| Ladies and Gentlemen
Thank you for this kind invitation to speak at the Neutrino Factory Annual Conference dinner. It is a great pleasure to be here in the Science Museum, an institution that is a great tribute to past scientific discovery on an occasion where we are all looking forward to exciting science in the future.
Neutrino research is currently at a very exciting stage. I am aware that recent experiments offer some compelling evidence regarding the mass of the neutrino and this seems certain to change our understanding of fundamental physics. I am sure these developments will add to the calls for further work in this area and, of course, facilities where this can be carried out.
As Minister for Science, I see my role as the provision of access to World-class facilities for UK scientists rather than the provision of all the facilities themselves. The Science and Innovation White Paper 'Excellence and Opportunity' undertook to develop a ten year rolling plan for future large scale facilities, taking account of developments in Europe and elsewhere, to ensure that UK researchers have access to the best facilities in the world.
The Large Facilities Strategic Roadmap represents the first attempt at a ten to fifteen year map of future facility requirements. It will take onboard new information as it develops and will be updated from time to time. The aim of the document is to provide a longer-term vision of future requirements of the UK Science and Engineering Base. It reflects the context of future European, or in some cases global, requirements for large scale facilities in order to assess the most effective approach for satisfying UK needs.
The strategic areas covered in the road-map are: synchrotron radiation, neutron beams, radioactive particle beams, particle physics, astronomy, oceanographic research vessels and computing infrastructure. As an example of progress made towards realising this strategy, our highest priority the DIAMOND synchrotron project was launched as a joint venture with the Wellcome Trust in March this year. Other planned developments include a second target station for our ISIS neutron source.
International collaboration is a key part of this strategy because the characteristics of these facilities often make this the most effective means of provision: They are expensive to build and operate; they frequently serve national and international users; and they tend to be multi-disciplinary.
Work in one particular field frequently relies on investment in many other allied fields. In your own area, The Particle Physics Long Term Science Review conducted by PPARC in 2000 identifies the need for computing infrastructure and research and development in accelerator and detector technology. These are all fields in which the UK is a World leader and in which we have seen exciting developments recently.
Excellent progress has been made towards the creation of a computational 'Grid' through our e-science programme. The National e-Science Centre has been set up in Edinburgh and Glasgow Universities, with eight regional centres across the UK which together are forming this first UK-wide "Grid". The National e-Science Centre (NESC) is developing a £3m portfolio of 'industrial projects' with an additional £3 million contribution from industry. It has established an 'e-Science Institute' which will run a seminar programme focussing on international multi-disciplinary research. In concert with the Regional Centres it will develop communication, awareness and training activities with other grid centres and e-science pilot applications.
The speed of the backbone network SuperJANET has been raised to 2.5 Gigabits per second last year, a figure which will be quadrupled by the end of this year. Additional increases are being made to connect universities with this background, and universities have the possibility through SRIF of increasing their own network speed.
We are also investing in longer term research in key areas where the UK either leads, or is competitive with, international competition, and which will be vital in future generations of Grid technology. These areas include photonics, quantum computing, large-scale information management, scaleable networks, and shared environments.
All this is being done in close collaboration with international partners, particularly in the development of common standards and protocols.
Investing in the science base and key technologies in this way is a high priority if the UK is to remain a World leader in scientific research. Science is an area where we have done very well. With only 1% of the world's population, the UK funds 4.5% of the world's science and produces 8% of the world's scientific papers, and receives 9% of citations. As the lead investor in scientific research, Government is in a unique position to create the environment necessary to achieve this. World-class science needs world-class facilities and people. That is why the Government has put a lot more money into the science and engineering base.
The 1998 Comprehensive Spending Review increased the science budget by 15% over three years. And in July 2000, the Government continued its programme of investment. The 2000 Spending Review added £725 million to the Science Budget over three years including specific funding (£250m) to boost research in key new areas – genomics, e-science, and basic technologies – that will shape life in the 21st Century. To give you a scale of that funding, from 2001 to 2004, the Science Budget will increase by 7% per year in real terms.
But, of course, if the UK funds 4.5% of World science, this means that over 95% of science is funded elsewhere. Strong international relationships are therefore essential. That is why we have doubled the number of scientific attaches in our Embassies and doubled the number of our International Technology Promoters. Any society that is closed, inward looking and defensive will not long remain at the forefront of science because it cannot take part in global collaboration. I believe that the UK is stronger when it collaborates internationally and I want the UK to be a key player in European and global science.
In conclusion, we are all looking forward to an exciting future for science. With the Government's continued commitment to science I expect the UK to improve its position as a World-leader in many fields. You are all looking forward to pioneering research into long-unanswered fundamental questions. I hope that your scientific work will produce the exciting results it promises and I hope the UK will be able to make a valuable contribution to it.
Thank you.
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