SUMMARY OF COUNCIL MEETING ON 6 DECEMBER 1999
Purpose
1. The Council met on 6 December 1999 to discuss the final stages of the work of its two remaining sub-groups in the current work programme, dealing respectively with:
- exploitation of the UK's Science, Engineering and Technology Base; and
- the education of young people in science, engineering and technology.
2. The Council also discussed the Joint Infrastructure Fund, selectivity of dual support funding for the science base, work on developing the Government's policies for science and innovation, and a draft annual report, prepared by the Secretariat.
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. Dr John Taylor, Director General of the Research Councils was also present. 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 Dr Robert Margetts.
4. Ms Jacqui Smith MP (Department for Education and Employment) joined the meeting for the discussion on the Education sub-group's draft report on science teachers.
Discussion and Outcome
(i) Exploitation
5. Professor Sir Alec Broers reported that the sub-group was close to completing its report. It would be holding its last meeting in early January to settle its recommendations, taking fully into account the Chancellor's recent 1999 Pre Budget Report.
6. The report would be directed at building up the capacity of UK businesses to create wealth from science and technology. More particularly, it would focus on the business or demand side of the process by which science and technology was exploited by companies, especially those that risked significant investment in the creation and application of technology in new products, processes and services. The report would also present the group's assessment of the UK's prospects and innovation performance in these particular regards, drawing on as firm an evidential base as possible.
7. It was agreed that the sub-group should complete and publish its report as soon as possible in the New Year.
(ii) Education
8. Professor Julia Higgins introduced the sub-group's draft report, explaining that it had been prepared in the light of two consultative meetings over the past two months and the final results from the survey of primary and secondary science teachers which had been conducted by the School of Education at King's College London in July 1999.
9. Generally, the consultative meetings had endorsed the results of the survey as presenting an accurate picture of the current situation and of science teachers' key need, namely for an organised system of life long, subject related and class room based continuous professional development.
10. The draft report addressed this need by focusing on issues concerning leadership and accountability, the capacity and capabilities of schools for discharging this essential activity, the provision of products (and services ) for these teachers to learn and develop their professional skills and competencies, and a system for supplying these products to the teachers.
11. The sub-group was intending to complete its report in close consultation with the Education Departments and in the light of members' views and comments, as well as some further analysis of the survey data.
12. It was agreed that the sub-group should complete and publish their report as proposed.
(iii) Annual Report
13. Following a brief discussion, the Council agreed that the Secretariat should complete and publish an annual report covering its 1998/99 programme of work. This should major on the work of the three sub-groups over the past year but also contain information on the practices adopted by the Council.
14. The final annual report should be published on the Council's website as early as possible in the New Year.
Last revised: September 2001
