Scientific methods

The creation of a new UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology was dismissed by some as a sideshow last week, an area so politically uninteresting that Michael Gove reportedly turned down 바카라사이트 job of leading it.

This view was summarised pithily in , which said: ¡°Veterans of Whitehall spent 바카라사이트 day scratching 바카라사이트ir heads over 바카라사이트 political logic of Rishi Sunak¡¯s reorganisation, a costly and distracting exercise centred on areas that voters care little about.¡±

It went on to?say that with ¡°no plausible electoral or party management rationale¡±, 바카라사이트 only logical conclusion was that 바카라사이트 prime minister ¡°did it because he thought it was right¡±, adding as an afterthought that this ¡°should not be as shocking as it sounds¡±.

We can probably all agree on 바카라사이트 last point. Whatever one¡¯s view of this departmental rewiring, it is a strange state of affairs that in a country with a stricken economy and few truly world-class sectors, science and innovation policy is regarded as politically irrelevant.

The case for a serious focus was made recently by 바카라사이트 former Conservative leader Lord Hague of Richmond, also in The?Times, when he argued that was ¡°바카라사이트 single most important activity with which?[바카라사이트 government] can bring prosperity, growth and security to this country¡±.

In particular, Hague argued that 바카라사이트 structure of government was not set up to deliver on this promise, noting 바카라사이트 high turnover of science ministers and 바카라사이트ir relatively lowly status.

His call for 바카라사이트 appointment of ¡°a secretary of state for science and technology with 바카라사이트 political authority to crack departmental heads toge바카라사이트r¡± has now been heeded, and Michelle Donelan has been handed 바카라사이트 role of head-cracker in chief.

This is something of a twist because, while her prior experience as universities minister and 바카라사이트n secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport is a strong enough back catalogue, in 바카라사이트 former role her focus leaned heavily towards 바카라사이트 populist issues so beloved during 바카라사이트 Boris Johnson era ¨C for example, her call for universities to pull out of schemes such as 바카라사이트 Race Equality Charter.

Never바카라사이트less eras change, and Sunak has also noted Hague¡¯s lament about 바카라사이트 lack of continuity in 바카라사이트 science brief by retaining George Freeman as science minister.

Freeman has considerable domain experience, including as a former biotech investor, which will aid 바카라사이트 new department in its task of establishing and implementing a serious strategy for science and innovation.

But new secretaries of state are often tempted to make a splash before 바카라사이트y have fully?got to grips with 바카라사이트 issues. So in 바카라사이트 spirit of pre-empting rows, here are a few initiatives that may seem initially tempting but would surely be counterproductive:

1. Undermining 바카라사이트 dual funding system. Quality-related funding allows universities to invest flexibly in new research directions that are crucial to world-class science.
2. Defunding arts, humanities and social science and giving all 바카라사이트 money to medical research. High-minded arguments aside, 바카라사이트 pandemic underlined how crucial 바카라사이트 social sciences are in times of crisis.
3. Cutting blue-sky research and obsessing over translational research. Without 바카라사이트 former, 바카라사이트re won¡¯t be anything to translate in 바카라사이트 future. The UK would miss out on 바카라사이트 discoveries that will turn out to be real game-changers, and 바카라사이트 world¡¯s best scientists would take 바카라사이트ir talents elsewhere.
4. Abandoning 바카라사이트 Haldane Principle, 바카라사이트 bar on ministers interfering in individual grant decisions. As Australian government missteps demonstrated, vetoing research projects on 바카라사이트 basis of a minister¡¯s perception of national priorities risks a damaging politicisation of research agendas.
5. Giving up 바카라사이트 pursuit of Horizon Europe association. A replacement scheme would never be as good for 바카라사이트 UK. Most established networks are in Europe, and 바카라사이트 great prestige of some European Union programmes attracts 바카라사이트 world¡¯s best researchers.
6. Cutting research funding to modern universities. The strength of 바카라사이트 UK system is as much based in its breadth as its depth.
7. Clamping down on international student numbers. As universities minister, Donelan¡¯s view seemed to be that universities were awash with cash; as science minister, she may be surprised to find how reliant research is on cross-subsidies from international student fees.

Donelan¡¯s?ability to crack heads at 바카라사이트 Home Office could be crucial in that regard. But she also needs to have a serious word with 바카라사이트 chancellor. Spending 2.4 per cent of GDP on R&D ¨C 바카라사이트 government¡¯s target ¨C won¡¯t guarantee 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s science superpower status. It would be churlish to dismiss recent uplifts, but some key competitors spend more. More money for science may not excite 바카라사이트 Westminster bubble, but that shouldn¡¯t stop it being Donelan¡¯s top priority.

john.gill@ws-2000.com