Will Teaching Take the Brunt of the Cuts?

There's speculation in the Financial Times that teaching will have to shoulder the lion's share of the cuts in higher education, with research being shielded from the worst.
'Government officials are considering a proposal to cut the £4.7bn teaching budget for universities to only £1.2bn as part of its austerity drive. This would allow the department for business to shelter the £6bn research budget, which would be cut by £962m,' states the article.
Not sure if Steve Smith, VC at Exeter and quoted in the article, is the source of the 'proposal', but we'll wait to see if this division of the pain is the one that materialises later in the year.

EPSRC Prepares for the Spending Review 2010

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, EPSRC, has announced that it is 'developing plans based on different funding scenarios' to put forward into the Spending Review.

This follows on from the publication of its Strategic Plan earlier this year.

In the Plan EPSRC outline four somewhat banal priorities:

• Shaping research capability to ensure we have critical mass in areas of strategic importance for the UK.
• Developing leaders by providing the best possible training and support to those with greatest potential.
• Delivering impact for society and the economy by creating the environment for excellent long-term research to provide maximum benefit to the UK.
• Solving global challenges through working in partnership with other funders, business and government.

All worthy, but not exactly inspiring. Not visionary. But perhaps we don't want vision in these austere times. There'll be no putting of men on the moon and bringing them safely back by the end of the decade, that's for sure.
Anyway, EPSRC finish by saying that they will 'continue to seek advice and feedback' - no yawning at the back - 'from the research and business communities during the development of our plans. During July and August we will be holding a series of meetings with university Pro-Vice Chancellors, strategic business partners, learned societies and professional institutes, and government.'
And if that's not enough, 'EPSRC Council will oversee the development of the plans, with significant input from our Technical Opportunities Panel, User Panel and Societal Issues Panel.'
The results of the Spending Review will be announced by Government on 20 October after which individual Research Council allocations will be determined. EPSRC’s Delivery Plan for 2011-14 is expected to be published by early 2011.

Spend or be Damned

The Royal Society has warned that the UK will lose its position as a global economic leader unless the government commits to investing in science in the long term.

In its report, 'the scientific century: securing our future prosperity' the Royal Society warns that the UK’s current advantage is in danger of being wiped out by the US, China, India, France and Germany who have ramped up spending in science to boost their economies.

The report highlights last year's announcement of a $21 billion boost for science in the US and recent claims from American scientists that they will steal our finest minds if UK investment slips. The report also draws attention to a recent €35 billion investment in the 'knowledge economy' by France, a commitment from the German government to increase their federal budget for education and research by €12 billion by 2013 and the year on year increase of 20% in China's science spending over the last decade.

To maximise the economic opportunities from science the Royal Society report recommends:

• Creating a 15 year framework for science and innovation, with increased spending


• Prioritising investment in scientific skills and infrastructure, such as laboratories and equipment


• Expanding the R&D tax credit.