UK¡¯s ?750 million science funding boost includes new fellowships

The UK government has unveiled a new ?250 million mid-career fellowship scheme as part of science investment commitments worth ?750 million linked to what it called 바카라사이트 ¡°excellent terms¡± it negotiated for 바카라사이트 country¡¯s return to Horizon Europe.

Under a raft of pro-science announcements unveiled in 바카라사이트 Autumn Statement on 22 November, 바카라사이트 UK will support what it describes as its ¡°new long-term world-class Discovery Fellowships backed by a ?250 million endowment¡±.

The new programme has been made possible by 바카라사이트 ¡°excellent terms for 바카라사이트 UK to associate to Horizon Europe and Copernicus, getting great value for taxpayers while maximising opportunities for researchers¡±, according to? document?which was published shortly after chancellor?Jeremy Hunt¡¯s speech to 바카라사이트 House of Commons.

¡°As a result, 바카라사이트 government can now announce ambitious investments of over ?750 million in UK R&D this financial year,¡± it adds, a likely nod to a?substantial underspend?related to a period when monies designated for Horizon Europe membership were held back.

The scheme arrives shortly after 바카라사이트?departure of George Freeman?as science minister, who had championed 바카라사이트 need for what he called?¡°really bold fellowships¡±?that could rival 바카라사이트 10-year mid-career fellowships funded by Germany¡¯s Max Planck Institutes. The proposals were also outlined in 바카라사이트?UK¡¯s Pioneer programme?¨C o바카라사이트rwise known as Plan B ¨C which would have been introduced if 바카라사이트 UK had not been able to rejoin Horizon.

However, 바카라사이트 creation of an endowment to ¡°maximise flexibility and test new funding models¡± means 바카라사이트 impact of 바카라사이트 scheme may be limited, with US university endowments returning about 6 per cent a year over 바카라사이트 past 10 years.

The ?750 million underspend will also pay for an additional ?145 million in innovation spending, which will spent ¡°through Innovate UK to support business innovation¡±, 바카라사이트 government adds.

¡°This includes ?20 million for productivity and decarbonisation of foundation industries, ?50 million for battery innovation, ?50 million for investment in Catapults, and ?25 million for innovation in critical technologies,¡± it says.

The Autumn Statement also?바카라사이트 government is ¡°awarding up to ?59 million to 15 projects, which will leverage significant additional private funding from 바카라사이트 sector, representing an expected ?100 million of new private/public investment in space research and development infrastructure¡±.

An extra ?25 million will also be spent on science infrastructure through Public Sector Research Establishments, while an additional ?50 million will be spent via 바카라사이트 Future Fund Breakthrough Programme to help 바카라사이트 ¡°UK¡¯s most intensive R&D companies to scale up¡±.

The government has also published its response to Sir Paul Nurse¡¯s?wide-ranging review of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s research landscape?which called on 바카라사이트 government to ¡°take account of 바카라사이트 true cost of ¡®end-to-end¡¯ research activity¡±, and consider a move towards full economic costing of research which is usually loss-making for universities.

On this key point,??said it ¡°recognises 바카라사이트 challenges of financial sustainability for organisations¡± but said only that ¡°any changes to 바카라사이트 funding framework for research, as recommended by 바카라사이트 review, will need to be considered in 바카라사이트 context of a future spending review¡±.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com