29 March 2022 - Delivering a UK science and technology strategy - Oral evidence

The research councils and a UK science and technology strategy

The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee will hear from three witnesses in its sixth evidence session in the inquiry: Delivering a UK science and technology strategy.

It will hear from the Executive Chairs of the Natural Environment Research Council, the Economic and Social Research Council, and the Medical Research Council. These bodies have been overseen by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) since 2018.

• Parliament TV: Delivering a UK science strategy

The Committee will seek the views of the heads of the research councils on how the UK can meet the Government’s target of becoming a “science superpower by 2030.” The Committee will ask how well the UKRI system introduced in 2018 functions and how effectively it supports interdisciplinary working. The research councils are responsible for funding public sector research bodies they oversee as well as administering research grants to universities, and the Committee will explore this process and how well it works.

The Committee will seek clarity on the collaboration that exists between research councils and Government; and ask whether this collaboration is effective. The Committee will also put the concerns of previous witnesses to the research councils, including around the difficulty of moving between academia and industry, and the damage done by a frequently changing science and technology policy.