Memorandum from the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office
IMPLICATIONS OF
THE FCO'S
NEW STRATEGIC
FRAMEWORK FOR
THE SCIENCE
AND INNOVATION
NETWORK
In his Written Statement of 23 January 2008
the Foreign Secretary reported the conclusions of the Strategy
Refresh launched in July 2007. The purpose of reviewing the FCO's
Strategy was to ensure that the FCO focussed its effort and resources
on those areas of greatest interest to the United Kingdom on which
the Department could add greatest value. The revised strategy
was developed following consultation with the FCO's key stakeholders
at home and overseas.
The key elements of the new Strategic Framework
are:
— Provision of a flexible global network
of overseas Posts, serving the whole of the British Government.
— Four new policy goals: countering
terrorism and weapons proliferation and their causes; promoting
a low carbon, high growth, global economy; preventing and resolving
conflict; and developing effective international institutions,
above all the United Nations and the European Union.
— Delivery of three essential services:
supporting the British economy (UK Trade and Investment); helping
British nationals abroad (consular operations) and managing migration
(in collaboration with the new UK Borders Agency).
These will constitute the FCO's Departmental
Strategic Objectives for the period 2008-11. In order to maximise
the outcomes delivered, the FCO has to prioritise its resources,
while also meeting 5% annual reduction in its administration budget.
Consequently, the FCO is obliged to reduce its investment in some
other areas of work.
The FCO recognises the valuable contribution
of the Science and Innovation Network to the work of Parliament,
several Government Departments and the wider public sector. At
present, Science and Innovation teams in Posts overseas carry
out work on behalf of several Government Departments, the Research
Councils, a number of Parliamentary Select Committees, Learned
Societies, the Devolved Administrations and the English Regional
Development Agencies, as well as a number of UK universities and
companies. Currently this service is funded entirely by the FCO.
In the period 2008-11, the FCO will continue to fund a significant
part of the Science and Innovation Network. However, the FCO considers
its own requirement could be met with a smaller Science and Innovation
Network.
The cost of the network in 2008-09 will be approximately
£5.4 million, excluding overhead costs. The FCO will meet
all of these costs while future funding issues are considered.
This funds around 95 full time equivalent staff in 39 Posts in
24 countries (of which some 21 full time equivalent positions
are filled by UK-based staff, the rest being locally engaged staff).
The FCO also funds seven full-time equivalent positions in the
London management unit, responsible for business planning, performance
metrics, finance, links with UK stakeholders, recruitment and
training. The London unit also acts as the science team for the
FCO as a whole. Additionally, the FCO will invest £1 million
of programme funding in 2008-09 to support the work of the Network.
The FCO is discussing how other Departments
and public bodies might contribute to the funding of the Network
and its activities with a view to maintaining its integrity. These
discussions are both direct with other Government Departments
and in the Global Science and Innovation Forum (GSIF), chaired
by the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser. The FCO is also
discussing with them future arrangements for governance and management
of the Network.
February 2008
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