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Senior figures call for action on funding, human capital, EU relations, bureaucracy and NHS research
Anna Vignoles: Fix the crisis, focus on skills
I have two priorities for the new government: one urgent, the other ambitious.
First, efforts to boost our research and innovation need to recognise the interconnectedness of the different parts of the university system. The current model has unsustainable funding baked in: insufficient domestic fees, cross-subsidy from international students, and not covering the full cost of research. Without swift and decisive action to give higher education a sustainable financial model, we’ll see a long-term decline in our institutions and research base.
Second, investment in skills must go hand in hand with investment in R&D. Otherwise, fantastic research will be undertaken elsewhere, in countries with more skilled populations. It’s perhaps not immediately apparent, but UK research and innovation is being held back by technician shortages, teacher shortages, and a lack of investment in further education, to name but a few.
We need a workforce—homegrown and from elsewhere—with the breadth and depth of skill required for a rapidly changing environment. Yet education for post-16 students is unusually narrow compared with other countries, with an unhelpful divide between science and other subjects. Post-16 education needs reform to boost basic skills for some, strengthen the vocational training offer, and give graduates a broader range of skills, regardless of their academic discipline.
We cannot be a world leader in research and innovation without sustaining world-leading institutions and talent. The social benefits from education and research underscore the need for robust state support to achieve this.
Anna Vignoles is chief executive of the Leverhulme Trust
Andrew Morris: Lead on investment, make visas cheaper, boost NHS research
Britain is a world leader in innovation and health research. Labour must show the scientific community that it is committed to placing research and innovation at the heart of its mission-driven government to drive growth and improve lives. That should include a goal to lead the G7 in R&D investment. As it stands, UK R&D investment is not internationally competitive.
Success in research and innovation also means attracting skilled people from around the world, but at present international talent faces extortionate visa costs. A family of four coming to the UK to take up a PhD-level role on a five-year skilled worker visa faces up to £24,000 in upfront fees—far higher than competitor nations.
This negates any claim to be open to international scientific talent; researchers, patients and the economy are paying the price. The new government should make turning the page on this damaging policy an urgent priority.
The NHS is an unparalleled hub for medical research, delivering breakthroughs such as a Covid-19 vaccine. However, we’re not fully harnessing its power. Labour must commit to cultivating a new generation of leaders, including reversing the decline in clinical academics—the doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals who bridge universities and the NHS. By ring-fencing staff time for research and reinvesting the income generated, we’ll keep the NHS at the forefront of medical innovation, improving patient care and powering economic growth.
Andrew Morris is president of the Academy of Medical Sciences
Jan Palmowski: Build links within Europe
In relation to the EU, the new UK government must focus on three linked priorities.
First, it must commit to association with the successor to the current Horizon Europe R&D programme, Framework Programme 10. Domestically, making higher education funding sustainable will be a top priority, but this cannot crowd out efforts to strengthen European and global links in research and innovation. We need our best minds to address our common challenges, and for this researchers and their institutions need long-term stability.
Second, rejoining Erasmus+ would be a perfect way to reset the relationship with the EU. At its core, Erasmus+ is about young people’s personal growth and fulfilment. The UK’s insistence on a financial rate of return from the programme always baffled Brussels. As well as benefitting students immeasurably, British participation in Erasmus+ would show that the UK sees itself again as part of the European family of nations.
These two actions would build trust and influence critical for a third domain—research security and intellectual property. One focus of the next framework programme will be shoring up Europe’s competitiveness and security in critical technologies. Questions about IP sharing, research security, and protocols for international collaboration will become even more important.
Finding agreement and trust in these areas will take time. The sooner the UK and the EU start developing a common understanding and robust common protocols, the more transformative their collaboration in research and innovation—and higher education—can be.
Jan Palmowski is professor of modern history at the University of Warwick, and will resume his role as secretary-general of the Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities on 1 August
Lorna Wilson: Bear down on bureaucracy, change tack on security
Faced with a new government with many priorities and little cash, it’s vital to continue making the case for investment in R&D. That includes its role not only in economic growth, but in supporting delivery and innovation in public services, and in tackling societal challenges such as climate change and health.
The UK’s aspirations for R&D spending should be more ambitious, including a government commitment to get spending to at least 3 per cent of GDP. The longer-term funding settlement promised by Labour would be welcome, although it needs the flexibility to adapt to global events (such as a pandemic) and to grow if public finances improve.
Given the financial constraints, the more time spent on activities that add value—be that for academics, research management professionals, funders, partners, or whoever—the better. Here there is still much to be done, and to be achieved, by delivering the recommendations of the Tickell Review on reducing research bureaucracy. That should include continuing the work of the Bureaucracy Review and Reform Implementation Network in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
On national security, universities would welcome a more joined-up approach from government. We need to move away from the culture of compliance driven by a proliferation of legislation and approach these issues pragmatically, creating a robust and secure R&D system without unnecessarily restricting the international collaboration that underpins the UK’s global leadership in research.
Lorna Wilson is chair of the Association of Research Managers and Administrators and managing director of research and innovation services at Durham University