SUMMARY OF COUNCIL MEETING ON 25 SEPTEMBER 2000
Purpose
The Council met on 25 September 2000 to:
- consider the Government's new White Paper on Science and Innovation which was published on 26 July 2000;
- take stock of its 1999 report on S&T Activity across Government in the light of the Government's Implementation Plan which was published in conjunction with this White Paper;
- prepare for work in providing its advice during the course of an impending Quinquennial Review of the 6 grant funding Research Councils; and to
- agree further work on the links between science, technology, the arts and the humanities.
2. The Council also briefly considered three further topics for possible inclusion in its future work programme, namely universities, DTI's role in the promotion of science and technology, and the links between the science base and the services industries.
Attendees
3. In the absence of the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Mr, Stephen Byers and the Science Minister, Lord Sainsbury of Turville, the meeting was chaired by Sr. Robert May, the Chief Scientific Adviser. The independent members present were:
Mr. Euan Baird, Professor Vicki Bruce, Professor Julia Higgins, Professor Sr. Paul Nurse, Dr. David Potter, Ms. Emma Rothschild, Professor Peter Schuddeboom and Mr. John Watson.
4. Mr. Mike Nash ( Creative Industries Task Force, DCMS) attended for the Council's discussion concerning further work on the links between Science, Technology, the Arts and the Humanities.
5. Dr. Frances Saunders, (Science and Engineering Base Directorate OST), attended for the discussions concerning the forthcoming quinquennial review.
Discussions and Outcomes
(i) Science and Innovation White Paper
6. In welcoming the White Paper, members noted with approval that it contained a total of 55 commitments, representing 10 separate agendas for sustaining and making the most of the UK's science base as the bedrock of the U.K.'s economy.
7. They were particularly pleased by the agendas concerning better school science, scientific excellence, universities in the knowledge driven economy, regional innovation, the encouragement of innovation by Departments, and the creation of consumer confidence.
(ii) The Government's Implementation Plan in response to the CST's report on S&T activity across Government.
8. Members broadly endorsed the plan and agreed to revisit the issues covered in this CST report as a standing item of work to be undertaken periodically at suitable junctures in the future.
9. They also agreed to give further consideration to Departments' industrial sponsorship activities once the Government had responded to the recommendation in this CST report and the related recommendations in CST's " Technology Matters" Report of March 2000.
10. More immediately over the next 6 to 9 months, members agreed
- to provide advice as and when most appropriate to the work by Departments in preparing and completing their new science and innovation strategies; and
- to consider the UK's wider international S&T policies and activities since the Plan was more narrowly focused on the EU Framework R&D Programmes.
Government's implementation Plan | CST S&T Report
11. In this latter regard, members welcomed OST's intention to provide them with a further opportunity to advise on issues concerning EU Research and Innovation at the Council's next meeting on 4 December 2000.
(iii) Quinquennial Review of the Research Councils
12. Members noted a paper which described the two stages that the review would be undertaken in accordance with new Cabinet Office Guidelines, and the fact that it would commence with OST issuing a consultative letter, inviting views on the issues to be addressed during the course of the review.
13. They agreed that the first and immediate task of the sub-group which had been established at the Council's previous meeting on 5 June 2000 to deal with this topic, should be to prepare a considered response to this letter, once issued. They therefore invited Professor Julia Higgins ( as Chair) and her sub-group colleagues, Professor Kumar Bhattacharyya, Professor Sir Alec Broers, Sir Paul Nurse and Professor David VandeLinde to proceed accordingly.
14. Members also suggested a number of issues for the sub-group's further consideration. These concerned the Council's relationships with the other major funders of the science base; the extent to which the Councils had responded to the dramatic changes in user requirements that have occurred since 1994 eg in the IT, Computing and Telecommunication fields; support for "big" science involving international programmes and facilities; the cross-Council handling of multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary research areas; the increasingly diverse arrangements for awarding research and research training grants between the Councils; and the basis for determining the Councils' contribution to the indirect costs of the research which they supported in universities.
(iv) Science, Technology, the Arts and the Humanities.
15. Members received an initial report from the sub-group which had been established at the Council's previous meeting on 5 June 2000 to look into the feasibility of a study into the links between the arts and humanities, the science base and the creative industries, and to recommend whether to go ahead with such a study.
16. They noted that the sub-group had sought the views of over 50 individuals and organisations covering government, academia, industry and the arts and that it had held a consultative meeting on 12 September with a group of them to discuss.
17. It was agreed that there were some important issues which the Council could usefully explore in this area, focusing on the links between the arts and humanities on the one hand, and science and technology on the other in relation to the new economy. Contemporary work in many areas of art, design and the humanities makes use of sophisticated technology, and the science, engineering and technology base requires people who are good communicators and critical, creative thinkers. In an ideal world therefore, there would be no sharp distinctions between the communities of arts, humanities and the sciences, and people would have the skills to move easily between them.
18. Accordingly with a view to preparing a further, final report for the Council's meeting on 4 March 2001, the sub-group comprising Ms Emma Rothschild, Professor Vicki Bruce, Dr David Potter and Mr Javaid Aziz was invited to continue its work by focussing on three broad clusters of issues:
The education system - how well does the education system, and the basic curriculum at the various levels (GCSE, A level and university), fit people to cross the arts-science divide or to mix science with arts and humanities subjects? Are students and researchers dissuaded from attempting to do so by their institutions? Does the system discriminate against those who attempt it? Are such candidates more or less attractive to employers? What could be done, recognising existing constraints, to improve matters?
Research funding structures - the UK has six grant-awarding Research Councils and one Board for the Arts and Humanities. How well does this arrangement encourage inter-disciplinary research falling at the arts/science divide? What could be done to make the arrangements work better? How do other countries compare?
Communications - traditionally the arts and humanities have emphasised communication skills - the ability to write and to present a convincing case. How can the communication needs of all graduates, but in particular those on the S&T side of the divide, most effectively be met?
(v) Future Work
19. After a brief discussion, members agreed to deal with issues concerning DTI's role in supporting innovation during the course of its future work by way of follow up to CST's report on S&T activity across Government report.
20. In view of the work already underway and in prospect over the next 6 to 9 months, it was also decided to defer for the time being consideration about undertaking new studies into either S&T issues concerning universities or issues concerning the links between the science base and the services industries.
CST Secretariat
September 2000
Last revised: September 2001
