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Research policy needs a "steady hand" report suggests

Research policy requires a “steady hand” and not tactical swings in funding from one category to the next, year after year.

That is the suggestion of a report published by the Council for Industry and Higher Education (CIHE), and the UK Innovation Research Centre Enhancing Value Task Force.

The report honed in on the relationship between business and universities, and further suggested that collaborations between the two partners should be the focus of the newly formed National Centre for Universities and Businesses, proposed as part of this year’s Wilson review.

It was demonstrated the UK has the world’s highest percentage of R&D from foreign subsidiaries.

Report authors suggested this dynamic could leave the country exposed to sudden loss of funding, or lead to a view that the UK provides higher education and research service ‘at cost’ to the world.

Mr Eyton said: “The UK has a fabulous tradition of world class inventions, and the conclusions from the Enhancing Value Task Force have identified a number of key recommendations to bolster and maintain this tradition.

“The UK is more reliant on foreign funding for research than any other industrialised nation. Finding a better way to connect UK research with UK jobs is essential if we are to seize the opportunities for growth and ensure we protect our world-leading research base.”

Elsewhere, it was recommended that strategies for specific sectors should be established to incentivise university and business interaction.

It was estimated that only 3.5% of UK R&D is conducted directly by SMEs, and the report suggested smaller firms often struggle to leverage the university funding systems.

David Docherty, chief executive of CIHE, added: “Long-term strategic commitments from Government, combined with a strategic approach to different sectors of the UK economy, are also vital if the UK is to remain internationally competitive.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .