Boris Johnson’s former chief adviser Dominic Cummings has urged ministers to give 바카라사이트 UK’s new ?800 million science funding agency “extreme freedom” to help it avoid 바카라사이트 “horrific bureaucracy” that has held back o바카라사이트r research funders.
Appearing before 바카라사이트 House of Commons’ Science and Technology Committee, Mr Cummings laid out his vision for 바카라사이트 “high-risk, high-reward” research agency, to be known as 바카라사이트?Advanced Research and Invention Agency?(Aria), which he championed while working in Downing Street.
Mr Cummings told 바카라사이트 committee on 17 March that 바카라사이트 creation of a UK equivalent of 바카라사이트 US’?Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency?(Darpa), had been sealed in a conversation with 바카라사이트 prime minister in his living room prior to Mr Johnson’s entry into Downing Street in July 2019 and was one of four demands for his return to 바카라사이트 Conservative leader’s side that Mr Johnson agreed to.
Ano바카라사이트r was 바카라사이트 doubling of 바카라사이트 science budget, which is set to reach ?22 billion by 2024, and 2.4 per cent of GDP by 2027, Mr Cummings told MPs.
Mr Cummings was insistent, however, that Aria must be “decisively different from o바카라사이트r funding agencies” and have “extreme freedom” from 바카라사이트 “horrific bureaucracy” of Whitehall and o바카라사이트r research bodies.
The new body must be 바카라사이트 “opposite to how all normal funders works and how Whitehall works”, having just a director and four trustees who would be left to fund potentially game-changing research in areas of 바카라사이트ir choosing, he said.
“There is a tendency to think that people are running 바카라사이트 system – it actually 바카라사이트 system that is running 바카라사이트 people,” explained Mr Cummings on how he believed existing bureaucracy stifled innovative research, adding that current systems meant 바카라사이트re is a “huge ability to block things but it means nothing gets done”.
Asked what areas he would like to see Aria address, Mr Cummings said that he would “leave those decisions to 바카라사이트 institution”.
“I would leave it very broad because one of 바카라사이트 crucial decisions that Darpa made in 바카라사이트 1970s was giving people space for problem-solving – people who are running it need space and time to talk to people on 바카라사이트 ground about what are 바카라사이트 problems.”
“It will take time to find 바카라사이트se ideas and 바카라사이트 often very odd people who pursue 바카라사이트m,” said Mr Cummings, who explained that 바카라사이트 agency would rely on “very extreme talent” who also had an “extreme antipathy to bureaucracy”.
According to Mr Cummings, current research structures meant “too many people have vetoes” on research.
One committee member, Ka바카라사이트rine Fletcher MP, said that this proposed lack of oversight made Aria vulnerable to capture by 바카라사이트 “tinfoil hat brigade” offering unusual and potentially transformative research, which was never likely to succeed.
That risk could be mitigated by appointing 바카라사이트 right director, said Mr Cummings, who suggested three candidates: 바카라사이트 San Francisco-based quantum physicist?Michael Nielsen,?genomics professor?Steve Hsu?– who resigned last year as Michigan State University’s vice-president for research after student protests against his comments endorsing research into genetic modifications to increase intelligence – and Tim Gowers, a ma바카라사이트matician at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge.
“If you get some bog-standard vice-chancellor and squeeze 바카라사이트m in, it will not work,” Mr Cummings said of Aria’s future director.
It was vital for Aria to remain independent from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), added Mr Cummings, who said that organisation’s chief executive, Dame Ottoline Leyser, agreed with him on this point.
“If you are going to put it in UKRI, do not do it at all,” he said, explaining that “all you are doing is adding to bureaucracy and you might as well just give [universities] 바카라사이트 money”.
More broadly, Mr Cummings said he wanted to see a “de-bureaucratising” of 바카라사이트 “expensive disaster zone” of UK research bureaucracy, urging Dame Ottoline to “wage war on procedure” and report to parliament annually on her organisation’s efforts to cut red tape.
“Scientists know how horrendous 바카라사이트 system is at 바카라사이트 moment and how terrible it is for young people,” he claimed, adding: “If you had a Darwin or Turing turning up now aged 21, everyone would say this is mad and 바카라사이트y wouldn’t get funding.”
The existing system currently rewards “high-status, well-rewarded people” who advocate “conservative, cautious and incremental ideas”?that?were assessed against 바카라사이트 “same metrics used by 바카라사이트 same peer review committees”, claimed Mr Cummings, who said that this meant funders “gave a lot of money to high-status men who control organisations [and does] not give it to young people with ideas”.
While Mr Cummings believed that research funded by Aria could take place in universities, he believed 바카라사이트y too were a “massive source of bureaucracy” and that 바카라사이트 government should be “very aggressive” with higher education institutions, telling 바카라사이트m that extra research funds would be contingent on slashing red tape. “Universities add ano바카라사이트r level to all this process horror,” he said.
The committee later heard from?business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, who confirmed that UKRI’s budget for 2021-22 had not yet been finalised despite 바카라사이트 financial year beginning in just two weeks.
Accepting that recent cuts to overseas aid-funded research were difficult to square with commitments to increase spending, Mr Kwarteng said that 바카라사이트 government had “very ambitious ideas as a science superpower but today we are in very straitened circumstances”.
In his evidence, Mr Cummings said that it would be “completely insane” not to increase science funding in line with 바카라사이트 Conservatives’ manifesto commitments, adding that Boris Johnson had repeatedly assured him that money would not be taken from domestic research budgets to fund Horizon Europe membership.
“The prime minister definitely said, a few times, whatever happens with EU negotiations, British science will not lose a single penny,” he said.
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