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 08 August 2007
Confident Consumers - A Fair Deal creating Prosperity & Success for All
 
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Government Science & Innovation

Science and innovation policy underpins evidence-based policy development and improved service delivery.  In 2004, Government published a Ten Year Science and Innovation Investment Framework, which set out how to improve and monitor delivery of high quality science and research, as well as expert and independent advice as input to policy formation and delivery. 

In order to achieve this, OSI works with government departments to ensure science and scientific advice are fully reflected in planning and policy issues across government:

Comprehensive Spending Review 2007

Over the last decade the Government has shown how one can deliver a strong economy and sound public finances at the same time as sustained and substantial growth in investment in public services.  As part of the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review, there are new challenges Britain will need to address in order to lock in these benefits for the decade to come, including. Scientific research and advice is essential to the delivery of these challenges:

  • a rapid increase in the old age dependency ratio as the 'baby boom' generation reaches retirement age;
  • the intensification of cross-border economic competition as the balance of international economic activity shifts toward rapidly growing emerging markets such as China and India;
  • an acceleration in the pace of innovation and technological diffusion and a continued increase in the knowledge-intensity of goods and services;
  • continued global uncertainty with ongoing threats of international terrorism and global conflict; and
  • increasing pressures on our natural resources and global climate from rapid economic and population growth in the developing world and sustained demand for fossil fuels in advanced economies.


Grand Challenges

Meeting the major policy challenges Government faces today requires input from a wide range of government departments.  The Department of Trade and Industry's Five Year Programme set ministers the task of identifying 'Grand Challenges' where science and technology would form part of the solution to public policy issues.  The Chief Scientific Adviser's Committee (CSAC) is the principal committee at official level dealing with issues relating to science, engineering and technology (SET), and chaired by Professor Sir David King, the Government Chief Scientific Adviser (GCSA), with membership drawn from the Departmental Chief Scientific Advisers (DCSAs). The GCSA along with the DCSAs play an active cross-Government role in helping to identify and meet the strategic public policy challenges (i.e. Grand challenges) where scientific evidence and technological innovation would form part of the solution across Government.

Science & Innovation (S&I) Strategies
Almost all government departments have published, or are in the process of publishing, Science and Innovation (S&I) Strategies. An S&I Strategy sets out measurable Science and Technology policy objectives and goals, showing how they relate/contribute to departmental priorities and objectives and Public Services Agreement (PSA) targets.

© Crown copyright 2007