It’s a week for significant science reports. Following hot on the heels of the UK Expert Group on Science and Trust’s report on Monday comes what could well be a seminal work on science in 21st century Britain from the Royal Society. In “The scientific century: securing our future prosperity” a distinguished panel of experts takes on Britain’s role in the knowledge economy, and lays out a strong set of recommendations and actions to underpin the country’s leadership in science and technology.
This is far too important and weighty a document to summarize and review after only a brief reading. So at this point I will content myself with simply laying out the key recommendations. I would however encourage anyone with the slightest interest in science’s role in the 21st century – whether from Britain or elsewhere – to read this report closely and take its recommendations seriously. It’s possibly the most significant assessment of how to develop coherent, responsive and sustainable science policies since the US National Academies published “Rising above the gathering Storm” in 2007.
Recommendation1: Put science and innovation at the heart of a strategy for long-term economic growth
- Create a new long-term framework for science and innovation committing to increased expenditure
- Outline spending plans over a 15 year period (2011 – 2026)
- Prioritise investment in scientific capital – including infrastructure and skills
- Expand the R&D Tax Credit
Recommendation 2: Prioritise investment in excellent people
- Direct a greater proportion of Research Council funding to investigator-led research
- Increase the length and quality of UK PhD training
- Support transferable skills training for researchers
- increase the number of postdoctoral fellowships
Recommendation 3: Strengthen Government’s use of science
- Review strategic science spending by Government departments
- Expand the Small Business Research Initiative to support innovative procurement
- Provide Department Chief Scientific Advisers with greater resources
- Appoint a Chief Scientific Adviser to HM Treasury
Recommendation 4: Reinforce the UK’s position as a hub for global science and innovation
- Extend the geographic reach of the UK Science and Innovation Network
- Increase support for mechanisms, such as the Science Bridges scheme, which link UK research groups with partners overseas
- Incentivise more of the world’s best scientists to remain in, or relocate to, the UK
- improve visa conditions for visiting scientists and researchers to the UK
Recommendation 5: Better align science and innovation with global challenges
- Create strong global challenge research programmes, led by RCUK, to align scientific, commercial and public interests
- Reform research funding and assessment to support and reward interdisciplinary research
- Use public and stakeholder dialogue ti help identify and shape these challenges
- Ringfence departmental contributions to priority research areas
Recommendation 6: Revitalise science and mathematics education
- Provide incentives to recruit, retain and attract teachers back to science subjects
- Commit to increasing the numbers of primary teachers with science expertise
- Establish new expert groups to advise on the development of science and mathematics curricula and qualifications
One final word: The figures used in the report are well worth checking out – they are a model in presenting complex information in a compelling way.
The report “The scientific century: securing our future prosperity” can be downloaded from http://royalsociety.org/the-scientific-century/