°×С½ãÂÛ̳ contributes to research funding debate
24 September 2010
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With weeks to go before the coalition government publishes its Comprehensive Spending Review, °×С½ãÂÛ̳ academics have been contributing to the debate about the future of research funding, and warning of the dangers to the UK if significant cuts are made to the research budget.
°×С½ãÂÛ̳ Provost
Malcolm Grant today joined university leaders and Lord Rees, President
of the Royal Society, at the Science Media Centre to make the case for continued
support of research in the UK.
Arguing that research is not an abstract
concept, but fundamental to the economic well-being of the nation, Professor
Grant set out a number of areas in which °×С½ãÂÛ̳ researchers are tackling some of
the major challenges facing humanity. He also argued that significant shrinkage of
the UK's scientific research base would signal "a tragic surrender of the
nation's intellectual and economic leadership".
Also today,
the Financial Times reported on a letter from °×С½ãÂÛ̳ Vice-Provosts Professor David Price (Research) and Professsor Steve
Caddick (Enterprise) to the Business Secretary Dr Vince Cable, setting out some ideas being
developed at °×С½ãÂÛ̳ that could strengthen the impact of UK research in financially
challenging times.
Notably, the letter argues for a 'hub and spoke' model of inter-institutional collaboration, with multidisciplinary research-intensive institutions being encouraged and supported to work with less research-intensive institutions and 'islands of excellence' in their regions, thereby ensuring that the UK makes the most of its research talent and investment in facilities.
It also advocates the removal of the
grant 'treadmill', so that researchers spend less time writing grant
applications and wastefully competing against each other, and more time
undertaking research. The letter suggests that greater efficiency could be gained by
allocation of a greater proportion of support for research infrastructure
directly from the funding council as opposed to research councils.
To read the Provost's press statement and the Vice-Provosts' letter to Dr Vince Cable (both Word documents), follow the links at the top of this item.
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