Institutional Framework

The government consultancy body is the Council for Science and Technology (CST). It was funded in 1993 in order to provide the Ministers with guidelines on the importance of science and technology. The structure and operational pattern were reviewed in 2004, and are under constant review so as to tailor them to the changing research conditions and requirements. The CST is formed by leading scientific and industrial figures. At the moment its two co-chairs are Sir David King and Sir Keith Peters.
The direction of the scientific and technological research depends on the Under-Secretary of State for Science and Innovation (at present, Lord Sainsbury of Turville) in cooperation with the Office of Science and Technology (OST) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The OST is headed by Prof Sir David King, Chief Adviser to H.M. Government for issues relating to science and technology. In its activities, the OST avails itself of the advice of eminent scientists, technologists and industrialists. The OST is the inter-ministerial coordination body for the scientific and technological research, it plans strategies at international level, it sets the research budget and supplies government funding for the Research Councils and for the two main academies, namely the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering.
Strategic research in the UK is carried out mainly by the Science and Engineering Base (SEB), which includes Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and Research Councils Institutes and Laboratories. The training of scientists and technologists is considered a fundamental contribution to the economy of the country. 

Ministries:
Department of Trade and Industry
(DTI, 1 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0ET, UK Tel: +44(0)20 7215 5000, Fax: +44(0)20 7222 2629).
It is the ministry which has the biggest budget for research and development. The DTI coordinates the activity of the other departments as far as science and technology policies are concerned. It manages the Research Councils through the OST.

Department for Education and Skills
(DfES, Sanctuary Building, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BT, UK, Tel: +44(0)870 001 2345/+44(0)870 000 2288).
It was created in the summer of 1995 from the merger of the Ministry for Education and the Ministry for Employment. The jurisdiction of this department covers the issues of school and education, including: organization and funding, political coordination for higher education (16+) and for the professional training of young people, measures to facilitate access to employment. The DfES is responsible for the international relations concerning higher education within the EU, OECD, the Council of Europe and the Commonwealth. It is responsible for cultural exchanges policies through the British Council (www.britishcouncil.org.).

Higher Education Funding Council for England
(HEFCE, Northavon House, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol BS16 1QD, UK, Tel: +44(0)117 931 7317, Fax +44(0)117 931 7203).
Since 1993, it provides funding for higher education in the UK. It finances teaching and research in 147 institutes (72 universities, 27 schools of the University of London and 48 colleges). The HEFCE monitors the quality of teaching and research in the institutions it funds. The Research Assessment Exercise is performed by joint commissions (made up by academics and representatives of industry, enterprises and culture) once every five years. 

Research Councils:
The Research Councils are public (non-ministerial) autonomous bodies, financed by the OST budget for science and by research contracts with government departments and agencies, industry and international organizations. The activity of the Councils includes: the financing of specific projects and/or contracts in the academic and non-academic research institutes, providing venues, equipment and staff for basic and applied research; financially supporting its own research labs; providing scholarships for research doctorates and contributing to the international scientific organizations (CERN, EMBL, ESA, JET, etc.). Every Council has a “mission” formally defined by the government which aims to increase the competitiveness of industry and to improve the quality of life in the UK, while continuing to support basic research. The Councils’ common mission is to promote the scientific culture in the public field and the circulation of information on scientific and technological progress and their impact on the quality of life. A brief description of the denomination and the objectives of each of the seven Councils is given below. The Research Councils UK (RCUK), an executive group headed by Prof. Sir Keith O’Nions, is responsible for the coordination of the Research Councils.

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
(BBSRC, Polaris House, North Star Avenue Swindon SN2 1UH, UK, Tel: +44(0)1793 413 200, Fax: +44(0)1793 413 201).
The scientific activity focuses on: molecules of biological interest, genes and the biology of development, biochemistry, cellular biology, the science of plants and animals and microbiology. The Council implements strategic programs for agriculture and food science. The majority of the applied research is carried out in close cooperation with the industry which often provides the whole funding for the projects. Users and beneficiaries of the activities of the BBSRC are agriculture, biotechnological industry, food industry and pharmaceutical industry.

Medical Research Council
(MRC, 20 Park Crescent, London W1N 4AL, UK, Tel: +44 (0)20 7636 5422 Fax: +44 (0)20 7436 6179).
It is the main governmental body committed to medical research in a broad sense. MRC’s activities are carried out in its own institutes and labs, in university institutes and hospitals through the funding of specific projects. The National Institute for Medical Research in Mill Hill, London, and the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge are the two main institutions of the MRC. Another relevant institution is the Clinical Sciences Centre, recently created at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School in Hammersmith Hospital, London. This centre implements the Clinical Research Initiative: the initiative aims at uniting in interdisciplinary centres distributed all over the country  clinic experiences and the experiences of basic science in a clinic environment, where the potential progresses in prevention, diagnostics and therapy can be implemented and assessed in the clinical practice.

Natural Environment Research Council
(NERC, Polaris House, North Star Avenue Swindon SN2 1ET, UK, Tel: +44(0)1793-411500, Fax: 01793-411501).
It is the main body for research, analysis and training in environmental sciences. It acts through its own labs and in university institutes. It provides the scientific community with a wealth of installations and even a fleet of ships equipped for research. The NERC carries out research activities commissioned and financed by public and private organizations, also abroad. The NERC labs include the British Antarctic Survey, the British Geological Survey, the Centre for Coastal and Marine Sciences, the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and the Southampton Oceanographic Centre.

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
(EPSRC, Polaris House, North Star Avenue Swindon SN2 1ET, UK, Tel: +44(0)1793-4444000, Fax: +44(0)1793-4444010).
EPSRC’s mission is the promotion, the development and the management of research in the physical and engineering sciences field, to the advantage of the UK industry and basic science. The Council finances research and training in fundamental sciences such as: chemistry, physics, mathematics, electronic and mechanic engineering and material, informatics and computer technologies.

Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council
(PPARC, Polaris House, North Star Avenue Swindon SN2 1SZ, UK, Tel: +44(0)1793-442000, Fax: +44(0)1793-442002).
It aims to study the structure of the physical world and of the forces that rule its behaviour, from the cosmos to the sub-nuclear particles. The main function of the Council is managing big astronomic observatories, both in the UK and in other countries, and big institutions such as  the MERLIN (Multi-Element Radio-Linked Interferometry Network), administered by Nuffield Radio Astronomy Laboratory at Jodrell Bank in Manchester, and the  Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) for particle physics. The Council represents the UK in the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and in the European Space Agency (ESA).

Economic and Social Research Council
(ESRC, Polaris House, North Star Avenue Swindon SN2 1UJ, UK, Tel: +44(0)1793-413000, Fax: +44(0)1793-413001).
It is the main promoter of research in social sciences, universities and other institutions. The research areas are: economics, education, environmental and industrial planning, information technology, management, politics, psychology and sociology.  

Council of the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils
(CCLRC, Chilton Didcot Oxon OX11 0QX, UK, Tel: +44(0)1235-821900, Fax: +44(0)1235-445808). 
The Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (CLRC) was created in April 1995 by the Daresbury Laboratory, near Warrington, Cheshire and by the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Chilton, Oxfordshire. Both laboratories previously depended from the EPSRC. The mission of the Council is based on the activities of this two laboratories and its aim is to promote research, providing access to highly-complex equipment such as the SRS (Synchrotron Radiation Source) in Daresbury, the principal source of photons in the UK, which produces radiations in a scale of wavelength that varies from the infrared to the x-ray, and ISIS, the most powerful source of neutrons and muons in the world. The CNR takes part in ISIS management and activities through strong financial contribution and a large number of scientists who contributed significantly to the adjustment of the spectrometer PRISMA.

Art & Humanities Research Council
(AHRC, Whitefriars, Lewins Mead, Bristol, BS1 2AE, tel: 0117 987 6500), created on 1st April, 2005. In the two previous years it existed only as a Board.

 

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