The Government has
published two command papers today setting out its response to
reports published during the previous Parliament by the Commons
Science and Technology Select Committee on Impact of spending
cuts on science and scientific research and the Lords
Science and Technology Select Committee on Setting priorities
for publicly funded research.
Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts said:
“The Government welcomes the Select Committees’ wide ranging
enquiries which are a valuable contribution to the public debate
on this issue. Science is vital to our future as a nation in a
global knowledge economy. We expect to have a stable framework for
the science and research budget, after the Government's
Spending Review is completed. I am committed to supporting the
science community and encouraging scientific understanding more
widely so we can tackle society’s major challenges.
“The Government has noted the concerns highlighted by the
Committees and others about the Research Excellence Framework, and
work has begun on a method of assessing the impact of research
across all disciplines. As I announced earlier this month, there
will be a one-year delay to the implementation of the REF so we
can see whether a robust impact assessment methodology can be developed.”
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