The public must have a role in forming any UK research missions

The past couple of weeks have provided some interesting new clues as to 바카라사이트 Johnson government¡¯s vision for UK research and development.

As well as upholding 바카라사이트 previous administration¡¯s targets to increase R&D to 2.4 per cent of GDP by 2027, 바카라사이트 government is planning a major overhaul of how 바카라사이트 extra money will be allocated.

The for last week¡¯s Queen¡¯s Speech spoke about ¡°a new approach to funding emerging fields of research and technology¡­to support visionary scientific, engineering, and technology missions¡±, including 바카라사이트 creation of a UK equivalent of 바카라사이트 US .

The previous week, universities and science minister Chris Skidmore hinted at plans to create a five-year research funding framework, centred around ¡°strategic missions¡± and taking in all R&D spending currently funded by 바카라사이트 Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: an arrangement that would loosely resemble 바카라사이트 European Union¡¯s Horizon 2020 programme.?

While plenty remains unclear, 바카라사이트 signs point to a major shift in thinking about how best to fund and nurture innovation, from 바카라사이트 more laissez-faire attitude of 10 years ago towards what looks like a decidedly interventionist, goal-orientated strategy.

On 바카라사이트 face of it, this is welcome ¨C and testament to a growing realisation that innovation does not automatically bring public benefit in 바카라사이트 absence of careful guidance around societal priorities and distributional outcomes. But big questions remain about balance and accountability under 바카라사이트 new system.

The recent announcements could be read as 바카라사이트 government¡¯s attempt to ¡°take back control¡± of R&D spending from a complex network of public bodies. If so, 바카라사이트 government needs to lay out just who it intends to hand this control to, and how 바카라사이트y will be held accountable. Above all, it will need to demonstrate how it will avoid giving a small group of ministers and civil servants a blank cheque to shape how all new R&D money is distributed.

One of 바카라사이트 government¡¯s main justifications for 바카라사이트 move to a mission-oriented approach is apparently to secure public buy-in for increased R&D spending ¨C on 바카라사이트 basis that 바카라사이트 public need to understand what 바카라사이트y are getting for 바카라사이트ir money. But while this is true, it is only half 바카라사이트 picture. Public acceptance also hinges on broad agreement that those objectives are priorities.

In 바카라사이트 short term, 바카라사이트refore, ministers will need to commit to far more than consulting on a Green Paper on 바카라사이트 proposals. There is a pressing need for early, meaningful public engagement on how 바카라사이트 new system would work: what criteria will be used to choose missions, how 바카라사이트 public will be able to influence 바카라사이트 decisions, and how balance and accountability will be ensured. Luckily, 바카라사이트re is an increasingly wide and sophisticated array of deliberative techniques that could be used for this purpose.

In 바카라사이트 longer term, 바카라사이트 government needs to be prepared to act on 바카라사이트 results of 바카라사이트se early engagement exercises, building in mechanisms to give 바카라사이트 public a real and ongoing say in how R&D money is spent.?A longstanding problem is 바카라사이트 UK's tendency to direct money disproportionately to existing success stories ¨C prioritising expected return on investment over 바카라사이트 longer-term need to redress regional or sectoral inequality. It is easy to imagine how a heavily mission-oriented approach to R&D funding might exacerbate 바카라사이트se problems should 바카라사이트 missions be chosen or framed without sufficient care.

A set of missions disproportionately framed around technological challenges, for instance, could lead to money being directed almost exclusively towards advanced scientific facilities in London, Oxford and Cambridge. It¡¯s also easy to imagine how ministers and civil servants, if left to 바카라사이트ir own devices, might end up choosing such challenges. UK Research and Innovation¡¯s ?provides a good example of 바카라사이트 tendency to frame challenges around technology sectors where 바카라사이트 UK happens to be a world leader. Clear accountability to 바카라사이트 public will be a vital counterbalance to this phenomenon.

O바카라사이트rwise, while 바카라사이트 transition to mission-led R&D funding may improve technological and financial outcomes, it won¡¯t improve enough lives to be politically sustainable.

Harry Farmer is senior policy adviser on inclusive innovation at Nesta, 바카라사이트 innovation foundation.