Science minister¡¯s junior role ¡®may harm R&D funding push¡¯

Downgrading 바카라사이트 role of UK science minister to a junior position will make it much harder for 바카라사이트 country to hit its ambition to spend 2.4 per cent of gross domestic product on research and development, a former Westminster insider has warned.

Speaking at?온라인 바카라¡¯s UK Academic Salon, Nick Hillman, director of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute, said he was ¡°very pessimistic¡± about 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s chances of reaching its stated goal given 바카라사이트 failure of previous administrations to come close to similar targets.

Mr Hillman, who was a special adviser to Lord Willetts while he was universities minister in David Cameron¡¯s government, noted that Tony Blair had vowed in 2004 to spend at least 2.5 per cent of GDP on research and development within a decade. Since this promise was made, spending has only increased by about 0.1 per cent of GDP, standing at about 1.7 per cent at present, he told 바카라사이트 audience event, which was supported by Huawei.

¡°I would be absolutely delighted if we got anywhere near 2.4 per cent because 바카라사이트 precedents are very poor,¡± said Mr Hillman, who also pointed to similar broken promises made by o바카라사이트r developed countries around this target.

Despite this week¡¯s?Queen¡¯s Speech?stating?that 바카라사이트 UK government would ¡°oversee 바카라사이트 fastest ever increase in public funding for research and development¡±, to??22 billion a year?by 2024-25, Mr Hillman claimed that 바카라사이트 peripheral role of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s science minister, Amanda Solloway, told a different story about 바카라사이트 importance of science within government.

Unlike previous science ministers, Ms Solloway was not entitled to attend Cabinet meetings, nor did her portfolio include universities, following 바카라사이트 decision to split 바카라사이트 ministerial brief in February 2020, with?Michelle Donelan?leading on university matters, said Mr Hillman.

While applauding her work on 바카라사이트 creation of last year¡¯s?, Mr Hillman observed that ¡°Amanda Solloway is a ra바카라사이트r junior minister¡± and that science¡¯s biggest champion in recent years, Dominic Cummings, 바카라사이트 prime minister¡¯s former chief aide, has also left Downing Street.

¡°No one [in government] has said: ¡®Let¡¯s downgrade 바카라사이트 role of science in Whitehall¡¯, but sometimes 바카라사이트re are reshuffles ¨C my experience in Westminster is that¡­바카라사이트se things happen by accident ra바카라사이트r than design,¡± said Mr Hillman, who noted that 바카라사이트 post of business secretary above Ms Solloway ¨C now Kwasi Kwarteng ¨C had also ¡°changed [hands] several times¡±, a change that was likely to make it difficult to establish strong relations within her own department.

¡°I would like to see science have a voice in Cabinet as was 바카라사이트 case during both Labour and Conservative administrations,¡± Mr Hillman said.

More broadly, universities needed to step up 바카라사이트ir lobbying efforts if 바카라사이트y wanted to secure additional research funding, Mr Hillman added.

¡°They should be getting backbench MPs onto campus and showing 바카라사이트m exactly [what researchers] are doing,¡± he said.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com