LORDS

Committee writes to Minister about research funding cuts and the risk of the UK losing its “best brains” in science research

23 September 2010

Following evidence given to the Science and Technology Committee on 13 July 2010 by the Rt Hon David Willetts MP, Minister of State for Universities and Science, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Committee wrote to six leading research universities in the UK to ask them whether they could provide examples of any difficulties that they had encountered in recent years in recruiting and retaining high-quality researchers and their expectation of the effects of reductions in funding.

In the light of the responses from the universities, the Committee has written to Mr Willetts setting out its concern that, in a world of global talent mobility, a worsening differential in funding between the UK and other countries, whether real or perceived, would put at risk the ability of the UK to continue to recruit and retain the very best brains.

The relevant letters are set out below:

Letter from the Chairman to six leading universities dated 5 August 2010 ( PDF 41 KB);