The Future of Science and Research in the UK

Professor Sir Adrian Smith

UK Deans of Science Meeting

Durham University

May 16th 2012

Recessions

Source: National Institute of Economic and Social Research, 2011

A tough economic climate

Increasing competition from China, India and Brazil.

Distribution of global GDP

Source: World Bank estimates for 2009, PWC model estimates for 2050

“Globally, science and technology are also crucial for overcoming the financial crisis

and ensuring stable, balanced and sustainable economic development.’’

Wen JiabaoPremier of the People's Republic of ChinaRoyal Society, June 2011

The role of Government

“Innovation also demands basicresearch…Don't gut theseinvestments in our budget…Support the same kind of researchand innovation that led to thecomputer chip and the Internet….”

President Barack ObamaState of the Union address2012

The role of Government

"Governments that choose to provide support for R&D are likely to get better results if that support is stable, avoiding a pattern of feast and famine."

Ben S. Bernanke Chairman, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve SystemMay 2011

The role of Government

The UK research base is second in the world for excellence and the UK is the most productive country for research in the G8

Excellence

Citations per $ spend in public R&D

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

UK USA CANADA FRANCE GERMANY ITALY JAPAN CHINA

Announcements

£50m to support thecommercialisation ofgraphene ▪ £145m forhigh performancecomputing(October 2011)

£100m for Research & Innovation Campuses:Babraham ▪ Norwich ▪ Daresbury ▪ Harwell ▪ International Space Innovation Centre (2011 Budget)

£200m of new science capital funding:

• Institute of Animal Health • large-scale demonstrators of new

technologies• the next generation of small radar

satellites• ARCHER Phase II • essential infrastructure

(Autumn Statement, 2011)

Innovation and Research Strategy for Growth (December 2011)

Wilson Review of University– Business Collaboration

Budget 2012

• £100m Research Partnership Investment Fund• For universities investing in major long-term

capital projects for research facilities• Bids between £10m and £35m, should be

attracting at least double that amount in private investment

• Fund administered by HEFCE, independent advisory panel chaired by Peter Saraga

• Now open for expressions of interest

Collaboration and campuses

• Thriving environments for businesses, industry and universities • Access to world-leading facilities and services• Collaboration and innovation which supports the creation and growth of business• Access to unique training environments and world-leading expertise

Research complex at Harwell

University of East Anglia

John InnesCentre

SainsburyLaboratory

Institute of Food Research

Norfolk and NorwichUniversity Hospital

…and now with TGAC

Norwich Research Park

10,000 staff including 2,700 scientists ▪ annual research spend > £100m

covers 160 ha ▪over 30 science related businesses ▪ extra £26m investment

The Cambridge Ecosystem

Global collaboration

• Strengthening EU engagement and access to EU funding

• Joint RCUK and Chinese MOST funding to undertake bilateral research projects

 

Proposed Horizon 2020 structure

Excellent Science

Societal Challenges

Common eligibility & reimbursement rulesSimplification

Health, demographic change and well-being

Food security, sustainable agriculture, bio-economy

Secure, clean andefficient energy

Smart, green and integrated transport

Climate, Resource efficiency, Raw materials

Inclusive, innovativeand secure societies

ERC

Mobility

Infrastructures

Overarching framework [multiple legal bases]

Industrial Leadership

SMEsSBRI

CIP

Financial instruments EIB,

EIF

KETs

JTIs

FET

Proposed Horizon 2020 funding breakdown

€ billion % of total

Excellent Science 27.8 32%

Industrial Leadership 20.3 23%

Societal Challenges 35.9 41%

EIT 1.5 standalone + 1.6 from other pillars

1.8% standalone (or 3.6% overall)

JRC 2.2 2.5%

Contributions to Public Policy

• Independent Commission on Banking, chaired by Sir John Vickers

• Commission on Funding of Care and Support, chaired by Andrew Dilnot

• Lord Nicholas Stern’s Review of the Economics of Climate Change

New innovation challenges

• NESTA UK Prize Centre and Prize Fund

• More focussed work on public procurement including Centres of Expertise and Public Private Procurement Compacts

• £10m for an Open Data Institute• Research Councils ‘Gateway to Research’

£115m Maritime Centre of Excellence

Energy

• £89 million investment – Strathclyde’s single-biggest investment in its research capacity

• Partners include Scottish and Southern Energy, ScottishPower and the Weir group.

Automotive engineering

Tata Motors has invested over £85m in collaborative research with the Warwick Manufacturing Group.

Live issues

Efficiency savings issues

• Implementation of the Wakeham Review of full economic costs

• Managing demand for research funding• Allocating appropriate funding to research which

addresses strategic priorities• Encouraging the reduction of estates costs and

the sharing of resources including facilities and instrumentation

Open access

• RCUK supports principle of Open Access to publicly funded research

• Published a position statement in June 2006, currently revising its policy and seeking informal feedback on the draft

• Research Councils are members of Dame Janet Finch’s National Working Group on Expanding Access to Published Research Findings

Research Outcomes System

• ROS is a web-based system through which grant holders are required to report research outcomes

• Can be filled in by grant holders personally or by the university research office

• Now live for AHRC, BBSRC, ESRC and EPSRC• NERC to adopt ROS from 2013• MRC and STFC use e-Val system, data will be

shared between e-Val and ROS

Demand management

• To reduce costs all round, Research Councils need institutions to encourage self-management of demand and quality control

• Peer review only works at its best when weak applications have already been sifted out

• EPSRC’s demand management policies have improved success rates to 35%

• Research Councils continuing to seek dialogue with the community

Capital funding

• RCUK plans to publish a new Capital Investment Roadmap in autumn 2012.

• Will replace the Large Facilities Roadmap, which provided a national overview of projects over £25m that could be considered for the Large Facilities Capital Fund

• Will articulate the need for the UK to maintain a world-class research base, and set out the central importance of capital within funding policy

• best place in the world to do science

• more universities in the world’s top 100 

• universities’ knowledge exchange funding from external sources to grow by 10% over the next 3 years 

David Willetts ‘Our Hi-Tech Future’, January 2012

The Government’s ambitions