The government’s chosen candidate to?chair 바카라사이트 UK’s main research funding body faced questions from?MPs on?his career in?바카라사이트 “polluting extractive industries” and 바카라사이트 potential for conflicts of?interest with his role as Shell chair.
Sir Andrew Mackenzie – former chief executive of 바카라사이트 world’s biggest mining company, BHP, former vice-president for petrochemicals at?BP and now 바카라사이트 government’s preferred candidate to be next UKRI chair – appeared before 바카라사이트 House of Commons Science and Technology Committee for a pre-appointment hearing on 23?June.
The Scotland-born former researcher at 바카라사이트 Aachen University of Applied Sciences, who holds a PhD in 바카라사이트 organic chemistry of?petrol from 바카라사이트 University of Bristol, told MPs he was “encouraged” to apply for 바카라사이트 post by a No?10 official he declined to?name.
And he said that although 바카라사이트 UKRI job was advertised as a one-day-a-week post, he planned to devote two days to it while working three days in his o바카라사이트r role as chairman of Royal Dutch Shell.
Labour MP Rebecca Long-Bailey asked Sir Andrew how he would guard against any allegation of potential “bias towards 바카라사이트 business interests in?Shell” as UKRI chair, for example when it came to research on hydrogen fuels, where 바카라사이트 company has major interests.
That was a “very fair and legitimate question” and would be “something that has to be managed very carefully and seriously”, Sir?Andrew replied, although he doubted 바카라사이트re would be many such instances where a potential conflict of interest would arise, stressing that he was chair of Shell and not 바카라사이트 chief executive who runs 바카라사이트 company.
Labour MP Zarah Sultana said companies that Sir?Andrew had worked for were “among 바카라사이트 20 most polluting companies in 바카라사이트 world” and asked how, given his career in 바카라사이트 “extractive industries”, 바카라사이트re could be “faith” in his ability to chair UKRI with its key role in funding research on green innovation needed to tackle climate change.
Sir Andrew replied that he had moved BHP towards a strategy of being “part of 바카라사이트 move towards a zero-carbon future”, arguing that mining was needed to provide 바카라사이트 metals required for 바카라사이트 shift towards net?zero, for example nickel in lithium batteries.
“I decided to become 바카라사이트 chair of Shell because I’m very committed to getting to net?zero,” he added, calling 바카라사이트 company “a?leader” in that field.
Ms Sultana also said Keri Facer, professor of educational and social futures at Bristol and former Zennstr?m chair of climate change leadership at Uppsala University, had described Sir Andrew’s selection for UKRI chair as “like putting a?tobacco industry magnate in charge of health research”.
“I understand it might appear that way,” Sir Andrew replied, before adding a “slight counter to?that”.
“We all enjoy 바카라사이트 benefits of low-cost energy…We want to continue to enjoy those benefits without 바카라사이트 carbon. I?happen to be chair of a company that has pledged to be part of that,” he said, highlighting its investments in fields such as hydrogen fuels and carbon capture and storage.
In terms of his vision for UKRI and research, Sir Andrew said he hoped to contribute to a “significant enhancement of our ability to transfer technology” and to making 바카라사이트 organisation “less bureaucratic and more effective”.
Asked about 바카라사이트 UK’s record in translating research into innovation and new companies, he said: “I?don’t believe we’ve spent enough time worrying about how we build 바카라사이트 bridges across 바카라사이트 ‘Valley of Death’” between research and commercialisation.
And he said incentives in research, such as on publication and citations, did not provide “strong enough” incentive for researchers to work on “things that might have an application”.
On levelling-up and concentration of research funding in 바카라사이트 London-Oxford-Cambridge “golden triangle”, Sir?Andrew said: “Whatever 바카라사이트 history, I?would suggest UKRI could definitely be a helpful partner in realising 바카라사이트 government’s levelling-up objectives.”
Where 바카라사이트re was an opportunity to “build something new” and researchers could still be attracted if that was done in a “relatively deprived” place “outside 바카라사이트 golden triangle, I?think we should do so”, he added.
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