Annex A
IPMS Analysis of Development Based on
"SET Statistics 2000" and "Science Budget 2000"
1. The allocation of the Science Budget
for 2001-02 to 2003-04 was announced on 22 November. The first
part of this note set out the new allocations and analyses the
implications for research in IPMS membership areas. The second
part of the note provides some analysis of "SET Statistics
2000", also published in November. There is no Forward Look
for 2000, so for SET expenditure outside the scope of the Science
Budget analysis is necessarily retrospective.
SCIENCE BUDGET
2001-02 TO 2003-04
2. The Science Budget sets out the detailed
allocation of the additional £725 million over the three
years covered by the 2000 Spending Review (SR2000). As set out
in the Science White Paper "Excellence and Opportunity"
this comprises:
— £356 million for scientific
research, of which 70 per cent is accounted for by cross-research
council programmes in genomics, e-science and basic technology
(see paragraph 5).
— £1 billion for investment in
the infrastructure of the science and engineering base, part funded
by the Wellcome Trust.
— A £140 million Higher Education
Innovation Fund
— An increase in PhD student stipends
from £6,800 in the current academic year to £9,000 in
2003-04.
— A programme of up to £4 million
a year, jointly funded by the Wolfson Foundation and Royal Society,
to assist the recruitment of up to 50 top researchers.
3. Table 1 sets out the Science Budget allocation
in cash terms. It also shows the percentage increase in component
parts of the Budget over the three year period. Figures for 2001-02
are not directly comparable with those previously published because
of a change in accounting convention to Resource Accounting and
Budgeting.
4. It is interesting to note that:
— Of the £1 billion allocation
for infrastructure investment must £100 million—amounting
to 10 per cent of the total funding— is allocated for modernisation
of research council institutes and the development of large national
science facilities (in 2002-03 and 2003-04). The remaining 90
per cent of the fund will be used for investment in universities.
— For infrastructure investment beyond
this period, the Science Budget states that OST is developing
a rolling ten year road-map for future large infrastructure projects
taking into account developments in Europe and worldwide. The
first version of this road-map will be completed this month and
the Government intends to announce in January 2001 preliminary
funding for projects to start development in the period 2001-02
to 2003-04. It is not clear whether the £68 million for capital
expenditure yet to be allocated is for this purpose.
— There is a £20 million allocation
for DIAMOND in each of the next three years. The Science Budget
states that since the decision to allocate DIAMOND at the Rutherford
Appleton Laboratory was taken in March 2000" . . . planning
for the project has been moving ahead rapidly. Management structures
for the initial phase of the project are in place, supported by
scientific and technical advisory committees, comprising both
UK and international experts to advise on the detailed specification
and design for DIAMOND. The project is now in a position to appoint
key senior personnel and is setting up a search committee to identify
both a Technical Director and Chief Executive for the DIAMOND
Joint Venture Company . . . With the headline specification agreed,
the detailed design activity is about to start, involving the
secondment of key UK design expertise from CCLRC at Daresbury
to the DIAMOND project team".
Table 1
ALLOCATION OF SCIENCE BUDGET 2001-02 TO 2003-04
| £ million | 2001-02
| 2002-03 | 2003-04
| % change to
2001-02 to
2003-04
|
| MRC | 349.614
| 371.930 | 387.151
| +10.7 |
| BBSRC | 213.987
| 232.603 | 250.151
| +16.9 |
| NERC | 192.865
| 205.414 | 216.750
| +12.4 |
| EPSRC | 436.202
| 461.540 | 489.911
| +12.3 |
| PPARC | 206.289
| 220.383 | 232.208
| +12.6 |
| ESRC | 74.447
| 82.763 | 91.533
| +23.0 |
| CCLRC | 7.421
| 8.113 | 9.952
| +34.1 |
| Research Councils' Pensions Schemes | 26.970
| 28.450 | 29.740
| +10.3 |
| Royal Society | 25.945
| 28.745 | 29.245
| +12.7 |
| Royal Academy of Engineering | 4.270
| 4.770 | 5.270
| +23.4 |
| DIAMOND | 20.000
| 20.000 | 20.000
| |
| Joint Infrastructure Fund | 125.000
| — | —
| |
| Science Research Investment Fund | —
| 125.000 | 250.000
| |
| Joint Research Equipment Initiative | 10.000
| 10.000 | 10.000
| |
| Capital (not yet allocated) | —
| 34.000 | 34.000
| |
| Higher Education Innovation Fund | 20.000
| 20.000 | 40.000
| |
| University Challenge | —
| 5.000 | —
| |
| Science Enterprise Challenge | —
| 5.000 | 10.000
| |
| Exploitation of Discoveries at PSRES | 10.000
| — | —
| |
| Cambridge MIT Institute | 14.000
| 14.000 | 14.000
| |
| Foresight Challenge | —
| 3.000 | 5.000
| |
| OST Initiatives | 3.000
| 3.100 | 3.350
| +11.7 |
| OST Admin Costs | 11.192
| 11.192 | 11.192
| 0 |
| Exchange Rate and Contingency Reserve | 15.264
| 15.464 | 16.014
| +4.9 |
| TOTAL | 1,766.467
| 1,910,467 | 2,155.467
| +22.0 |
Source: Budget 2001-02 to 2003-04.
— There is a £10 million allocation for exploitation
of discoveries at PSREs in 2001-02, presumably in support of measures
proposed in the Baker Report, but no funding allocation for later
years. The Science Budget states only that "details of the
operation of this fund are currently being developed."
CROSS-COUNCIL
RESEARCH PROGRAMMES
5. As indicated above, there are three cross-council
programmes: in genomics, e-science and basic technology. These
have a total budget allocation of £252 million over the three
years to 2003-04, of which £240 million is resource and £12
million capital. This breaks down as follows:
— £110 million for genomics, almost half of
which is allocated to the MRC. BBSRC will get £33 million,
NERC £6 million and EPSRC £13 million.
— £98 million for e-science, of which £41m
is allocated to EPSRC for high performance computing, its core-science
programme and applications in physical and engineering sciences.
The next largest beneficiary is PPARC, which will receive £26m
for applications in astronomy and particle physics—in particular
the computing for the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, BBSRC will
get £8 million, NERC £7 million, and CCLRC £5 million.
The Science Budget states that "The Councils will set specific
targets for the use of Basic Technology funds in agreement with
OST, and will report annually on progress towards these targets.
Councils may also receive some funds from other DTI budgets, and
will have to agree targets for this additional money and account
for this annually to the Department. In addition, EPSRC will receive
ring-fenced resources for the core programme on behalf of all
the Councils".
— £44 million for basic technology, £41
million of which will be held by EPSRC on behalf of all the research
councils. Expenditure of this money will be supervised by a Basic
Technology Panel covering the interests of all research councils,
but with operational management undertaken by EPSRC.
ALLOCATIONS TO
THE RESEARCH
COUNCILS
6. Table 2 shows that the effects of SR2000 additions
to baseline spending will mainly take effect from 2002. Increases
in BBSRC, NERC, EPSRC and PPARC budgets for 2001-02 are all below
the rate of inflation.
Table 2
SR2000 ADDITIONS TO BASELINE SPENDING (PER CENT CHANGES)
| Research Council | 2001-02
| 2002-03 | 2003-04
|
| | per cent
| per cent | per cent
|
| BBSRC | 1.97
| 10.83 | 19.2
|
| NERC | 0.5
| 7.04 | 12.95
|
| EPSRC | 2.58
| 8.54 | 15.2
|
| PPARC | 1.37
| 8.29 | 14.1
|
| CCLRC | 15.3
| 26.1 | 54.6
|
Source: Science Budget 2001-02 to 2003-04.
7. In relation to the specific allocations, the Science
Budget states that:
BBSRC—Areas of strategic importance include spongiform
encephalopathies and genomics research. BBSRC objectives include
ensuring that the wider life science community benefits from co-ordinated
genomics facilities established by BBSRC and enhancing the strategic
development of the bioscience base. There is a capital allocation
of £5 million in 2002-03 and 2003-04 for "new and upgraded
laboratories and facilities in its Institutes".
NERC—"NERC is developing a five to ten year vision,
which includes making its Research Centres fit for purpose and
more focused in their delivery of long-term core science in priority
areas. This requires reassessing the ratio of the Science Budget
to external funding, reducing capital liabilities and infrastructure
costs, and facilitating strategic partnerships with other bodies".
In fact there is a small decrease (£0.03m) in the funding
allocation for NERC programmes and PhD stipends in 2001-02 and
among its objectives are "further progress on the rationalisation
and restructuring programme to improve scientific capability and
collaboration whilst reducing Council's liabilities, by the end
of 2003". Three new priorities for research are identified:
rapid climate change in NW Europe; virtual centre for atmospheric
sciences; and sustainable technology". Like BBSRC, NERC will
receive £5 million in 2002-03 and 2003-04 to invest in buildings
and equipment for its research centres.
EPSRC—Most of the increase in the EPSRC budget is to
fund its contribution to the cross-council research programmes.
It will be expected to manage the e-science and basic technology
programmes on behalf of all the research councils. The work on
e-science will be supported by £9 million of capital investment.
Other objectives include encouraging scientists and engineers
from a range of disciplines to address problems in life sciences
and promoting collaboration between physical and life sciences.
PPARC—PPARC is expected to pay the UK subscription
to CERN and a large part of the subscription to the European Space
Agency. It will also negotiate entry to the European Southern
Observatory but this will require "major savings" from
PPARC's current budget. Thus there is a planned decrease in expenditure
in 2001-02 of £0.217 million and no provision at all for
additional capital expenditure over the next three years.
CCLRC—The majority of additional funding for CCLRC
is for the e-science cross-council programme. There is also provision
for £1.2 million to fund projects to enhance existing facilities
and to establish technology centres devoted to accelerator R&D
and research into instrumentation. However, in 2001-02 there will
be a decrease in planned expenditure on existing programmes of
£0.015 million. The objectives set for CCLRC include assisting
OST in the implementation phase of the Quinquennial Review.
8. SET STATISTICS 2000
9. Table 3 overleaf shows the trend in net government
expenditure on SET in real terms since 1989-90. It confirms the
major decline in departmental expenditure on SET over the last
ten years. It also shows that there will be a real increase in
expenditure next year but that for defence this will not be sustained
for the following year.
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