Four Years Flat Funding for Core UK Research Budget to the Relief of Many British Scientists But Funding for University Teaching Slashed. (October 21, 2010)

George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, yesterday delivered the UK government's Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) to sighs of relieve from Britain's research community but the governmental funding for university teaching is to be cut from £7.1bn to £4.2bn by 2014.

Funding for arts and humanities is likely to be hardest hit, while support for science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) degrees will be maintained. Overall the government has endorsed the recommendations of Lord Browne's review to shift a greater proportion of the cost of higher education from the taxpayer to undergraduates and their families. Dr Wendy Piatt, director general of the Russell Group of elite universities said: "We are concerned that the cuts will mean it will be tough to maintain the high quality teaching, learning and research environment our universities currently offer, even under the Browne system," while Professor Steve Smith, president of the vice-chancellors' association Universities UK with what might be considered typical English understatement opined: "We now have two priorities. To ensure that these cuts do not impact negatively on current and future students, and to find alternative funding sources to replace these lost funds. This will be particularly challenging given the immediate year-on-year cuts to the overall budget."

Some analysts are predicting that the cuts will "threatened the survival of some Britain's universities".

_____________________________________________

In its assessment of the UK's Comprehensive Spending Review so far as it affects STEM research ScienceInsider opens with: Was it the heavyweight reports produced by the likes of the Royal Society and the Research Councils UK that fund much of British science? Was it the roughly 2000 researchers who noisily demonstrated outside the Treasury earlier this month?

In any case while the budgets of UK government departments are to be cut an average by 19%,  the science budget has been protected, and even ring-fenced -- i.e. it cannot be raided for other government needs -- ensuring it a flat £4.6 billion for the next 4 years. Admittedly,  inflation is predicted to reduce its purchasing power by up to 10% by 2015.

David Willetts, minister for universities and science, in response to increased science spending in several cohort nations claimed the UK is doing something longer-lasting: "This is not a temporary stimulus package. It's a guaranteed ring-fenced package for 4 years."

Daniel Clery in ScienceInsider summarises:

The £4.6 billion annual science budget includes £2.75 billion for Britain's seven research councils, which distribute grants, run national facilities, and take part in international collaborations such as CERN and the European Southern Observatory. The budget also provides £1.6 billion "quality-related" funding, which is given as block grants to the best-performing university departments, and £100 million for the various academies, including the Royal Society. International collaborations such as CERN, home of the Large Hadron Collider, look safe for the time being. "We have no immediate plans to disengage from any international projects, though we will be working to keep costs down," Willetts says.

However, NatureNews' Geoff Brumfiel notes that "the new spending document does leave more than £2 billion in research funding unprotected. That includes roughly £450 million in capital expenditures at the research councils — money that typically goes towards facilities, and subscriptions to organizations such as the European Space Agency. Willetts says that the capital budget will face constraints but added that it was too early to provide details [and] the fate of over £400 million spent each year on science by Regional Development Agencies, local groups that have often backed research parks near universities, has been left up in the air".

Martin Reese, President of the Royal Society summed up the views of the RS: "The flat cash settlement for the core science budget is very welcome news in the context of this extremely tough Spending Review. There remain areas of concern, especially with regard to capital spending, and the funding of universities. But this outcome enhances our optimism that such issues can be addressed on the basis of a genuine realisation that it is in the U.K.'s interests to remain among the world leaders in key areas of science and innovation."