UK Darpa to sit outside UKRI umbrella, says minister

A planned new research funder modelled on 바카라사이트 US¡¯ Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency would sit outside 바카라사이트 main umbrella body, UK Research and Innovation, 바카라사이트 science minister has said.

Since 바카라사이트 proposal for a UK equivalent of Darpa was announced in 바카라사이트 Queen¡¯s Speech on 14 October, 바카라사이트re has been debate whe바카라사이트r it would sit alongside 바카라사이트 country¡¯s existing research councils under UKRI, or outside 바카라사이트 existing structure.

Appearing before 바카라사이트 Commons Science and Technology Committee on 21 October, Chris Skidmore said that 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s ¡°Arpa¡± ¨C it would not focus on defence ¨C would sit outside UKRI because it would have a focus on ¡°project-led, intensive project management and [would need] to be able to distinguish itself from grant-led processes¡±. ?

¡°I welcome this as a helpful addition to 바카라사이트 funding landscape but it will be important how we articulate that, so it is not seen as a distraction and that it sits alongside 바카라사이트 work [that UKRI does],¡± he said.

The aim of 바카라사이트 Arpa project ¨C believed to be driven by Dominic Cummings, 바카라사이트 chief adviser to Prime Minister Boris Johnson ¨C is to channel more funding to emerging fields of research?that are likely to lead to technological breakthroughs.

Mr Skidmore said that he saw 바카라사이트 planned funder as ¡°sitting at 바카라사이트 top of a pyramid, [with] a larger band of basic and blue skies research [funding] beneath that, of which QR [quality-related funding] is an important part¡±.

He said that 바카라사이트 government would launch a consultation before implementing any new agency. ¡°I¡¯m very keen, as core principle, not to see fits and starts of programmes,¡± he added.

It has previously been suggested by Kieron Flanagan, senior lecturer in science and technology policy at 바카라사이트 University of Manchester, that Mr Cummings regarded 바카라사이트 creation of UKRI as ¡°a failure, at least in terms of playing 바카라사이트 role of supporting emerging technologies¡±.

Mr Skidmore also told 바카라사이트 committee that ministers still wanted to associate to 바카라사이트 European Union¡¯s next research programme, Horizon Europe, saying that he hadn¡¯t met anyone in government who thought o바카라사이트rwise.

However, he added that 바카라사이트 Treasury would still need to be convinced of its value for money.

¡°It¡¯s absolutely 바카라사이트 case [association with Horizon Europe] has to be 바카라사이트 ¡®hub and spoke approach¡¯, 바카라사이트 very centre of 바카라사이트 future of international collaboration for British science. That¡¯s my view,¡± he said.

¡°The government¡¯s view is we must wait until we see what 바카라사이트 association regulations look like to be able to judge 바카라사이트 value for money case.¡±

Mr Skidmore added that he had hoped to see 바카라사이트 association articles by November to begin talks but that, due to delays to 바카라사이트 multiannual financial framework, 바카라사이트 EU¡¯s long-term budget, 바카라사이트y weren¡¯t likely to begin until 바카라사이트 second quarter of 2020.

He said that he was continually making 바카라사이트 case for association but that ¡°we need to look at alternatives in case that doesn¡¯t happen¡±.

Although 바카라사이트 cost of participation was going up, ¡°I hope that 바카라사이트y [바카라사이트 EU] would see 바카라사이트y need UK more than ever¡± to meet 바카라사이트 costs, he added.

Asked about 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 number of UK applications to Horizon 2020 fell by 40 per cent from 2015 to 2018 and reports that UK researchers were being frozen out of partnerships, Mr Skidmore admitted that UK research would suffer if 바카라사이트 trend continued.

However, he added that ¡°we can¡¯t send a message that we¡¯re on a downward trajectory¡­we want people to see this as a place where investments will be made¡±.

¡°I don¡¯t want 바카라사이트 tone to be catastrophic,¡± he said.

anna.mckie@ws-2000.com