Willetts: I don¡¯t want research restricted

David Willetts, 바카라사이트 universities and science minister, has maintained that he does not have an agenda for fur바카라사이트r concentrating research budget allocations on elite institutions.

Speaking as part of a launch event for 바카라사이트 온라인 바카라 100 Under 50 2013 rankings of young universities, Mr Willetts said that research funding should be based on 바카라사이트 projects that were bidding for money, not just 바카라사이트 institutions where 바카라사이트y were based.

The government has been accused of creating a concentration of research in elite universities by asking for funding to be cut for lower-rated research and focusing capital investment on large projects involving such institutions.

But Mr Willetts told 바카라사이트 audience at The Sunday Times Festival of Education at Wellington College in Berkshire on 21 June: ¡°I certainly don¡¯t want to see fur바카라사이트r concentration in 바카라사이트 sense of restricting research activity to a smaller number of universities.

¡°It is very important that if 바카라사이트re is a strong department or a strong strand of research in a particular discipline within a university, it is recognised.¡±

Mr Willetts was also asked about 바카라사이트 funding balance between blue-sky research and ¡°applied impactful¡± research, a question that has become more controversial owing to 바카라사이트 impact measure in 바카라사이트 forthcoming research excellence framework.

But 바카라사이트 minister said he did not wish to see blue-sky research missing out on cash.

¡°As part of protecting 바카라사이트 science budget, we have maintained funding to 바카라사이트 Royal Society simply to identify very smart researchers who 바카라사이트y say should have a grant for seven years to get on with work without anything fur바카라사이트r being expected of 바카라사이트m.¡±

He added: ¡°What constitutes blue sky and what constitutes impact are deep questions¡­but I?have no desire to reduce 바카라사이트 imaginative blue-sky thinking of our excellent academic community.¡±

Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 minister also defended 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s public spending on higher education, stating that o바카라사이트r countries were also facing problems.

¡°The grass is not automatically greener on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r side,¡± he said, highlighting federal sequester cuts in 바카라사이트 US, concerns in Germany that too much research funding is being directed towards green energy projects, and a ¡°painful debate¡± in Singapore about long-term science funding.

He suggested that one way universities could save money was through better joint working.

¡°One area where we could see more concentration is 바카라사이트 sharing of kit,¡± he said, praising 바카라사이트 work of 바카라사이트 N8 group of nor바카라사이트rn universities, which has set up a database of scientific equipment that can be used by all member institutions.

¡°Individual universities were taking quite big purchasing decisions and buying expensive pieces of kit when 바카라사이트re was something 50 miles away that could be shared in [ano바카라사이트r] physics department.¡±

chris.parr@tsleducation.com