"The Government’s commitment to securing a sustainable research base in the UK has been reaffirmed today," said Professor Ian Diamond speaking on behalf of Research Councils UK. The Office of Science & Technology has announced today that additional funding it has already made to the seven Research Councils and the Arts & Humanities Research Board (AHRB) is to be used to pay 80 per cent of the full economic cost of research grants and fellowships.
Professor Diamond said, "The Research Councils and AHRB welcome this recognition of the need to address the real cost of academic research in the UK. The move towards putting the national science base on a fully sustainable basis is needed to secure the long-term international competitiveness of UK research. The Research Councils are working towards ensuring the efficient implementation of the new funding system this year. We expect to move towards full sustainability and the payment of 100 per cent of full economic costs early in the next decade but it will require additional support and funding to achieve this."
The Government has provided an additional £120 million a year from 2005/06 and an additional £80 million a year from 2007/08 in order to make sure the current volume of Research Council supported research in Higher Education Institutions is maintained on a sustainable basis. Today’s announcement means that 80 per cent of the full economic cost of research will be paid by the Research Councils and AHRB and that the full cost of equipment above £50,000 will be paid.
Working together through the umbrella organisation Research Councils UK (RCUK) the Research Councils and AHRB have implemented systems that will enable them to accept grant and fellowship applications under Full Economic Cost from 1 September 2005. During the implementation of Full Economic Cost systems the Research Councils have worked closely with the academic community and have taken the opportunity to harmonise cross-council procedures and systems wherever possible.
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Notes for editors
Research Councils UK (RCUK) is the partnership between the UK's seven Research Councils and the Arts & Humanities Research Board. The Research Councils run several cross-council multidisciplinary research programmes and are the main public investors in fundamental research in the UK. Through RCUK, the Research Councils are working together to create a common framework for research, training and knowledge transfer.
The partnership is led by the RCUK Executive Group, which meets monthly and comprises the chief executives of the seven Research Councils and AHRB. The Group is currently chaired by Professor Ian Diamond, chief executive of the Economic & Social Research Council.
The seven UK Research Councils are:
- Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC);
- Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (CCLRC);
- Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC);
- Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC);
- Medical Research Council (MRC);
- Natural Environment Research Council (NERC);
- Particle Physics & Astronomy Research Council (PPARC);
- The Arts & Humanities Research Board (AHRB) is due to become a Council in its own right from April 2005.