Dear Colleagues,
The Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee
of the UK House of Commons has released its report on "Science
Budget Allocations". The report concentrates on the process
used to conclude that funding for the ILC, among other projects,
in the UK should be terminated.
Among its findings:
".. we are concerned that the Government has failed to protect
the existing and planned research base, and we have reservations
about the influence Government appears to have on the use of the
budget and the extent to which the Haldane Principle* has been
upheld."
"... the first Science Budget Allocations of the new Department
for Innovation, Universities and Skills has been marred by a
few poor decisions..."
"In STFC itself, we found weaknesses in its peer review system,
its communications and its management. We are concerned about
some of the decisions made in its Delivery Plan and how those
decisions were made. We recommend that STFC wait for the results
of the Wakeham review of physics before implementing the cuts
proposed in the Delivery Plan..."
The Times has an article, titled "Top physicist is urged to quit
over failings, flaws and secrets" which provides an overview and
some initial reaction to this report. You can read the article
online at:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article3842430.ece
The full report can be found online at:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmselect/cmdius/215/215.pdf
Norman Graf
* "The cornerstone of science funding in the UK is the Haldane
Principle, which asserts that detailed decisions on how to spend
the Science Budget should be made by scientists rather than
politicians."
|