the challenges and opportunities for uk research professor adrian smith director general, science...
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The Challenges and Opportunities for UK Research
Professor Adrian Smith
Director General, Science and Research, BIS
HEPI Autumn 2010 Conference, December 2nd
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Central Spending Review 2010
• The Science & Research programme budget protected with a 4 year, flat cash, ring-fenced settlement.
• Science & Research community played a vital role in convincing No. 10 and HMT that research is a key investment in the future.
• “When money is short we should ruthlessly prioritise those areas of public spending which are most likely to support economic growth, including … our science base”
George Osborne, Spending Review statement, October 20th 2010
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Science & Research settlement compared with other departments
Cash changes for main departments over the Spending Review period
HMRC
Scien
ce &
Res
earc
h
Defenc
e
Educa
tion
DWP
Health
Trans
port
Home
Offic
e
DECC
BIS (t
otal)
DfID
Inte
lligen
ce
DEFRA
Loca
l Gov
t
DCMS
Just
ice
FCO
-40.0%
-30.0%
-20.0%
-10.0%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
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Spending Review Challenges
• Flat cash is still an 8.9% cut over the period. Challenge to make up as much as possible from efficiency savings (Wakeham etc.), minimising the actual cut in volume of research.
• Capital: the community’s two top priority projects, UKCMRI and Diamond Light Source Phase 3, are confirmed. But capital elsewhere will be tight.
• Conclusion: flat cash is “painful but manageable” – Lord Rees, The Royal Society.
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Competitor nations
Long term international investments in Science and Research
US Doubling basic science spend 2006–16
GermanyExtra €18bn for science, research and development for 2010-2015, on top of current budgets of c. €30bn p.a.
China 25% increase in central government funds to the science and technology sector
FranceResearch and HE to receive additional €1.8bn per year (2001-2011), of which research will receive €804m.
Russia2.6% increase 2009-2010, only defence and research budgets were not cut.c. 45% increase in funding for HE and university research over next decade (additional US$3bn 1)
Sweden Central government funds for R&D will increase by over 10% between 2009-2012
Finland Research expenditure increasing by 6% (nominal)
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Challenges
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Technology Strategy Board
• Regional Development Agencies have been abolished. Their business-led technology innovation work, such as R&D grants, will now be handled by the Technology Strategy Board.
• RDAs were a major funding stream (along with HEIF) for knowledge exchange infrastructure, such as science parks and university incubators. There will be significant challenges in ensuring the future viability of these ventures.
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The Browne Review
• Aims to put funding of undergraduate courses on a sustainable footing, by shifting bulk of payment from Government to the individual.
• It is hard to predict how these changes will affect the research pipeline, in particular at the level of taught postgraduate courses. These are often the stepping stone to research training.
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Migration
• Challenge of reconciling Coalition commitment to reduce immigration with the research need to attract the brightest and best from around the world. Salary alone is not an effective filter.
• Home Office announcement (Nov 23rd) has clarified the situation.
• For Tier 1 visas (no job yet), academics and scientists can get in through the Exceptional Talent and Exceptional Promise categories, limited to 1000 p.a.
• For Tier 2 visas (job confirmed), academics and scientists can get in for jobs requiring high level qualifications, with a cap applied monthly.
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Progress in improving the STEM pipeline
0
20000
40000
60000
80000
100000
120000
140000
2005 2010
GCSE entries in single science subjects - a more rigorous grounding than Double Science
Physics
Chemistry
Biology
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More to be done at A Level
010000200003000040000500006000070000
2005 2010
A Level entries by subject - welcome upturn in Maths, but continued upturn needed in other
sciences
Physics
Chemistry
Biology
Mathematics
Further Maths
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Opportunities
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Reorganisation of BIS
• BIS was formed in 2009, from the merger of DIUS and BERR.
• There was always going to be a process of rationalisation, the current public spending environment making this even more important.
• The groups of Science & Research, Innovation and the Higher Education part of Universities & Skills will form Knowledge and Innovation Group. I have been appointed Director General of this expanded group.
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DG Group Allocation of Directorates
Market Frameworks Consumer & competition policy
Corporate law & governance, Europe
International trade, investment & development
BEGD (excluding Office for Life Sciences)
Employment relations
Business & Skills Advanced manufacturing and services
Economic development
Enterprise
Skills
Further education & skills investment
Information economy
Office for Life Sciences
RDA Transition and closure
Knowledge & Innovation Innovation
Public sector innovation
Higher education
Financial support for learners
Research base
UK Space Agency
Chief Scientific Adviser (BIS)
Chief Economic Adviser & BRE Economic Analysis
Deputy Chief Economic Adviser
Better Regulation Executive
The New Policy Structure of BIS
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Close working
• Academic and governmental communities have become closer in recent years.
• Within Government, there is now a Chief Scientific Adviser in every department (except the Treasury).
• CSAs meet regularly with the Chief Executives of the Research Councils.
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Interdisciplinary research
• Recognition that the “grand challenges” facing humanity: ageing populations, energy needs, environmental changes etc. cannot be adequately tackled within a single discipline (or even country).
• Six cross-council programmes involve input from all the Research Councils, plus various other bodies across government.
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Cross Council Programmes
• Major response to strategic challenges for the nation – and the world
• Coordinated impact greater than sum of the parts
EnergyEnergyLiving With Living With Environmental Environmental
ChangeChange
AgeingAgeingGlobal Global UncertaintiesUncertainties
Digital Digital EconomyEconomy
Food SecurityFood Security
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International collaborations
• Some of the most complex scientific projects, such as the Large Hadron Collider and nuclear fusion, are well beyond the resources of the UK alone.
• We are involved in international collaborations such as CERN, the European Space Agency and ITER (through the EU), as well as many smaller Research Council projects.
• In tough financial times we have been making good progress in negotiating down subscription costs.
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Technology Innovation Centres
• £200m has been earmarked over the next four years for Technology Innovation Centres, to be overseen by the TSB.
• They will be based on the model advocated by Hermann Hauser and James Dyson – similar but not identical to the Fraunhofer Centres in Germany.
• The aim is to provide a stronger bridge between research and technology commercialisation, de-risking the investment process for businesses.
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Clusters
• TICs are part of a ministerial strategy to develop TICs are part of a ministerial strategy to develop clusters. where scientific facilities, world-class clusters. where scientific facilities, world-class universities and hi-tech businesses are grouped universities and hi-tech businesses are grouped in close proximity.in close proximity.
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The Key role of Higher Education
• Receives two-thirds of S&R budget!• Implications of Browne/SR ?• Greater mission diversity?• More HEI shared use of R resources?• International R positioning?