Memorandum submitted by Juvenile Diabetes
Research Foundation (FC 42)
SUMMARY
1. Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
(JDRF) is pleased to have this opportunity to contribute to the
Science and Technology Committee inquiry into the impact of spending
cuts on science and scientific research.
2. In our submission we have focused on
the specific aspect of the inquiry's Terms of Reference where
we have the most expertise:
— the process for deciding where to make
cuts in SET spending.
CUTS TO
SET SPENDING
3. JDRF exists to find the cure for type
1 diabetes and its complications and is the world's largest charitable
funder of type 1 diabetes research. JDRF in the UK, affiliated
to JDRF International (based in the USA), last year funded research
projects in the UK with a value of £3.8 million.
3.1 As the breadth and depth of our research
has grown in recent years, JDRF has developed a wide range of
innovative grants and awards for researchers. The nature of its
research programme actively encourages collaboration, not just
between JDRF funded researchers, but also with researchers representing
other conditions and medical research organisations and universities
as well.
3.2 JDRF is a market leader in the funding
of medical research into type 1 diabetes. We fund some of the
UK's top researchers in this area and have a highly distinctive
stem and progenitor cell research programme. The risk is that
new treatments and research areas such as these will be badly
affected by cuts to SET funding. These cuts come at a time when
other countries are boosting science budgets as a means of stimulating
the economy: France is investing €11 billion in higher education,
Germany is spending €18 billion into promoting world-class
research and in the United States, $21 billion has been allocated
for federal science spending.
3.3 The proposed cuts to SET spending may
well impact upon JDRF's ability to make grants to individual researchers.
As a small charity, we do not have the resource to set up our
own research facilities and instead fund researchers at established
universities. For JDRF to continue to fund medical research, existing
infrastructure needs to be in place. Any cuts to funding that
jeopardise this infrastructure could also jeopardise JDRF's ability
to fund at that university should the opportunity arise.
3.4 Cuts to SET spending in the area of
medical research are very likely to focus on non-priority conditions
that affect fewer people. JDRF would urge the Government not to
forget minority conditions when deciding on future university
funding budgets. Research into type 1 diabetes also has implications
for other autoimmune conditions such as coeliac disease, Multiple
Sclerosis and Graves disease amongst others. Niche markets such
as type 1 diabetes provide real opportunity for the UK to excel
as a centre of excellence.
3.5 JDRF would like to see a clear document
demonstrating which areas will be subject to cuts and which will
be ring-fenced.
January 2010
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