SUMMARY OF COUNCIL MEETING ON 6 MARCH 2000
Purpose
1. The Council met on 6 March 2000 to discuss its two most recent reports to the Prime Minister:
- 'Technology Matters': a report about the exploitation of the UK's Science, Engineering and Technology Base; and
- 'Science Teachers': a report about the education of young people in science, engineering and technology.
2. The Council also discussed the Spending Review 2000, European Framework Programme 6, and options for its next work programme for 2000/01.
Attendees
3. In the absence of the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Mr Stephen Byers, the meeting was chaired by the Minister for Science, Lord Sainsbury of Turville. The Government's Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir Robert May also attended as Deputy Chair of the Council. The independent members present were:
Professor S Kumar Bhattacharyya, Professor Sir Alec Broers, Dame Bridget Ogilvie, Professor Julia Higgins, Sir Robin Nicholson, Ms Emma Rothschild, Dr David Potter and Sir Richard Sykes.
4. Mr Chris North (International Directorate, Office of Science and Technology) joined the meeting for the discussion on the EU Framework Programme six.
Discussion and Outcome
(i) 1998/99 Programme of Work.
5. Members noted that this, the Council's first programme of work since its re-establishment in March 1998, had been completed with the recent submission of the Council's two new reports entitled 'Technology Matters' and 'Science Teachers' to the Prime Minister. A Press Notice about their publication would be issued on Tuesday, 7 March 2000 and copies placed on the Council's website, along with a copy of Council's 1998/99 Annual Report. Printed copies would be made available on request by the Council's secretariat.
6. Members agreed to keep under review the Government's responses to these two reports and its earlier one concerning a review of S&T activities across Government during its 2000/2001 work programme and as the Government continued to develop its policies for science and innovation.
(ii) Spending Review
7. The Council considered a short paper on the cross cutting review of science and research issues, which was being conducted as part of the Government's Spending Review 2000.
8. Members took the opportunity to express their individual views on promoting diversity among universities, the need for flexibility in the dual support arrangements, the lost opportunity costs of the Research Assessment Exercise and the Joint Infrastructure Fund, the role of universities in a knowledge driven economy, the importance of company R&D to the UK's competitiveness and the need for capital investment in the research infrastructure.
(iii) EU Framework Programme 6
9. Members then turned to consider a consultation document about the sixth EU Framework Programme, which the Office of Science and Technology had recently issued. They generally welcomed the scope and contents of this paper, noting that it included appropriate references to the Council's report on a review of S&T activities across Government. They emphasised the need to ensure that such programmes were based firmly on soundly identified strategic requirements at the European level.
10. They also attached importance to the training and development of top quality scientists, engineers and technologists and the need, rather than capital investment in research centres, for speedier, more effective decision making, especially in connection with the Mobility Programmes and the need for Research Technology and Development Programmes to be structured and conducted on sufficient size and scale to create strong enough platforms of pre-competitive science and technology.
(iv) Work programme 2000/01
11. Members of the Council considered a paper by the Secretariat, containing a range of subjects which could form its next work programme. These included the impending quinquennial review of the Research Councils; the knowledge based economy's implications for the Government's policies concerning the science base's links with the arts, humanities and the creative industries; and training of top rate technologists by universities and businesses.
12. In noting that a number of new members would be appointed shortly to the Council and so would be attending its next meeting on 5 June 2000, the Secretariat was tasked with preparing a further paper for consideration and decision at that meeting.
CST Secretariat
March 2000
Last revised: September 2001
