Fast Track Spending Review shows promise, while uncertainty continues
By: Jo Reynolds, director of science and communities at the Royal Society of Chemistry
Ahead of the UK’s exit from the EU, the Chancellor has this afternoon outlined a one-year spending plan that includes £2 billion of funding for EU exit preparations for 2020-21. The prospect of a no deal EU exit continues to threaten research and development in the UK, with the potential to stop valuable research and halt collaborations with partners across the EU and globally.
As long as no deal is still a prospect, it is vital that the government steps up and establishes a transparent, easy to access contingency fund to support the full breadth of research that is currently funded by the EU. Contingency funding for discovery research is particularly important, given that lots of this research in the UK is currently funded through EU mechanisms, like European Research Council grants.
Education funding
This spending round also sees a significant increase for schools. That is of course welcome, though it is unclear whether this is fully covered by the departmental budget increase. We eagerly anticipated an increase in funding for 16-19 education, long underfunded compared to other stages of education. The £400m increase is a step in the right direction, but contrasts starkly with the billions pledged for schools and the more than £500 million committed to future sports events.
Within that FE funding, we need to see sciences included in the crucial courses attracting dedicated support. Technical courses in the sciences, which are currently funded at the base rate, need to receive a funding uplift to assist providers with delivery. Funding aimed at supporting T-levels should go towards extending the capital fund, so that providers beginning delivery of new subjects in 2021 – which includes Science – can call upon funding to improve their facilities.
Research funding
Given that this is a one-year spending plan, details on longer-term announcements, including how they relate to existing budgets is yet to be seen. The lack of information on source budgets and links to existing funding pots means that it is not always clear what the overall UK offer is on the international stage.
Clarity on the UK’s public investment offer is vital to inspire the confidence of international investors, innovators and researchers. A digital shop window for R&D investment would position the UK as the go-to place for science.
Environmental standards
The Chancellor also announced £432m of funding for Defra to set world-leading environmental standards. Funding is only one part of the equation to set standards that protect the environment and human health. Collaboration and sharing of evidence between scientists in the UK and their counterparts in the EU and globally is vital to achieve the goal of high environmental standards globally.
No deal not an option
While the increases announced today are a step in the right direction, we must use this opportunity to build on them for longer-term funding plans. No amount of short-term spending can replace networks and standards built up over decades of collaborations and we reiterate that a no-deal Brexit is not an option for the chemical sciences.
Brexit preparedness
There remains the real possibility that the UK will leave the EU without a deal on 31 October. Our community can prepare accordingly by referencing the newly updated information on our Brexit Preparedness pages.