Science Minister
Lord Drayson has today spelled out new arrangements for the
Science and Technology Facilities Council designed to ensure that
it can plan with greater predictability and provide its community
with more stability. These will include better management of
pressures arising from international subscriptions (such as CERN),
and longer-term planning and budgeting for large domestic
facilities (such as Diamond). These two measures will address the
two main sources of uncertainty STFC faces.
Following STFC’s reprioritisation exercise establishing the
Council’s funding priorities in December 2009, Lord Drayson
undertook to work with Professor Michael Sterling, STFC’s
Chairman, to resolve structural issues putting undue pressure on
the Council’s finances.
Lord Drayson said: “There is no doubt STFC faced a difficult
situation. A lot of work has gone in to finding ways of preventing
such pressures rearing their heads again in future. The better
management of international subscriptions through measures to
manage exchange rates, and longer-term planning and budgeting for
large domestic facilities will allow STFC’s grant-giving functions
to be managed with a higher degree of predictability. The
community has come out strongly in support of grants remaining
with STFC to deliver investment continuity from facility design
through to exploitation, and I accept this argument. These
measures will allow the Council to pursue the programme it set out
in December within its budget.”
For the remainder of this spending review, 2010/11, the
Department expects to continue to provide STFC with a level of
protection similar to that which has been provided this year and
last in respect of the additional costs of international
subscriptions due to exchange rate changes.
From the next spending review onwards (beginning financial year
2011/12) BIS is looking at options for managing the currency risks
better. BIS is working closely with the Bank of England on how to
reduce the exposure of the STFC.
These measures will allow STFC to plan ahead confidently without
fear that sudden movements in the value of sterling could
adversely impact other areas it is responsible for.
Professor Michael Sterling said: "STFC delivers world
leading science and technology of real benefit to the UK, but has
been hampered by structural issues since its creation. The
Minister's decisions will enable STFC to move forward
with greater financial confidence, removing the risk of foreign
exchange impacts, and securing a longer term funding arrangement
for our big science facilities.
“The Council and management of STFC have also taken the
opportunity of the review to re-examine our engagement with our
scientific and other stakeholders. We remain committed to further
improvements in our processes and systems."
From 2011/12, RCUK will work with STFC to agree the availability
and support requirements for our large domestic facilities,
Diamond, the Central Laser Facility and ISIS, at the beginning of
each CSR period, with indicative planning covering the subsequent
spending period, a total of some six years. The funding for the
delivery of these agreed requirements will be allocated separately
to STFC by BIS starting from the beginning of the next spending
round, 1 st April 2011, and will be managed independently from
the remainder of its budget allocation. This will further increase
STFC’s planning ability and will separate the funding of these
facilities from STFC’s grant-giving function.
Professor Douglas Kell, RCUK Research and Development Group
Champion commented: “These large facilities serve the needs of a
wide range of researchers operating across a number of different
fields. The new funding model will provide greater clarity and
certainty in the funding of these facilities whilst retaining the
scope for making sensible changes in the light of actual demand.”
Finally, it is anticipated that the UK’s subscription to the
European Space Agency will in future be managed by a UK Space
Agency. This would bring together in one body those representing
the UK at ESA and those footing the bill for it. Uniting these
functions will enhance the UK’s capability to negotiate the best
possible deal for Britain while safe-guarding STFC’s grant giving
functions from future fluctuations in space subscriptions.
Notes to Editors:
1. A fuller statement is available on the BIS website at www.bis.gov.uk
2. Lord Drayson announced a review of the structure of STFC on 16
December as he welcomed the STFC re-prioritisation exercise: http://nds.coi.gov.uk/clientmicrosite/Content/Detail.aspx?ClientId=431&NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=409672&SubjectId=36
3. For further enquiries or to request interviews, please contact
Laure Thomas on 0207 215 5938.
Department for Business, Innovation & Skills
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is
building a dynamic and competitive UK economy by: creating the
conditions for business success; promoting innovation, enterprise
and science; and giving everyone the skills and opportunities to
succeed. To achieve this it will foster world-class universities
and promote an open global economy. BIS - Investing in our future.
Contacts:
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