Is Labour undermining Haldane principle?

Adam Afriyie, the Shadow Science Minister, ahead of a speech to science leaders at the Royal Society said 'the Government should stop pretending that the Haldane principle "stood affected" as ministers tried to use science to drive the economy', reports THES.

Mr Afriyie is quoted as saying, "It is... right that the Government sets the overall strategic priorities... but I am concerned that it may be nudging or picking particular projects within that".

The Haldane principle in British research policy is the idea that decisions about what to spend research funds on should be made by researchers rather than politicians.

Read the THES article in full.

What do you want to see scruntinised?

The House of Commons Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee is issuing an open call for topics suitable for an oral evidence hearing in Westminster in April or May this year. The Committee - which includes members from the former Education and Skills Committee and the Science and Technology Committee - has a remit to look at all matters within the responsibility of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. Topics must be within this remit and should also:

• not already be under examination by the Committee as part of another inquiry (see the Committee’s website for details of current work)


• be capable of being covered in two hours of oral evidence, with two panels of witnesses (the second panel normally being Ministers or officials, no more than four witnesses on any panel)
  
• be timely
  
• not relate to individual cases/any matters before the Courts or Tribunals.
  

Visit the Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee home page to find out more.

Lessons from the past

In the past decade, the government has repeatedly emphasised the importance of taking an "evidence-based" approach to policy-making. In 2006, the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee welcomed the government's progress in integrating scientific evidence into decision making. However, despite increasing use of evidence from the natural and social sciences, evidence from humanities disciplines such as history is not widely used. This POSTnote (Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology) considers how history could help to inform decisions on key scientific and technological policy issues. An increased use of learned societies and academies to help bridge the gap between historical research and policy is highlighted.

Read the POSTnote in full.

Science Minister calls for focus

THES reports that Science Minister, Lord Drayson, has said that ‘the UK should narrow its research effort to key areas that boost the economy and deliver economic benefits’ identifying life sciences and earth sciences as examples of two such areas.

Lord Drayson acknowledges that this may call unrest as a concentration of efforts in one area will come at the expense of others. Before the House of Commons Innovation, Universities, Skills and Science Select Committee this week, Lord Drayson said “I truly believe that we could be the world’s best at life sciences if we put our minds to it.”

Read the THES article in full.

Mandelson speaks on science

Research Fortnight reports that whilst addressing the House of Commons Business and Enterprise Select Committee on 21 October, Peter Mandelson said that he would have made a strong argument against the decision to shift science to the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. Referring to his time in the DTI (when it had responsibility for science and business) he is quoted as saying, "What I promoted at the time was a bridge between the research that took place in universities, the excellent science base that we have in this country and the commercial sector."

Adam Afriyie, shadow minister for science and innovation has interpreted Mandelson's views as a clear criticism of Gordon Brown and his reorganisation of Whitehall. However, Phil Willis, chairman of the House of Commons Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee is quoted in Research Fortnight as saying, "I find it quite amazing that someone who has been out of the loop for the last three years can come in making such statements about another department."

Research Fortnight (registration required)

Bioscience 2015

The Prime Minister has asked Sir David Cooksey to chair a mid-term review of Bioscience 2015, a report on bioscience, innovation and growth published in 2003. Sir David has said that "There have been some notable successes... However, where we have not made progress is the financing of bioscience companies."

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=400493

A committee now with added "science"

The Universities and Skills Committee is to become the Innovation, Universities, Sciences and Skills Committee after the Government agreed to a name change, following the last report from the now non-existent Science and Technology Committee suggesting that any subsequent committee should have "science" in the title.

http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/ius/ius_240108.cfm

From the mouth of the minister

In an interview with the Guardian, new science minister Ian Pearson has spoken of his aim to change people's perception of science and improve the way the government communicates messages on science. In contrast to Lord Sainsbury who was considered the scientists science minister, Pearson aims to be more focused on the public perception of science. "There are a lot of people who talk about science. But I don't get the impression that the average person on the street really understands the importance of science to our economic future and to our wellbeing. There is more we can do communicate that. This will help us to pull through more kids to do science and technology subjects at A-level and go on to University."

One of Pearson's first jobs will be to respond to The Sainsbury Review, due to report in September or October, which examines the ability of UK science and innovation to meet the challenges of globalisation, publicly funded R&D and international science and technology collaboration. Pearson rejects a suggestion that he is treading water until the report is published.

Following on from the government admitting last week that meeting its target of increasing spending on R&D to 2.5% of GDP by 2010 is a "challenging goal", Pearson is not worried. "On the 2.5% target - let me try to say it politely - I think that aggregare country-level targets when it comes to R&D are very inconvenient, I think that at an economy level this figure is meaningless. Where I am interested in R&D figures is on a sector-by-sector basis: how the R&D in out pharmaceutical sector compares with R&D in Germany and the US."

http://education.guardian.co.uk/egweekly/story/0,,2137799,00.html

Science finds a home

A Government Office for Science, headed by David King, will be created within the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS). It assumes the functions and resources of the Transdepartmental Science and Technology Group of the Office of Science and Innovation at the former Department of Trade and Industry. Other elements of the Office of Science and Technology will join the DIUS Science and Innovation Group, headed by Sir Keith O'Nions.

Source: THES

The end is nigh?

Nobel prize winners, University Vice-Chancellors, Professors and numerous Chief Executives and Presidents of learned societies today wrote to the Guardian to state the case for the supported continuation of the Science and Technology Select Committee. The recent re-structuring of governmental departments has left the committee without an obvious home. The importance of retaining a committee which oversees science in policy-making is stressed.

http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/news/story/0,,2130978,00.html