National Academies respond to Consultation on Proposals for Long-Term Capital Investment in Science and Research

The UK's four national academies - the British Academy, the Royal Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Academy of Medical Sciences - have jointly responded to the Government's Consultation on Proposals for Long-Term Capital Investment in Science and Research. You can read the Joint Academies Response to the Capital Consultation here. It focuses on the following high-level principles to guide research capital investment:

• Balanced capital investment guided by excellence.


• Long-term vision for national and international capital investment spanning at least a decade.


• Systemic approach considering the essential interdependence of capital and resources and the broader landscape of research funding.


• Comprehensive operational planning including:
  
  • Ensuring future viability through maintenance, operational provisions and upgrades.
  
  
  • Ensuring the provision of skilled staff to extract maximum value from capital investments.
  
  
  • Achieving efficiencies and maximizing returns by ensuring collaboration and business access.
  
  


• Disciplinary mix: investing in research capital to support a broad range of disciplines.

The British Academy has also issued an individual response to develop the common concerns emphasised in the joint statement, including its central proposition that research excellence should be the primary guiding principle for capital investment taking due account of a wider strategic framework. The Academy’s response gives further examples demonstrating how the principles listed above apply to humanities and social science disciplines, focusing on Big Data, advancing research efficiency and innovation, and the needs of industry and business. The British Academy capital consultation submission can be read in full here.

Professor Roger Kain, Vice-President-elect for Research and HE Policy at the British Academy, gave evidence this morning to the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee on the priorities for scientific research. The transcript of this session will be available shortly via the Committee's webpage http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/lords-select/science-and-technology-committee/.