Victoria MacLennan’s Post

On Budget 2024, this piece by Peter Griffin is one of the best summaries of the vibe for research, science, innovation and tech (RSIT) (not mainly due to quoting my perspective). The key message is that after decades of having a very strange and expensive sector by international standards, we've finally had a government with a true small government ideology just give up on investment in our future. Hopefully that's temporary, but the loss of faith in the sector isn't and needs some serious consideration. An excellence article by Veronika Meduna is just out for Science provides a more global perspective on our place in the world.  https://lnkd.in/dCSVQZJH

Research and Development investments were featured during last week's #Autumn Budget, where the Government emphasized the importance of R&D in driving #innovation and economic growth with a range of measures: 🟠£20.4bn allocated for R&D investment in 2025/26, including at least £6.1bn for core research.  🟠£25m in 2025/26 for a new multi-year R&D Missions Programme.  🟠 Real-term increase in funding for the National Institute for Health and Care Research. 🟠At least £40m over five years to support the commercialisation of university research through spin-out proof-of-concept funding. What else was included? Our Autumn Budget Guide breaks down the details https://lnkd.in/eT-ZnBEC #accountants #sussex

"We need to increase investment in research, innovation, and technology, as well as provide more incentives for cooperation among our research institutions, industries, and businesses," said croatian prime minister Andrej Plenkovic during this year’s annual EU budget conference. He supports increasing financial support for high-level proposals aimed at establishing research, innovation, and education as ‘a fifth freedom’. Given the dynamic economic conditions and increasing international competition, it is important to strengthen financial support for the EU annual budget and prioritize competitiveness as a core principle. This raises the question: What would be the most effective approach to shaping a budget that includes efficient policies to manage potential enhanced investments and encourage further investments from EU countries? #EUbudget #EuropeanResearchArea #HorizonEurope https://lnkd.in/diFKSdnV

Stimulating #OpEd by Ronald de Bruin, Director of European Cooperation in Science & Technology #COST, in Science|Business on why it is essential to reframe the R&I narrative for #Europe's future. He emphasizes the importance of viewing the R&I budget as an investment rather than a mere expense. 📊💡 This investment approach highlights the substantial returns and leverage provided by R&I funding, creating a compelling case for finance ministers and policymakers to prioritize it. By investing in R&I, countries can secure a prosperous, competitive, and independent future for Europe. 🏦🔬 https://lnkd.in/eTNhiZUm #Innovation #Research #ResearchAndInnovation #FP10 #EuropeanElections

The second focus of the Research Matters campaign is to put more pressure on national governments, to get more countries to commit to spending 3% of GDP on R&D. This is a restatement of the target the EU set in 2003. #Research #Innovation #Romania

Why is this bad for the economy? "Nearly a third of the $10 billion in federal research funds that 26 of the universities in our consortium used in 2022 directly supported U.S. employers, including: **A Detroit welding shop that sells gases many labs use in experiments funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Department of Defense and Department of Energy. **A Dallas-based construction company that is building an advanced vaccine and drug development facility paid for by the Department of Health and Human Services. **More than a dozen Utah businesses, including surveyors, engineers and construction and trucking companies, working on a Department of Energy project to develop breakthroughs in geothermal energy." #researchfunding #economicimpact #federalbudget

"The Senate bill also tells NSF to rethink some of the controversial changes it has made to the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), a program aimed at helping small and rural states receive a larger share of NSF dollars. At a hearing this spring, several senators complained that the changes could put state EPSCoR offices out of business. The bill would ensure funding for those offices. Senators also told NSF that one-fifth of any new awards it makes to a flagship program to boost regional economic development should go to institutions in one of the 25 EPSCoR states." #federalfunding #researchanddevelopment #epscor https://lnkd.in/emYgZvKe

✍️EERA’s top policy story is out! 💶This week, we take a closer look at the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF), which could be introduced under the EU’s 2028-2034 multiannual financial framework. 📈If implemented, the fund would lead to a far-reaching transformation of the EU research and innovation system by consolidating R&I financing into a single structure.🤝 Programmes such as the European Institute of Innovation & Technology, Horizon Europe Pillar I and the European Research Council would be merged. ✅Inspired by Mario Draghi’s report on the future of European competitiveness, the proposal seeks to establish a common governance to simplify rules. It also echoes key recommendations from Enrico Letta’s 📑 report on the future of the Single Market. 💭Explore below how the ECF could lead to sweeping changes in the EU’s R&I landscape, and the mixed reactions it has sparked in the political arena.👇 https://lnkd.in/eGrD-jg4

As we approach the UK general election next week, the question of what comes next looms large. During the campaign, #TheLabourParty has made five missions the centrepiece of its election pitch. Now, with a potential first 100 days fast approaching, the party must rapidly prepare to implement a new model of #mission-driven governance from day one in office. The UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose’s report, Mission Critical: Statecraft for the 21st Century https://lnkd.in/ecKWCjnd, released in May in partnership with the #FutureGovernanceForum offers a blueprint for how Labour’s commitment to mission-driven government could be translated into practice.     To tackle the challenges facing the UK, from economic stagnation to the climate crisis, it is clear that a fundamentally new approach to governance is needed. The Labour Party’s commitment to mission-driven government signals the potential for change. However, to truly transform the UK, it is critical to get the right governance structures and capabilities in place from the outset.     Mission Critical: Statecraft for the 21st Century sets out how to design and implement mission-driven governance in the UK, building on IIPP’s longstanding engagement with partners worldwide, from city councils to national administrations and multilateral organizations, in developing and implementing mission-oriented policies. The report’s key recommendations include:      - Establish #missions as the first priority across Whitehall from day 1, with the backing of the Prime Minister and Chancellor.  - Take a whole-of-government approach, with mission delivery driven by a cross-ministerial Missions Unit and by mission teams (or mission boards), and with missions-orientation embedded in the day-to-day work of civil servants.  - Lead with purpose and govern in partnership, orchestrating actors from across sectors, ministries and tiers of government to work together towards a mission-oriented industrial strategy that sets a clear direction for cross-sectoral innovation, investment and growth and enables bottom-up, local-level solutions development.  - Send clear signals that the government is seeking willing business and union partners to achieve its missions, and design public-private collaboration to share both risks and rewards.  - Refresh the Treasury’s mandate and redesign public finance tools and institutions - including budget processes, public procurement and public financial institutions - to align with mission goals.  - Invest in the renewal of governing capabilities, building up teams and institutions with the in-house expertise necessary for mission delivery, building on the success of, for example, the Government Digital Service.      Let us know what you think! 

Wellcome’s manifesto for UK research is now out in the wild - with thanks to many people across Wellcome Trust who made this happen, but especially Katie Greig Alastair Russell and Leon Y Lau Our perspective as a global charitable foundation is that maintaining and growing the UK’s strength in R&D is both nationally and globally significant. It’s the basis of what the UK can bring to bear on the biggest health challenges facing the world, and the new Government needs to make the most of the tremendous assets it has in order to live up to its role. The world needs ambitious governments to back R&D for the long term. Our manifesto sets out how the UK should do that.