Memorandum submitted by Cancer Research
UK
ABOUT CANCER
RESEARCH UK
Cancer Research UK[55]
is leading the world in finding new ways to prevent, diagnose
and treat cancer. We are the largest independent funder dedicated
to cancer research in the world. Over half of all cancer research
in the UK is carried out by our doctors and scientists. We receive
no Government funding for our research and our work is entirely
funded by the public. In 2009-10 we spent £334 million on
research, supporting the work of more than 4,000 scientists, doctors
and nurses.
Cancer Research UK funds research into all aspects
of cancer from exploratory biology to clinical trials of novel
and existing drugs as well as epidemiological studies and prevention
research.
Much of our research is carried out on an international
scale, through collaboration with researchers throughout the world.
We rely on a strong supply of international researchers, including
those from outside the EU, to drive our research. Cancer Research
UK has five core funded research institutes all of which host
international scientists dedicated to cancer research. With an
increasing move towards large scale science, it is more important
than ever to invest in and foster collaborations in the UK and
across the world.
Medical research makes vital contributions to
the health of the nation; however it also makes an important contribution
to UK prosperity. A pound of public money spent on medical research
stimulates much more than a pound of additional private sector
research and together they generate increased GDP for the UK.[56]
INQUIRY TERMS
OF REFERENCE
Cancer Research UK understands that the Home
Affairs select committee has met with representatives of British
business to discuss the introduction of a temporary cap on non-EU
economic migration, and proposals for the introduction of a permanent
cap from April 2011. We would also urge the committee to consider
how this cap will influence science and technology in the UK.
We and others across the science base recruit internationally
to bring in vital skills and expertise that can not be satisfied
through British or EU employment alone.
Overall, on proposals to limit non-EU economic migration,
Cancer Research UK would like to see:
— Highly skilled scientists added to the
list of exemptions for Tiers 1 and 2, alongside ministers of religion,
elite sports persons, entrepreneurs and innovators.
— Science and research skills recognised
through the Points Based System.
On specific questions:
The impact a cap on non-EU economic migration
would have on the ability of UK business and industries to recruit
the skills and staff they require
We would like to call to the committee's attention
the need to consider the ability of UK science to recruit the
skills and staff that they require.
The role of international scientists in cancer
research
A cap on non-EU migration would restrict the UK's
ability to participate in important international scientific collaborations,
many of which rely on the international flow of researchers. It
will impact on our ability to recruit and retain the world's leading
cancer researchers.
Cancer Research UK recruits the best scientists with
a proven track record in their field. In our five year research
strategy, published last year, we identified a need to make strategic
recruitments into our institutes and centres from overseas in
specific science areas, such as imaging, small molecule drug discovery
and epidemiology.
Of the 44 group leaders currently hosted at
the internationally renowned London Research Institute, 7 are
from outside the EU, including representatives from the USA, Canada,
Australia, Japan and Argentina.
Any reduction in skills that results from a
limit to non-EU migration will have a profound effect on the future
of the research base, and ultimately on the strength of the economy.
Medical research strongly contributes not only
to the health of the nation, but also to its prosperity. Any measures
that make it more difficult to attract researchers to the UK,
whether funded by the public, charity or industrial sectors, will
be detrimental to the strength of the science and research base
and consequently could be damaging for the economy.
In order to achieve our goals, Cancer Research
UK needs the best biomedical scientists and the best clinical
researchers, including both those that are established as experts
in their field to lead research groups, and researchers at the
early stages of their career, who are in the process of developing
these expertises. We need to make strategic recruitments to drive
clinical and translational research, to address the scarcity of
suitably qualified clinical and translational academics in the
UK.
We would prefer to see a more selective system
which favours skills and qualifications most likely to generate
long term economic benefit for the UK.
The numbers of skilled and non-skilled migrants
likely to be affected by a cap on Tiers 1 and 2
Currently, Cancer Research UK brings individuals
in to the UK via the Tier 2 Resident Labour Market test which
does not recognise scientific researchers as a specific category.
The number of non-EU scientists recruited can vary
dramatically from year to year depending on the needs of the science.
To pick a single example, the temporary cap
has already had profound implications for Cancer Research UK's
Beatson Institute for Cancer Research in Glasgow. Over the last
three years, the Beatson Institute has welcomed on average five
(highest seven, smallest four) non-EU researchers per year on
Tier 2 visas, amounting to 5% of the Beatson's research staff,
to contribute to our valuable research to find new ways to prevent,
diagnose and treat cancer.
Under the temporary cap, the Institute has been
allocated one Tier 2 visa to be issued before March 2011. As it
stands, there are three researchers who need their contracts renewed,
and three prospective researchers who have been recruited to fulfil
specific roles within the Institute. The Beatson now faces the
very real possibility that these researchers will not be able
to continue their work and they will have to renege on other existing
agreements.
The three new researchers that are affected
include an Australian who is about to start a post-doctoral research
project on non-apoptotic cell death mechanism; a post-doctoral
researcher from Israel, with significant experience in elucidating
the effects of changes in metabolism on tumour cell development
(this is a relatively new, but increasingly important, area of
research, and talented people with suitable experience are rare);
and an American researcher who has been recruited to research
the control of kinase activity, having recently completed a PhD
in this area.
The individuals looking to renew their visas
have been working on their projects for several years. During
this time they have developed unique expertise and insight in
their particular area of cancer research. It is unrealistic to
assume that they can be replaced by British scientists, and there
is a distinct danger that the projects will be severely disrupted,
and the time and money already expended will have been wasted.
The impact and effectiveness of a "first
come, first served", a pool, or an auction, system for skilled
migrants under Tier 2
Cancer Research UK firmly believe that highly
skilled scientists should be are added to the list of exemptions
for Tiers 1 and 2, alongside ministers of religion, elite sports
persons, entrepreneurs and innovators, in which case they should
not be restricted by any of the proposed systems.
The implications of merging the Resident Labour
Market Test and Shortage Occupation Lists
We believe that there are several disadvantages to
merging the Shortage Occupation and Resident Labour test routes.
The benefit of recruiting international researchers
to the UK is not limited to filling a skills shortage that could
not be met by British workers. The nature of research relies heavily
on international collaboration. Researchers that enter the UK
with previous experience in different research environments will
bring with them a wealth of expertise and training that will differ
from the UK research environment. By introducing these skills
and expertise into UK research groups, our own knowledge will
be enriched.
The entire process of international collaboration
and sharing of ideas strengthens the UK science base in a way
that would not be achieved by solely recruiting researchers from
a UK background. Bringing in non-EU staff not only produces direct
research benefits, but can also help to raise the standard of
EU-based research staff by contributing to their training which
will, in turn, create a lasting benefit for the UK.
Cancer Research UK often attracts staff from
the USA, for whom the move to the UK is not for "economic
migration". Often these individuals take a reduction in their
personal income in order to be able to experience and contribute
to the UK academic community for a specific period of time.
International collaboration not only increases
the rate of research progress, but it can also aid the commercialisation
of results which is of benefit to the UK.
Inability to bring in new skills from around
the world to train others in the UK may result in a `brain drain'
of UK based students and early career scientists seeking development
elsewhere.
Whether dependents should be included in the cap,
and the effect of including them
We need to make sure that specialists are not
discouraged from moving to the UK because of the threat that their
family life might be disrupted. This may also have the perverse
incentive of encouraging favourable selection of migrants without
dependants, rather than focusing on recruiting the brightest and
the best. We would therefore recommend against including dependants
towards the limit.
September 2010
55 Registered charity no 1089464. Back
56
Health Economics Research Group, Office of Health Economics and
RAND Europe (2008) Medical Research: What's it Worth? Estimating
the economic benefits from medical research in the UK. London:
UK Evaluation Forum. Back
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