
  • In last month’s Spending Review, the Government’s re-committed to the target of investing 2.4% of GDP in R&D by 2027 and announced plans to publish a long-term plan in the Autumn.
     
  • The Government also announced changes to visa rules allowing international students to remain in the UK for two years after graduating to look for a job under a new two-year post-study work visa.
     
• CaSE has published a new report, ‘Building on Scientific Strength; The Next Decade of R&D Investment’, on how the Government can stimulate a rise in the UK’s research intensity and meet the goal of investing 2.4% of GDP in R&D by 2027.