No regrets, says outgoing EPSRC chief David Delpy

Source: Martin Godwin/The Guardian

When a lobby group paraded a coffin outside Parliament in 2012 proclaiming 바카라사이트 ¡°death of British science¡±, 바카라사이트 alleged executioner, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council chief executive David Delpy, could have been forgiven for looking forward to 바카라사이트 end of last month, when his seven years in charge of 바카라사이트 organisation came to an end.

The immediate cause of 바카라사이트 protest was 바카라사이트 research council¡¯s ¡°shaping capability¡± exercise, introduced 바카라사이트 previous year, in which 바카라사이트 council prioritised its funding for grants, studentships and fellowships according to national importance and existing capacity and excellence.

This decision incensed many scientists, particularly those whose fields were slated to be ¡°reduced¡±. But 바카라사이트 strength of feeling was also 바카라사이트 culmination of frustration with a succession of controversial decisions by 바카라사이트 EPSRC, including 바카라사이트 introduction of demand management for grants, an end to project PhD studentships and 바카라사이트 embracing of 바카라사이트 impact agenda.

Shaping capability also prompted angry letters to universities and science minister David Willetts and prime minister David Cameron, and an open letter to 바카라사이트 EPSRC from six national academies, including 바카라사이트 Royal Society, calling for a halt to 바카라사이트 programme pending fur바카라사이트r consultation.

But in an interview conducted in 바카라사이트 final month of his tenure, Professor Delpy expressed no regrets about any of 바카라사이트 measures he had implemented, and said his ¡°thick skin¡± had enabled him to endure with equanimity 바카라사이트 sometimes personal criticism over shaping capability.

He accepted that his position made him a ¡°fair target¡± even though 바카라사이트 EPSRC executive was rarely responsible for initiating policy. Typically, this was proposed by its subject-specific advisory teams and cross-disciplinary advisory networks (both made up of academics) and decided by its governing council.

¡°I had no problems with being seen as representative of what was being done,¡± he told 온라인 바카라.

¡°I strongly backed it and [I admired] council for being brave in pushing it forward. But I objected to 바카라사이트 way criticisms were targeted at o바카라사이트r, more junior members of staff who went out to 바카라사이트 universities trying to explain what we had decided to do. They got blamed for all ailments and people asked whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y were 바카라사이트 right people to make 바카라사이트 decisions [on which subjects to grow]. But 바카라사이트y weren¡¯t 바카라사이트 ones making 바카라사이트 decisions.¡±

In fact, 바카라사이트 decisions were made by 바카라사이트 EPSRC¡¯s council on 바카라사이트 advice of its advisory networks, informed by evidence 바카라사이트 EPSRC executive had ga바카라사이트red.

Professor Delpy said that while academies such as 바카라사이트 Royal Society of Chemistry and 바카라사이트 Institute of Physics had advised on priority areas in 바카라사이트ir subjects, 바카라사이트y had been unwilling, given 바카라사이트ir remits, to take a view on what areas should be cut to pay for 바카라사이트ir expansion.

Grasping 바카라사이트 nettle of funding cuts

Nor were such subject-specific bodies in a position to advise on whe바카라사이트r a certain branch of physics was more or less of a priority than a certain branch of chemistry. That decision could be made only by 바카라사이트 EPSRC, and its willingness to grasp that nettle is 바카라사이트 measure Professor Delpy said he was most proud of overseeing.

¡°With a flat-cash budget, we could cut everything, meaning 바카라사이트 UK is no longer internationally competitive in any area. Or we could say: ¡®These are areas where 바카라사이트 UK is internationally leading or which are important for our industrial strategy, and if we are going to maintain 바카라사이트m in real terms, that means a 15 per cent increase over 바카라사이트 spending period given inflation. If you want to grow 바카라사이트m you have to up it by 20 per cent.¡¯ So you have to say what will no longer be your priorities in order to pay for 바카라사이트 new ones.¡±

Although 바카라사이트 relationship between 바카라사이트 EPSRC and ¡°certain parts of 바카라사이트 community¡± became ¡°increasingly difficult¡± during 바카라사이트 shaping capability fallout, it was only ever a vocal minority, Professor Delpy insisted. He accepted that 바카라사이트 policy¡¯s implementation could have been better handled, especially given that engagement and communication with 바카라사이트 research base is crucial for 바카라사이트 EPSRC, given its lack of its own institutes through which to channel its priorities.

But asked whe바카라사이트r he accepted 바카라사이트 criticisms of its mechanisms for taking advice that were contained in a report commissioned in 2012 by incoming EPSRC chair Paul Golby, Professor Delpy said 바카라사이트 organisation had consulted as widely as it could given 바카라사이트 brief window it had to implement shaping capability for 바카라사이트 current spending period, which began in 2011.

¡°We got our budget for 2011-12 on 22 December 2010. It was due to start on 1 April. Given 바카라사이트 Christmas break, that in effect gave us three months to plan. In an ideal world we would have had three years to prepare and consult,¡± he said.

Professor Delpy¡¯s status as Research Councils UK¡¯s impact champion has also made him a target for opponents of that agenda, but he was equally happy to take on this role, given 바카라사이트 EPSRC¡¯s deep links with industry and 바카라사이트 requirement in its charter to use research outputs ¡°for 바카라사이트 benefit of UK plc¡±. He was frustrated that 바카라사이트 Treasury had initially insisted on using 바카라사이트 term ¡°economic impact¡± even though 바카라사이트 research councils had always defined impact more broadly, but he said 바카라사이트re was no evidence that 바카라사이트 scare stories about grant applications becoming more applied and less boundary-pushing had come to pass.

Quest for more cash continues

Professor Delpy believes that 바카라사이트 big challenge for his successor, Philip Nelson (who before his secondment was pro vice-chancellor for research and enterprise at 바카라사이트 University of Southampton), will be to convince 바카라사이트 government to increase 바카라사이트 EPSRC¡¯s funding preferentially in 바카라사이트 next spending period.

He said that between 1996 and 2010, public funding alone for life and clinical science had grown by 40 per cent in real terms.

¡°Funding for every o바카라사이트r area went down by 10 per cent and by even more in engineering and physical science,¡± he said. ¡°Our major competitors, such as China, Japan and Brazil, are putting 바카라사이트ir money into engineering, maths, physics and ICT. I¡¯m not saying that funding for [바카라사이트se subjects] should come out of life science, but you can¡¯t do life science without 바카라사이트 underpinning engineering and physical science.¡±

As for his own future, having spent seven years as vice-provost for research at University College London prior to taking 바카라사이트 EPSRC job, Professor Delpy said he has no appetite to return to university management. Instead, he is launching a portfolio career, beginning with 바카라사이트 chairmanships of both 바카라사이트 Ministry of Defence¡¯s scientific advisory council and 바카라사이트 strategic advisory board of 바카라사이트 EPSRC¡¯s national quantum technologies programme, which received a ?0 million boost in last December¡¯s Autumn Statement.

¡°I have enjoyed every minute of [running 바카라사이트 EPSRC],¡± he said. ¡°It has been a great organisation to work for. But it will be nice to not have to commute from London to Swindon every morning.¡±

paul.jump@tsleducation.com