Scientists for Labour policy idea: science funding
As part of my role as vice chair (policy) in Scientists for Labour, I run a policy discussion group that has come up with some ideas for Labour policy in the future, which I strongly support. I’ve laid the main one of these ideas out below.
In the 250 years since the Industrial Revolution, research and development (R&D) has been one of the powerhouses of the UK economy. A combination of public investment and private funding which pushes the known boundaries of science, technology and engineering and mathematics right here in the UK have brought about the technological world as we know it.
UK scientific advances Include everything from calculus to radar, antibiotics, the first sequencing of the human genome and the world wide web, amongst a myriad of other discoveries on which our society is built. We are world leaders in a variety of scientific fields, and our expertise contributes to the success of our economy.
Despite punching well above our per-capita weight in terms of research output, the UK has failed to meet our own targets for research and development spending. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) suggest that nations should aim to spend 3% of their GDP (i.e. their net national wealth) on research and development. The reason is simple – technological innovation is highly leveraged (investments in blue-skies research have the potential to completely transform the way we think, work and live), whilst also yielding meaningful improvements in the quality of life of the population.
Few countries today meet the OECD target, these being Israel, Korea, Switzerland, Sweden, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Austria, Denmark and Germany 1. While many countries fall short, the UK sits below the OECD and EU averages, reporting a proportion of only 1.66% in 2018 2. This is despite the UK receiving an above-average share of European funding.
The UK committed to a 2.5% target by 2014 during the last Labour government well back in 2004 3, but investment lagged following the 2008 financial crash and seemingly blue-skies research often suffering most heavily from funding cuts, a lack of regional investment, and poor long-term planning.
The Conservative government has since committed to a 2.4% target by 20274, 5, but meeting this target looks unlikely following the economic downturn resulting from Britain’s exit from the EU.
It is safe to say that today’s society, and today’s economy, are both eminently more technologically and scientifically dependant than they have ever been before. This trend is unlikely to change. The UK maintains its place in the world’s foremost scientific nations not because of government policy, but because of the incredible skill and talent of researchers. As the developing world increases its R&D contributions, the UK risks losing ground in the competitive world of international research.
The time has come for the UK to finally meet its R&D target. Despite continued political uncertainty, we cannot continue to underfund the UK’s research, both publicly and privately, whilst expecting to maintain our dominant position. As such, Scientists for Labour suggests the following manifesto commitment:
“Labour commits to spending 3% of the UK’s gross domestic product on R&D by 2034.”
The campaign for science and engineering suggests that such a commitment is not cheap – £95bn in 2017 pounds 6. It is not simply a case of pumping this money into existing research infrastructure, which is already over-stretched and not fit for purpose in many cases. This investment will require developing and spending in a consistent and thought-out manner and we will need to:
- Invest in PhD training
- Ensure that investment is distributed across the country in centres of regional strength; and
- Ensure that UK is friendly to disruptive technologies from small and medium enterprises, while continuing to support larger corporations’ incentives to invest through tax credits.