Government unveils £6 billion package for UK science and innovation
The government has today (17 December 2014) unveiled its ambitious new plan to keep British science and innovation at the forefront of global excellence.
The Science and Innovation Strategy – to be formally announced by Universities, Science and Cities Minister Greg Clark at the Royal Society later today – builds on the great strengths of British science and enterprise, and sets out the government’s priorities for investment and support to 2020 to 2021, as well as the key principles that will underpin science and innovation policy during the years ahead.
…
Our plan for growth: science and innovation
Chapter 3 Investing in scientific infrastructure
Investing in our scientific infrastructure, landscape and equipment so that it equals the best in the world
…
[rouge]Actions taken by this government[/rouge]
– £1.9 billion of capital funding announced in 2010; an additional £1.6 billion of capital and £300 million resource investment has so far been announced to 2014
– We have funded and developed major research facilities such as the Francis Crick
and Alan Turing institutes, the Royal Research Ship Discovery, and the new polar
research vessel announced in April 2014
– A consultation on proposals for long-term capital investment in science and research was launched this year to identify strategic priorities and the appropriate balance between investment at different levels (i.e. project level, institutional, national and international)
[rouge]Next steps:[/rouge]
– We will invest £5.9 billion into the UK’s research infrastructure between 2016 and 2021 – the most long term commitment to science capital in decades.
– Of this, £2.9 billion will go towards large capital projects to support scientific grand
challenges
– £1billion of the grand challenges fund has been committed to projects such as the new Polar Research Ship and Square Kilometre Array
– £800 million was announced at Autumn Statement to fund new projects, subject to satisfactory business cases. These investments include up to £235 million in the Sir Henry Royce Institute for advanced materials in Manchester, and £113 million in big data at the Hartree Centre, with IBM.
– We will also invest £3 billion to support individual capital projects and maintenance at our universities’ and institutes’ existing world class laboratories, and provide funding for our international subscriptions. Over half of this will be subject to competition.
…
