On 17th May the Dial-a-Molecule Executive Group submitted a statement to BIS in response to Prof. Sir John O’Reilly’s invite for comments on key priorities for the spending review FY 2015/2016.
In this letter the following key recommendations were made:
- Continue support for science and research through protection of the research budget and related capital spending
- Increase the Government Expenditure on Research and Development to 0.7% GDP and maintain this level of funding in real terms for the longer term
- Strategically invest in UK research strengths
- Review priority areas and ensure resource focus to maintain technology lead
- Review the innovation pipeline and establish effective mechanisms for open innovation
- Enhance collaboration of the research councils and the TSB to enable transitioning in cutting-edge cross-disciplinary research and innovation efforts
- Recognise the value of chemistry and its role as a wealth generator underpinning growth in many industries
- Provide support for the Chemistry Growth Strategy and establishing of the proposed Chemicals Council
- Maintain excellence of the research environment as the premiere training ground for the future workforce
The full statement can be downloaded here or can be found in the Resources area. Please contact the Network Coordinator Susanne Coles with any queries regarding interactions with BIS.
