March 30, 2021

multi-billion pound funding cuts to science

Both the Prime Minister and Chancellor have said they want the UK to become a science super power.  But this bold ambition has now hit a major hurdle in the form of the triple whammy of ODA cuts, the cost of staying in the EU Horizon scheme and the dramatic impact of covid on medical research charities.  The scientific community and universities are extremely concerned about what could amount to billions of pounds worth of cuts and are now engaged in furious lobbying to urge government to think again about this national own goal. 

Speakers included:

Sir Paul Nurse FRS FMedSci, Director, The Francis Crick Institute

Prof Sarah Main, Executive Director, Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE)

Prof Dame Anne Johnson PMedSci, President, Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS)

Prof Julia Buckingham, President of Universities UK and Vice-Chancellor of Brunel University London

Prof Sir Adrian Smith PRS, President of the Royal Society

Prof Peter Piot, Director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)

This Briefing was accompanied by an SMC Roundup of Comments.