I have always seen Science Week as making a major contribution to science communication and the success of British science in this country, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to say a few words this morning about science policy.
I have always thought that anyone doing my job has three clear tasks: to maintain and enhance the quality of the science bases, to provide the mechanisms and incentives for innovation and thirdly, to make sure that people have a confident relationship with science. These tasks are also the ones that we set out in the Science and Innovation White Paper "Excellence and Opportunity" which we produced last July.
And over the last four years I think we have made good progress in most of these areas, though there are still things that need to be done, as I shall say in a minute .
As far as the first target of maintaining and enhancing the science base is concerned, the Labour Party came to power determined to rebuild the science base after a decade of cuts.
We stuck to our word. The 1998 Comprehensive Spending Review increased the science budget by 15% over three years - the largest percentage compared with all Departmental budgets. In July last year, the Government continued its programme of investment. The 2000 Spending Review added £725 million to the Science Budget over three years. Over this period, the Science Budget will increase by 7% pa in real terms. If we continued at this rate of increase we would double the Science budget in real terms of 10 years.
The second task we set ourselves was to increase the rate of innovation. In the modern knowledge economy, it is not enough to generate research - we must make the most of it. We want not only world class science but also world class scientific entrepreneurs.
The White Paper provides more resources and mechanisms to make sure the opportunity for innovation is available across our universities. It extends the highly successful University Challenge Fund and Science Enterprise Centres. The £140 million Higher Education Innovation Fund will triple existing funds for university-industry collaboration - particularly with small business.
The £50 million Regional Innovation Fund will help cement the role of universities as the drivers of regional competitiveness. Working with the Regional Development Agencies, these funds will support clusters and incubators and new clubs of scientists, entrepreneurs and financiers.
We also want to see more companies using science and technology to create competitive advantage. Too many of our companies are slow to adopt new technologies and lack even the awareness of the need for change. So we are doubling the number of new starts for Faraday Partnerships from four to eight a year, to link the science base to business networks.
Finally, the Small Business Research Initiative, inspired by a similar and successful programme in the US, will open up to small firms research and development procurement programmes worth up to £1 billion. Our target is to procure £50 million of research under these programmes from small firms.
The third issue which Science Ministers have to tackle today, and almost the most important one is to ensure that people have a confident relationship with science. That they are confident about the new products which science can deliver. Confident about the way that risks are assessed and managed. Confident that scientific progress always takes account of their views and values.
That is why the work of the British Association is so important, and why Science Week is so valuable. And I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the hundreds of people who give up their time to make Science Week a success. It is impossible to overestimate the value of the work they do.
Now I believe that we must build on the work they do and more beyond the "public understanding of science" to a dialogue between scientists and the public about science. This must involve scientists understanding the public as well as the public understanding science, and must involve a debate about the benefits, risks and values of science as well as the science itself.
Let me make one final point. While my title is Minister of Science and Innovation, I regard engineering as a key part of my job. I believe that engineering makes a major contribution to our economy and society, but that could do more.
And that is why I am delighted that working with Dr Hawley we have been able to make such progress in getting the Engineering Community to work together to promote their industry to transform the Engineering Council into the Engineering and Technology Board.
I also want to say that while we have taken great strides forward in the last four years, there is still much do be done. Science education and the salaries of scientists are areas where we still have much to do.
But the final message I want to leave you with is the theme of the Science and Innovation White Paper. We invest in science and engineering because we believe that it is an investment in the future, providing a sound foundation for building a healthier, safer society, a cleaner environment and a dynamic knowledge economy for the 21st century.
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