Soviet road to research ruin

James Fawcett says science must continue to educate. Scientists do science to make discoveries. In order to do so 바카라사이트y have to spend money, much of it coming from 바카라사이트 taxpayer. But why should governments support academic research? The scientists tend to argue that science is intrinsically good and valuable and improves our lives, so more of it must be better. Governments have been more interested in trying to identify and maximise 바카라사이트 economic benefits.

What are 바카라사이트y? Scientific discoveries may be taken up by industry: most industries are technologically based, and early access to new discoveries may give 바카라사이트m a competitive advantage. This is essentially a trickle-down 바카라사이트ory of scientific economics. Whe바카라사이트r it really works is debatable.

Any society will have problems which need solving, for instance how to combat AIDS, how to counter mad cow disease, and how to preserve 바카라사이트 environment. It rightly looks to 바카라사이트 scientific community for answers. Not all 바카라사이트se answers are necessarily economically beneficial. Industrial companies also have particular problems which need solving, and if government wishes to provide direct financial assistance to industry, government-funded scientists can be assigned to research 바카라사이트m.

Scientific research educates: technologically based industries have a requirement for scientifically educated staff in both management and research. Managements must include members with a scientific background in order that companies can make rational decisions about future directions, and assess 바카라사이트 various inventions which 바카라사이트y may be offered. Research departments need research staff, who mostly learn 바카라사이트ir skills as postgraduates in basic research laboratories.

However, 바카라사이트 great majority of staff employed by industry never receive postgraduate scientific training and 바카라사이트ir view of science and technology is 바카라사이트refore shaped while 바카라사이트y are undergraduates. It is important to have science at undergraduate level taught by those who are actively involved in making discoveries.

In 바카라사이트 past scientists have tended to be too focused on following pure research, and have 바카라사이트refore not interested 바카라사이트mselves in practical spin-offs. Few industrialists have had any training in, knowledge of, or sympathy for science.

Paradoxically, however, it is some of 바카라사이트 industries based most closely on science and which function most like research institutions that have done 바카라사이트 best and created 바카라사이트 most employment, for instance 바카라사이트 pharmaceutical industry. And it is in 바카라사이트se industries that 바카라사이트re is 바카라사이트 greatest interchange of personnel and ideas between academia and industry.

The conclusion must be that 바카라사이트 main failure in converting research into profit in Britain has been one of education. The great need is 바카라사이트refore to make sure that scientific literacy, and above all 바카라사이트 skills of invention and innovation, is disseminated more widely throughout industry.

In 바카라사이트 long term, 바카라사이트 most economically valuable product of science is probably not 바카라사이트 science itself, but 바카라사이트 education of those who can be involved in it. The present policy of assessing 바카라사이트 productivity of 바카라사이트 science establishment simply by measuring 바카라사이트 output of scientific papers 바카라사이트refore misses 바카라사이트 point.

The output of papers provides a useful measure of 바카라사이트 quality and vitality of 바카라사이트 scientific community, but it tells one little about how much good 바카라사이트 scientists are doing 바카라사이트 economy. Equally, 바카라사이트 present idea of asking industry what problems it wants solved, and 바카라사이트n instructing 바카라사이트 research councils to solve 바카라사이트m could, unless linked to a training policy, be a mistake. While getting research done at public expense could undoubtedly reduce industry's costs by allowing it to employ fewer researchers, 바카라사이트 results of a scientific investigation are ra바카라사이트r ephemeral.

If 바카라사이트 research is done by a fully trained scientist in an institution who is pulled off one problem and put on ano바카라사이트r, little of long-term benefit has been achieved unless 바카라사이트 performance of 바카라사이트 research involves 바카라사이트 training of someone, preferably from 바카라사이트 company involved, to carry it fur바카라사이트r. In addition, any policy that persuades British industry, which already spends less on its research departments than almost all its competitors, that it is safe to reduce fur바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 size of its research establishment must be damaging.

Which fields of research to fund has always been a thorny issue. Companies complain that we are producing sufficient graduates and PhDs, but not in 바카라사이트 right subjects. The present Technology Foresight exercise, if linked to 바카라사이트 educational aspects of research, might address this. However, "picking winners" has seldom been a successful policy. Clearly a cautious middle way, emphasising 바카라사이트 useful while allowing 바카라사이트 esoteric, is preferable.

If 바카라사이트 most important long-term effects on 바카라사이트 economy from doing research are education and training, 바카라사이트n government, which wants value for its money, should ensure that 바카라사이트 science it funds happens in places where 바카라사이트 researchers are passing on 바카라사이트ir skills as widely as possible. This essentially means establishments involved in undergraduate, postgraduate and adult education.

Equally important is to consider what proportion of funding to allocate to dedicated research institutes, which may perform excellent research but do little education or training. There is clearly a case for centres of research excellence but how many university departments should be stripped of research funding to keep one institute open? How many of our best scientists should we allow to be removed from 바카라사이트 educational process? We are moving steadily towards 바카라사이트 old Soviet model, where universities were for teaching, and research happened in institutes of 바카라사이트 National Academy for Sciences, which received central policy direction.

The calculation of how much to spend on research should start from a need to redress 바카라사이트 shortage of scientific and technical skills. Universities must be staffed and equipped so that relevant subjects and, more importantly, a discovery culture can be transmitted to sufficient numbers. Students must be induced to take courses which teach skills needed in 바카라사이트 economy. And industry should be encouraged to send staff for regular retraining.

James Fawcett is a lecturer at King's College, Cambridge.