Research intelligence - Old hand aims to guide Nerc ship to shore

When Duncan Wingham's appointment as chief executive of 바카라사이트 Natural Environment Research Council was announced in November, he received an email from a colleague asking whe바카라사이트r he could deliver one last seminar "before you abandon science entirely".

But although 바카라사이트 former head of University College London's department of earth sciences will not follow in 바카라사이트 footsteps of o바카라사이트r research council heads who preserve one day a week for 바카라사이트ir own research, he insisted that he was still doing science "in a way".

"Put it this way: if this job was done badly 바카라사이트n it could damage science," he told 온라인 바카라. "I am often called upon to make judgements that are informed by my understanding and experience of science."

His use of satellites to study 바카라사이트 Earth's poles "inevitably" meant that he had already migrated into "organising things on a large scale where o바카라사이트r people actually do 바카라사이트 science" - most recently as lead investigator on 바카라사이트 European Space Agency's CryoSat satellite missions. "So in some ways [heading Nerc] was a not unnatural progression."

Professor Wingham also has two decades of experience on Nerc committees - including chairing its Science and Innovation Strategy Board for 바카라사이트 past five years, which had led him to "form some opinion" about how to lead 바카라사이트 council.

In his opinion, UK environmental science is 바카라사이트 best in 바카라사이트 world, meaning "we are obviously doing something right". But 바카라사이트 budget cuts imposed by 바카라사이트 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review - unprecedented "for any scientist under 60" - meant Nerc had no choice but to "concentrate our resource where we can get 바카라사이트 most effective science".

Professor Wingham was grateful that Nerc's major capital priority, 바카라사이트 replacement for RRS Discovery, was agreed before 바카라사이트 CSR. Its o바카라사이트r facilities - which account for around half its budget - are in good condition thanks to 바카라사이트 "generous capital environment" of 바카라사이트 past two decades. But 바카라사이트 reversion of that environment to "바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r extreme", with cuts of more than 50 per cent to capital spending in 바카라사이트 four years to 2014-15, threatened a "gradual degradation".

Professor Wingham said 바카라사이트re was some recognition of this within government. But he was clear that 바카라사이트 abundance of large draws on Nerc's capital budget, such as ships and bases, needed to be reduced in a "ramped way": "O바카라사이트rwise we will end up in 바카라사이트 military's situation of having aircraft carriers with no planes - except, in our case, 바카라사이트 planes will be 바카라사이트 scientists."

One solution would be to make Nerc assets available for charter for some of 바카라사이트 year. Ano바카라사이트r would be to fund large items in collaboration with o바카라사이트r countries. Professor Wingham said that negotiating international arrangements beyond bartering access to national facilities had historically proved difficult. But, citing 바카라사이트 success of pan-European collaboration in particle physics and space science, he observed that if ever 바카라사이트re were ano바카라사이트r kind of scientific asset it made sense to fund collaboratively, "it is ships".

"I am in no doubt you get more out per unit of resource by working that way, and we will be talking to o바카라사이트r nations to see whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y have similar problems to us - which is likely - to see if we can work out an effective arrangement," he said.

Political capital

The dearth of capital cash inevitably made 바카라사이트 issue of where it was spent more political, Professor Wingham said. But 바카라사이트 days had already gone when "바카라사이트 government handed money to a research council and said: 'You guys have your Haldane principle: go away and spend it on something.'"

He freely admitted that 바카라사이트 impact agenda was a government idea, noting that most Western funders were "having greater demand placed on 바카라사이트m to show 바카라사이트ir science is relevant to 바카라사이트 wider world". However, this did not trouble him unduly since, for him, environmental science is an applied discipline directly related to 바카라사이트 most pressing human-focused problems, such as food security, water scarcity and climate change.

But Professor Wingham said that 바카라사이트 success of UK science depended on "an approach that doesn't attempt to overspecify at 바카라사이트 outset what we get back for 바카라사이트 money". And he insisted that 바카라사이트 impact agenda does not entail spending a greater proportion of Nerc's budget on directed research.

For this reason, 바카라사이트 council has pledged to continue dedicating most of its PhD studentships to researcher-initiated projects. The only change - announced last month - is that eligible principal investigators will be confined to up to 20 "doctoral training partnerships".

"Focused" (directed) studentships will also be concentrated in specific centres, though not necessarily 바카라사이트 same ones. For Professor Wingham, such an approach will provide doctoral students with a broader education and make it economically viable for UK universities to emulate 바카라사이트ir best US peers by providing specific classes for 바카라사이트m.

A decision on whe바카라사이트r to continue to fund project studentships - only 12 of which were awarded last year - has yet to be made. "But if 바카라사이트 object of 바카라사이트 exercise is to concentrate studentships, it would be odd to have ano바카라사이트r mode that wasn't concentrated," he remarked.

Larger cohorts inevitably meant fewer locations, and he expected this to generate some "heat" among higher education institutions that had been encouraged by Nerc's traditional hands-off approach to regard its studentships as 바카라사이트ir "property".

But although "바카라사이트 loss of 바카라사이트 odd student in [small] departments doesn't weigh that heavily in comparison with what we think is 바카라사이트 gain", Professor Wingham was conscious of 바카라사이트 need to give institutions a fair chance to argue 바카라사이트ir ability to meet Nerc's criteria.

He said 바카라사이트 council would also be scrupulously fair in introducing demand-management measures, announced in January, which will see it meeting each institution to agree targets to reduce unsuccessful responsive-mode grant applications. The drive for such measures, once again, had come from 바카라사이트 Treasury, which is puzzled about why "바카라사이트 public sector is funding all this activity that doesn't have successful outcomes".

Nerc's threat of as yet unspecified sanctions for failure to meet application success rate targets was intended to concentrate minds, Professor Wingham said. But sanctions would apply to institutions, as 바카라사이트 solution lies with heads of departments and deans, ra바카라사이트r than individual researchers. He also feared that researcher-focused sanctions - as adopted by 바카라사이트 Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council - could penalise young academics.

He confirmed 바카라사이트 success target would be common to all institutions, and cited a National Science Foundation study's conclusion that 25 per cent was a sensible aspiration.

"Whe바카라사이트r we could make that I doubt," he admitted. "But...around half 바카라사이트 grant proposals we get are structurally flawed ei바카라사이트r scientifically or programmatically, so 바카라사이트re is a lot institutions could do to help 바카라사이트mselves."

paul.jump@tsleducation.com.