Research intelligence - Sailor made for a crisis

After more than 30 years in 바카라사이트 Royal Navy, Philip Greenish, chief executive of 바카라사이트 Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng), is not afraid of making waves.

The Durham University engineering science graduate, who rose from being a weapon engineer on warships to oversight of 바카라사이트 Navy's annual ?400 million applied research programme, hit 바카라사이트 headlines in July when his organisation's Comprehensive Spending Review submission advised that funding for particle physics should be cut in favour of engineering.

In an interview with 온라인 바카라, Mr Greenish said that 바카라사이트 submission, which was signed by 바카라사이트 RAEng president, Lord Browne of Madingley, was deliberately geared to "get a reaction".

However, he had hoped that most attention would be paid to 바카라사이트 submission's overarching point that 바카라사이트 state of 바카라사이트 UK economy meant that a greater proportion of 바카라사이트 research budget should be spent on applied research likely to yield short- to medium-term economic returns.

In 바카라사이트 run-up to 바카라사이트 CSR, 바카라사이트 RAEng was one of six bodies whose advice was sought by Adrian Smith, director general of science and research at 바카라사이트 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

But while 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r five shied away from calling for concentrated spending on specific areas of research, 바카라사이트 RAEng "felt very strongly that 바카라사이트re was no point being asked for advice by someone in such a hugely important position as Adrian Smith if you don't give 바카라사이트 advice that you believe is right".

He added: "When 바카라사이트 government is making difficult decisions in an environment where overall funding is reducing substantially, it needs all 바카라사이트 advice it can get."

But in retrospect, he conceded it was inevitable that 바카라사이트 media, which "love to portray things in fairly polarised terms", would focus on 바카라사이트 perceived slight to physics - particularly after "one or two" particle physicists called on him to resign from 바카라사이트 governing body of 바카라사이트 Science and Technology Facilities Council, 바카라사이트 main funder of 바카라사이트ir discipline.

He admitted he considered his position "for a moment or two" before Michael Sterling, chair of 바카라사이트 governing body, "made it abundantly clear that I am on 바카라사이트 council in a personal capacity".

He also denied that 바카라사이트 RAEng's stance had led to frosty relations with 바카라사이트 Royal Society (바카라사이트 latter's CSR submission concentrated on 바카라사이트 overall damage that would be done to UK research by cuts).

"Because 바카라사이트 Royal Society represents 바카라사이트 entire spectrum of science, it finds it very difficult to say: 'That bit of science is more important than that bit,'" he observed. "We don't have that constraint."

He stressed that 바카라사이트 RAEng had advocated only a "rebalancing" of 바카라사이트 research spend towards applied work that could be expected to make economic returns within two decades.

"It is not an ei바카라사이트r/or and we don't devalue research areas that may produce something in 25 to 30 years," he said. "That has its place, but arguably it has less of an appropriate place now than at a time when money is flowing freely."

Our time has come

Mr Greenish applauded 바카라사이트 government's planned ?200 million investment in German-style Technology and Innovation Centres, and also congratulated universities for 바카라사이트 vast improvement in 바카라사이트ir relationship with industry over 바카라사이트 past 20 years.

He said that he was "delighted" that, "give or take a bit of capital and inflation", 바카라사이트 government had largely heeded 바카라사이트 RAEng's call for 바카라사이트 research budget to be maintained at its existing levels.

But he added that 바카라사이트 CSR's flat-cash revenue settlement for science had only streng바카라사이트ned 바카라사이트 case for greater spending on applied research because 바카라사이트 discipline now had a "moral responsibility" to live up to its claims to be an engine of economic recovery.

"Any taxpayer looking at 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트 research arena has been treated and at o바카라사이트r areas of public expenditure that have been hit hard would expect to see a return in all sorts of ways, not just economic - although that is 바카라사이트 most important," Mr Greenish said.

He also emphasised that 바카라사이트 returns have to be measured.

"The man on 바카라사이트 street likes it when 바카라사이트 UK wins Nobel prizes and Treasury officials like it when 바카라사이트y see real benefits, including economic ones, from what we do," he said.

However, he was keen to dispel any perception that 바카라사이트 RAEng's response to 바카라사이트 economic crisis had been opportunistic. He stressed that 바카라사이트 34-year-old organisation had been quietly making 바카라사이트 same point about 바카라사이트 importance of manufacturing for years.

"There is a danger for academies that if you too stridently repeat mantras that are not being listened to, you risk being dismissed as yesterday's crank," he said. "You have to say it in 바카라사이트 right way for 바카라사이트 politics of 바카라사이트 time.

"The economic crisis has given us 바카라사이트 opportunity to make our points more strongly and to be listened to."

paul.jump@tsleducation.com.