21/12/05 Big challenges for science
CaSE today set out three big challenges for science in the coming years. In an article in Prospect Report, CaSE says there are dozens of specific policies that it wants to see implemented "but the broader picture can be expressed in terms of three big challenges for the scientific and engineering community. First, we need to encourage more young people to take an interest in science. Second, we must work out how to pay for all the science that the country expects of its universities and public sector laboratories. Third, we need to work out how to encourage private industry to invest more in research in the UK". CaSE outlines a few of the elements of the solutions to these problems, which it believes must be solved if we are to achieve the Government's aim of making the UK the leading nation for science.

19/12/05 Science in Northern Ireland
As part of our commitment to science in Northern Ireland, CaSE has a week-long schedule of events, involving meetings with School teachers, University Deans at both Ulster and Queen's Universities, Science Inspectors, scientists and engineers. Rosemary Davies, who us undertaking the work, said: "We really want to understand what is going on in science education in Northern Ireland. Education is one of CaSE's key priorities, and this series of events and meetings will allow us to campaign even more effectively for science in Ulster."

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15/12/05 Funding university science teaching
CaSE today pressed the funding authorities to reverse their decision to disadvantage science in universities. At a meeting with Directors of the Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE), CaSE stressed that the decision two years ago to cut the ratio of funding between the sciences and non-science subjects was harming the Government's agenda of making the UK the best place in the world for science. "The Prime Minister and the Chancellor keep saying they want the UK to be a world-leader in science," said Peter Cotgreave, Director of CaSE, "but HEFCE took the unjustifiable decision to change the funding formula so that science gets a smaller slice of the cake than it used to."

14/12/05 Peter Cotgreave met with Alan Harper, Chief Executive of SCOTETA - The Engineering and Technology Association (Scotland).

09/12/05 Richard Joyner attended a meeting with senior representatives of the Higher Education Funding Council for England

05/12/05 Pre-budget report
CaSE today welcomed the Chancellor’s fulsome appreciation of the importance of science to the economy, and called on him to strengthen his policies to make Britain a competitive location for companies to wanting to invest in science.

press release

05/12/05 Science in Wales
CaSE today called on the Welsh Assembly to support proposals for strengthening science in Wales, and on the Government in Westminster to tidy up the devolution settlement for science in Wales. In a letter to the Chair of the Economic Development Committee, in reponse to a request for help with a review of science policy, CaSE argued that with one exception, the scientific challenges for Wales are not primarily legislative or constitutional. The exception relates to excluding Welsh officials from some meetings, and CaSE called for the necessary constitutional changes.

letter

05/12/05 Peter Cotgreave lunched with Dr Caroline Pung, Head of Strategy at the British Library

01/12/05 UK's scientific competitiveness
CaSE today urged the Chancellor of the Exchequer to use his pre-budget report next week to make the UK a more competitive environment for investment in research. In an article for the Financial Times, CaSE argues that new evidence confirms suspicions about industry's access to the right skills in the UK and about bureaucracy stifling innovation. Last year in his pre-budget report, Gordon Brown promised 'matched funding' to help universities build up endowments to fund their world-class research, but it turned out to be an average of just £60,000 per institution, and CaSE suggests that signifcant tax relief on donations from alumni would be one way of helping universities create useful endowments.

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