Research council institutes
Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Science and Technology Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Published: 2007-03-22
Total Pages: 98
ISBN-13: 9780215033239
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe eight UK Research Councils are the largest public investors in the UK scientific research and skills base, investing their annual budget of £2.8 billion in their own institutes and centres (collectively known as Research Council Institutes or RCIs) as well as awarding grants to universities. RCIs make a unique contribution in terms of providing national capacity and access to facilities and in developing multidisciplinary science driven by a clearly-defined mission, and vary widely in their structure, governance, facilities, size and objectives. The Committee's report focuses on the Research Councils' strategies for providing support to their RCIs, including the case for greater harmonisation of policy and practice, the role of Research Council UK in monitoring and improving the effectiveness of support for RCIs, the role of the Office of Science and Innovation (OSI), and a review of progress in three current restructuring projects involving the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, the Roslin Institute, and the National Institute for Medical Research. The report's overall conclusion is that the OSI needs to take on greater responsibility in this area, in order to monitor the state of the research base, to improve mechanisms for guaranteed funding, and to improve dialogue between government, Research Councils and the RCI sector.