SUMMARY OF COUNCIL MEETING ON 23 SEPTEMBER 2002
Purpose
1. The Council met to:
- Discuss the ongoing quinquennial review of CST.
- Discuss a draft contribution to the Government's Energy Consultation.
- Take stock of developments with the proposed services study.
- Consider possible new topics for the Foresight programme.
Attendees
2. The meeting was chaired by Lord Sainsbury. The independent members present were:
Mr. Jarvaid Aziz, Mr. Euan
Baird, Professor Kumar Battacharyya, Professor Sir Alec Broers, Professor
Vicki Bruce, Sir Christopher Evans, Professor Dame Julia Higgins, Dr. Rob
Margetts, Sir Paul Nurse, Dr. David Potter, Professor Peter Schuddeboom,
Sir Richard Sykes, Professor David VandeLinde and Mr. John
Weston.
3.
Also in attendance were Dr
John Taylor (Director General of Research Councils), Ms. Jo Durning, Mrs.
Judy Britton, John Furlong, Dr. Elizabeth Hopkins, Mr. Terence Ilott, Dr.
Claire Craig, Ms. Ursula Sparrow, Ms. Lynne
Edwards, Mr. Maurice Potts.
Discussions
and Outcomes
(i)
Quinquennial Review of CST
4. Members heard from Elizabeth Hopkins (The independent reviewer of CST) that interviews with members and external parties were proceeding to target.
5. A workshop exclusively for CST members was being set up as a forum within which members can brainstorm their ideas relating to how the CST might work in future. (This forum is subject to stage one of the review recommending that CST should continue to exist).
6. Members noted that a paper for members would be produced following the workshop, as a means of collecting the ideas of attendees and providing a document into which non-attendees can also offer their thoughts and ideas.
(ii) CST
contribution to the Government's Energy Consultation
7. Members received a draft CST contribution to this consultation from Mr. John Weston (As Chair of the sub-group that had been set up by correspondence following cancellation of the previous CST meeting). The other sub-group members were Euan Baird, Rob Margetts and Peter Schuddeboom.
8. The sub-group draft does not attempt to pick winners or pretend to offer a sufficiently detailed analysis of the complete range of complexities that impact on this topic, but instead proffers the case for an energy ‘vision' around which resources and skills can be properly organised. The draft addresses the need for better data, objective setting, more research funding and international cooperation in energy research. Options need to be kept open to optimise the solutions package that is eventually selected to address longer-term needs.
9. The subject of energy needs crosses a number of Departmental boundaries and subject headings. Transport, energy efficiency and education are integral to consideration of the issues.
10. A number of activities had already began that reflected the views expressed in the draft, namely, the setting up of an inter-Departmental Energy Research Group, and consideration of a new ‘Energy Research Centre'.
11. Members agreed that the final draft should be submitted by the end of the month, and placed on the Council's website.
(iii)
CST Services Study
12. Members noted that the tender process for conducting stage 1 of this study had now closed, and any tenders would now be considered in light of the criteria. The study had now been in gestation for some considerable time, and it was therefore important to now move things along. One feature of the study needed to be the fostering of links, which apparently do not presently exist; there being no clearly identified ‘community'.
13. The secretariat will be informing the successful tenderer with a view to beginning work for completion in the spring of 2003.
(iv)
Foresight programme – proposed new topics
14. Members noted a paper concerning the impending quinquennial review of CST which would take place during 2002 concurrently with the appointments round which would need to take place in order to replace a number of members whose appointment period would come to a close.
15. In brief discussion it was noted that the central object of Foresight was to open up new areas, and it was important to keep the topics covered sharp edged. Members cited topics with some potential as ‘Technology and being a citizen', Cyber Trust, Land Use', ‘untreatable diseases' and ‘Infrastructure'.
CST Secretariat
October 2002
