APPENDIX 51
Memorandum from the Society of Chemical
Industry (SCI)
STRATEGIC SCIENCE
PROVISION IN
ENGLISH UNIVERSITIES
1. SCI (The Society of Chemical Industry)
is an interdisciplinary network connecting industry, research
and consumer affairs at all levels throughout the world, focusing
on "where science meets business". It provides opportunities
for forward-looking people in the pharmaceuticals, food, agriculture,
energy, chemicals, water, materials, environmental protection,
and construction areas to exchange ideas and gain new perspectives
through meetings, magazines, conferences, peer-reviewed journals
and electronic interaction. Founded in London in 1881 and in New
York in 1894, SCI is a membership association and registered charity.
SCI's sectoral coverage is represented by the
following diagram:
2. Countries that expect enterprises and
institutions based on science, technology and medicine (STM) to
play a significant part in their future national economy and quality
of life must expect to invest appropriately in substantial quantities
of high quality science education at all levels. Even countries
(and they are few in number) that start out from the position
that they do not need a large science base because manufacturing
and product-related innovation are not priority areas find they
struggle without a wide spread of good science education. This
is because the procurement, management and delivery of STM-related
goods and services, including healthcare, information technology,
consumer protection and environmental control, require the sophisticated
application of science related skills. In today's complex world,
shortage of such skills quickly leads to poor decision-making
on future policy and investment, and on the safe and cost-effective
provision of the sort of goods and services essential to modern
lifestyles. More typically, countries will focus their advanced
scientific education and research resources around the industrial
and service priorities of their economies. They will do this whilst
continuing to ensure excellent primary and secondary level general
science teaching to underpin occupational flexibility and responsible
approaches to personal and family decisions and wider democratic
participation.
3. Although SCI covers a wide range of disciplines
even beyond science as traditionally identified, it is indisputable
that chemistry is a core discipline throughout the spectrum of
STM activity. In addition to the large number of chemists required
for direct employment, for example in industry, primary production
and extraction, commerce, regulation, liaison and health provision,
chemistry teachers are required in large numbers to ensure the
provision of key components of a general education and professional
"formation" of those destined for a much wider range
of occupations. Chemistry is thus not a dispensable or optional
extra and a sufficient supply of inspiring teachers at all levels
is required to undertake the necessary teaching and training,
and to provide a surplus in recognition of the sort of promotion,
career development and international movement of people that always
occurs.
4. As a teaching subject at the higher education
level, chemistry relies upon the stimulus and renewal that comes
from interaction with research workers. This cannot be left to
chance, but requires spatially distributed centres of excellence
covering all of the main centres of population, and with advantage
also additional centres of excellence related to particular STM-enterprise
or—institution clusters.
5. Examples follow of the views of SCI members
in a few of the many sectors in which chemistry plays a major
part, as well as those concerned with entrepreneurship, and social
and administration aspects of higher education. This has been
undertaken at speed to meet the timetable of the Select Committee.
It is not exhaustive, either in terms of coverage or of the particular
points of emphasis.
6. SCI members in the Pharmaceutical industry
emphasise that chemistry is the core discipline in drug discovery
and development. Research-based pharmaceutical and biotechnology
industries cannot survive without the provision of well-trained
chemistry graduates in large numbers. It is also a core discipline
in other industries that pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies
rely upon, and in medicine and related disciplines. Medicine,
in particular, relies on integrated work across the sciences,
and medical breakthroughs are often based on collaborative work
between departments or the sharing of knowledge and expertise
across the sciences. The closure of chemistry facilities puts
groundbreaking medicine-related research and development under
threat. A recent speech by SCI's current World President, and
Chief Executive of AstraZeneca Sir Tom McKillop, (http://www.soci.org/SCI/groups/bsg/2004/reports/html/gs3077.jsp)
sets the pharmaceutical sector and its requirements in a global
context.
7. Examples of other vital industries and
public organisations that cannot operate without well-trained
chemists are:
— electronics (semiconductors, displays,
LEDs, memory etc);
— environmental industries;
— personal and domestic hygiene and
care;
As with pharmaceuticals, many other industrial
employers in these sectors with R&D, manufacturing and service
facilities will prefer to employ qualified nationals in these
functions. If the supply and quality is insufficient, the inevitable
tendency will be for such high tech/high knowledge/high value
functions to be fulfilled by other nationals or in other locations—clearly
an effect opposite to the long term intentions of national education
and employment strategies.
8. In relation to small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs) there is a close link between innovation and
the supply of suitable employees. Many SMEs have strong ties with
one local university department, with sometimes the majority of
their staff having been first attracted to the area by the university.
Many SMEs have actually "spun-out" of university departments
and rely on the same department for consultancy, contract work
(such as analysis) and access to lectures and conferences. The
weakening of established links to academics will have an impact
on innovation and technology transfer between academia and smaller
research organisations with limited resources. This in turn will
affect the chemistry-based industry, potentially reducing jobs
and further damaging the attractiveness of chemistry as a career
and degree subject.
9. The relationship between smaller chemistry
departments and larger departments is often of a symbiotic nature.
Many smaller departments have a reputation for producing graduates
who are attractive both to industry and to the bigger university
research departments. The majority of jobs for science graduates
including teaching are at first degree level. It follows that
provision of well-trained science graduates is a vital activity,
which must not simply be a by-product from major research schools.
A decrease in the supply of research-oriented graduates through
the uncoordinated closure of chemistry departments will have severe
consequences for both industry and the major research universities.
Smaller departments that provide good teaching as well as doing
some research and/or provide support for industry should be encouraged
and should be judged on the overall value of their provision,
not just on research and in particular not just on the level of
research income.
10. The social dimension could easily be
overlooked. The issue of access is an important one for science
degrees. Science has traditionally provided a route whereby people
from less well-off backgrounds find success. Many leading chemists
in industry and academia came from poorer backgrounds. If chemistry
degree courses were only to be accessible to the students with
the highest university entrance scores, chemistry would become
inaccessible to students who had not fully developed their academic
skills at age 18. As a consequence there would be inadequate provision
of chemists, appropriately educated for the wide range of technical
and research jobs demanded by a high-tech economy. In addition,
students increasingly attend universities in their region and
so there must be provision for sciences in every centre of the
population. Departments that concentrate on teaching could play
a big part in encouraging young people into science. If there
is no local provision they will study other subjects that are
less beneficial to the economy.
11. The provision of well-trained and motivated
graduates for science teaching represents a significant challenge
for the future if we are to attract good students into science.
Taking chemistry in Britain as an example, only 40 % of chemistry
students in years 12 and above are taught by teachers with a chemistry
degree. The fact that chemistry graduates are attractive to a
range of employers, and can benefit from well-paid careers, has
for several decades pulled chemists away from teaching as a primary
career option. The same is not necessarily true of graduates from
other disciplines for whom teaching may be the major opportunity
for employment.
12. In relation to the specific questions
about science provision in English universities posed by the Select
Committee, there has not been time to survey the opinions of all
those in the SCI membership with relevant knowledge and experience,
but the following views are thought to be reasonably typical of
those with experience of the management of medium-sized English
university departments of chemistry:
12.1 HEFCE's research funding formulae has
had a very bad effect on the financial viability of many good
university science departments. This is the opinion of many chemists,
even in "safe" departments.
12.2 The policy leading to the concentration
of research in too small a number of departments has been a mistake.
12.3 Weightings in the teaching funding
formula are to a great extent arbitrary and have resulted in a
"notional" overspend in some science departments.
12.4 All university science departments
should be expected to make provision for research. This is not
to say that every member of staff has to be both teacher and researcher,
but a healthy balance between teaching and research has paid handsome
dividends in the past. If research is not encouraged, the quality
of the science teaching at first degree level is likely to suffer.
12.5 It is important to ensure that there
is adequate provision of a regional capacity in university science
teaching and research.
12.6 The UK Government should intervene
to ensure the continuing provision of subjects of both national
and regional importance.
13. In addition, SCI has a high regard for
the data on Britain produced by the Association of British Pharmaceutical
Industries (ABPI) and the Royal Society of Chemistry, and urges
the Select Committee to accord it proper weight.
14. In summary any rationalisation of research
provision needs to be better managed and co-ordinated within England.
In assessing the research productivity of a department, account
should be taken of the other demands on staff, particularly with
low staff numbers, where teaching loads are high. A funding system
is needed that allows maintenance of good teaching departments
throughout the country, not all of which should be expected to
engage in research at the highest level. The country needs sufficient
chemistry departments suitably located geographically to satisfy
local needs and be properly funded. This will require a major
strategic review of chemistry education in the UK, and funding
needs to be provided in the very near future to stop the disintegration
of chemistry education in UK universities.
January 2005
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