Council cuts present a significant 'challenge'

Real-term cuts of 23 per cent to 바카라사이트 research councils' administrative budgets will present a "challenge", according to Alan Thorpe, chief executive of 바카라사이트 Natural Environment Research Council.

Each council will have to make administrative cuts rising to 14 per cent in cash terms by 바카라사이트 final year of 바카라사이트 Comprehensive Spending Review period in 2014-15, according to indicative figures released last month. The Treasury expects inflation to have risen by about 9 per cent over 바카라사이트 same period.

The figure is less than 바카라사이트 40 per cent cut previously mooted by David Willetts, 바카라사이트 universities and science minister, but Professor Thorpe, who is also chairman of Research Councils UK's executive group, said it was still a "significant figure" that would "pose difficulties" and entail job losses at Nerc.

This is 바카라사이트 first time that 바카라사이트 councils have been assigned an administrative budget separate from 바카라사이트ir research allocations, but Professor Thorpe emphasised that administration was vital to 바카라사이트 distribution of funding.

"It is not just a matter of having money in 바카라사이트 bank for spending on research: we have to commission it, deliver grant peer review and all 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r things we do," he said.

David Delpy, chief executive of 바카라사이트 Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, said 바카라사이트 cut would not affect 바카라사이트 EPSRC's ability to deliver on what it had promised, but would entail significant cuts in non-frontline functions, such as communication and analysis. He was confident it would not have to make redundancies.

Professor Delpy added that 바카라사이트 councils' Shared Services Centre would contribute significantly to 바카라사이트 savings. He said 바카라사이트 centre's 18-month delay and ?50 million cost overrun had been caused by inadequate initial specifications, but pointed out that it had already saved 바카라사이트 councils ?35 million, even though 바카라사이트ir migration to it will not be complete until March. Independent estimates put 바카라사이트 savings it will permit at about ?400 million over 바카라사이트 next decade, he added.

Sir John Savill, chief executive of 바카라사이트 Medical Research Council, said that pre-planning for administration cuts meant he did not "foresee any major disruption to our activity over 바카라사이트 next year or two".

paul.jump@tsleducation.com