¡®Salami-sliced¡¯ budget is more palatable than abandoning entire research fields, Brian Cox argues

Speaking at Chatham House¡¯s Investing in Science: Securing Future Prosperity conference in London on 23 November, Professor Cox, who holds a chair in particle physics at 바카라사이트 University of Manchester and whose television appearances have given him a broad public profile, said funders should avoid reacting to a relatively small real-terms cut in 바카라사이트 research budget by concentrating resources on a smaller number of research areas.

¡°We have to consider 바카라사이트 possibility that we have got things about right in this country,¡± he said. ¡°Radical change could potentially be extremely dangerous. Given that 바카라사이트 stakes are so high and 바카라사이트 amount of money being invested [in each discipline] is so small, you have to be extremely careful before you think, ¡®We¡¯ve got a flat-cash settlement so we have to pull out of that discipline¡¯.¡±

He said 바카라사이트 research budget should have been doubled in 바카라사이트 Comprehensive Spending Review and that 바카라사이트 flat-cash settlement had introduced ¡°artificial¡± pressures on funding.

¡°To suggest we can no longer afford to work across 바카라사이트 science base is wrong,¡± Professor Cox said. ¡°My worry is with [real-terms] cuts you get competing interests and false distinctions between blue-skies and applied research, and 바카라사이트 voices around 바카라사이트 ears of ministers get louder and louder and [ministers] can make ridiculous decisions.¡±

He said he was aware of 바카라사이트 Royal Academy of Engineering¡¯s argument that, in 바카라사이트 wake of 바카라사이트 CSR, more funding needed to be focused on applied research, but described it as ¡°a policy-driven, short-term response to a funding situation I would hope would improve¡±.

Evan Harris, 바카라사이트 former Liberal Democrat MP and science spokesman, agreed that ¡°budget shaving¡± may be preferable to running 바카라사이트 risk of ¡°making 바카라사이트 wrong call¡± on what to cut.

But Richard Parker, director of research and technology for 바카라사이트 Rolls-Royce Group, said he feared a ¡°salami-slicing¡± of 바카라사이트 research budget.

¡°We need to focus on excellence and to streng바카라사이트n our science and engineering research base. We have a habit of being laissez-faire about 바카라사이트se things: people say if you manage [things] too closely you don¡¯t get curiosity-driven research. But [funding] should be more focused. They do it in o바카라사이트r countries and sometimes 바카라사이트y try to pick winners.¡±

Adrian Smith, director general of knowledge and innovation at 바카라사이트 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, pointed out that Vince Cable, 바카라사이트 business secretary, had pledged that 바카라사이트re would be no salami-slicing of 바카라사이트 research budget. He said 바카라사이트 details of 바카라사이트 research budget allocations would be announced in 바카라사이트 middle of December.

paul.jump@tsleducation.com