31/12/07 Concerns over Research Council Budgets
Writing in Innovation Policy Review Nick Dusic welcomed the overall increase in the Research Council budgets, but raised a number of concerns. First, was the £80 million cut to research grants in the STFC, which will have serious negative consequences on physics and astronomy. Second, was the £92 million taken from the MRC Commerical Fund by the Treasury. Third, was the increased emphasis on the economic impact of Research Council funding. He said that "CaSE will remain vigilant so that important budgetary and policy decisions do not put science and innovation at risk."

17/12/07 RSC Parliamentary Reception
Nick Dusic and David Hawksett and attended the Royal Society of Chemistry's parliamentary reception. Nick Dusic met Ian Pearson MP, the UK's Minister for Science.

14/12/07 MRC funding issue
CaSE is concerned at reports that HM Treasury is planning to take £92 million of the £198.9 million MRC Commercial Fund. Nick Dusic, CaSE Director, said: “Severely reducing a hard-earned source of funding for the MRC raises questions about how genuine the Government’s support for commercialising medical research actually is. This news is unlikely to inspire medical innovators to work harder. Profits gained from medical research should be reinvested to support future advances. It is disheartening that while we have been congratulating the Government for recent funding increases for the MRC, they were planning on taking money back in this stealthy manner."

12/12/07 Statistics and Public Policy
Hilary Leevers attended the Royal Statistical Society Presidential Address. It was given by outgoing President Tim Holt on Official Statistics, Public Policy, and Public Trust.

12/12/07 Beddington questioned by Innovation, Universities and Skills Committee
CaSE attended the introductory hearing of Professor John Beddington, the incoming Government Chief Scientific Adviser. CaSE looks forward to working with Professor Beddington when he takes up the post in January.

11/12/07 Research Council Allocations Threaten Physics
CaSE noted the Comprehensive Spending Review settlements for individual research councils announced today, incorporating the rises confirmed in October. While this is good news overall, specific concerns have been raised over a shortfall of £80 million to the Science and Technology Facilities Council over the three year period. The STFC received almost the smallest increase (second only to Arts and Humanities). It is anticipated that the shortfall will result in cuts to research grants which may put more financial pressure on physics departments that are already under strain from funding shortages and a decline in numbers of undergraduates. Nick Dusic, CaSE Director, commented: “Loss of research funding in this area is of grave concern and it would be a disaster if this led to further departmental closures.”

10/12/07 Royal Society Report on Science and Mathematics' teaching
CaSE welcomes the thorough report and analysis of the science and mathematics teaching workforce released by the Royal Society today. The discussion detailed the Government’s lack of knowledge of the current workforce while it generates inaccurate targets to try to improve the situation. To reach the Government’s own targets for teachers in schools for 2014, there would need to be 1000 new physics recruits into teacher training each year and 3000 in mathematics. Recent recruitment figures are 350 in physics and 2000 in mathematics. The Government has many new initiatives to increase recruits in shortage subjects, but it must recognise that its own targets are not being met and were conservative to say the least. These targets could be lower if the appalling retention of teachers, could be improved. Currently only 50% are still in the profession 5 years after graduating.

The report highlights a worrying trend for recruits to train in combined rather than separate sciences. Although combined science teachers may be suitable for teaching core science GCSEs, specialists should teach separate science GCSEs in physics, chemistry and biology. From next year all science specialist schools will have to offer separate science GCSEs and all students in any schools achieving above level 6 at Key Stage 3 will also be entitled to study them. This will of course heighten the current shortages. The report also notes an alarming trend for fewer science and mathematics graduates to train as primary school teachers, with numbers dropping from 428 to 227 in two years. A passion for these crucial subjects is often inspired by good teaching in the early years and there are already many primary schools without any teachers knowledgeable in science or mathematics.
CaSE supports the Royal Society in all of its recommendations and continues to urge the Government to set teacher training targets within physics, chemistry and biology instead of overall the sciences. In addition, headteachers should be encouraged to utilise the flexibilities they have in teachers’ pay to increase recruitment and retention in shortage subjects.

6/12/07 There was a meeting of the CaSE Executive Committee at the offices in Tavistock Square.

5/12/07 Engineering Report
Nick Dusic, CaSE Director, attended the parliamentary launch of the Engineering and Technology Board's Engineering UK 2007 report. The report is an extremely useful statistical guide to changes in the supply and demand of scientists and engineers. One specific area of concern highlighted in the report is the persistent gender imbalance in engineering, with only one-in-six engineering students being female and only 3% of apprentices. CaSE will utilise the evidence presented in the report in its policy activities.

5/12/07 New National Research Science Center
CaSE applauded the Government’s decision, announced today, to accept the bid for a site near the British Library for a new national science centre. The UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation (UKCMRI) will be a collaboration involving the Medical Research Council, University College London, the Wellcome Trust, and Cancer Research UK. CaSE is delighted that the scientific planning of the Center will be led by Sir Paul Nurse, a member of the CaSE Advisory Committee and advocate for improving science policy. Nick Dusic, Director of CaSE, commented: “It is great to see the Prime Minister demonstrating his support for science by prioritising this bid for a truly world-class research centre.”

4/12/07 CaSE welcomes PISA report
Today the Programme for International Student Assessment released its detailed survey of the science and mathematics knowledge and skills of 15-year-olds in 2006. Of the 57 countries surveyed, 12 ranked higher than the UK in science, although the UK did score above average. The UK ranked lower than 15 other countries in mathematics and was comparable with the OECD average. There was some regional variation, with performance in Wales worryingly lower than England for both mathematics and science. UK students had an unusually broad distribution of performance, indicating a wide range of achievement. The vast majority of students were positive about the importance of science to themselves and the world. Overall, coming from a higher socio-economic background increased student's appreciation and enjoyment of science as well as their performance and these relationships were disappointingly strong in the UK, although there were many exceptions.
Dr Hilary Leevers, Assistant Director of CaSE, commented: "This report is fantastically useful, presenting many analyses on what will help students appreciate science more and perform better. It highlights the large impact of social background on science performance in this country, not surprising given that most children in the state system can only study double (combined) science at GCSE, whereas most children in the private and grammar system can take three separate science GCSEs. One of the simplest predictors of performance was hours spent learning science. We were also depressingly unsurprised to hear that just half of students felt that they were at least fairly well informed about science careers.
"The report revealed the importance of exciting students about science although, sadly, only 55% of English students reported that they had fun when learning about it (OECD average of 63%). Hopefully new changes to the curriculum and various outreach and engagement programmes will convince more students of the pleasure that a science education can bring.
"Worryingly, 83% of English students were in schools with science teacher vacancies (OECD average 62%) and 27% of students were in schools in which a shortage of mathematics teachers hindered teaching. Although less than the OECD average (42%), 28% of English students were in schools in which headteachers reported that shortage or inadequacy of equipment was a problem.
"Finland performed amazingly well and above all other countries and also has one of the least divisive education systems, with little impact of social background. There is nothing special about Finland that means we cannot learn from its successes and achieve them here in the UK and this report provides a great opportunity to do just that. We hope that the Government utilises this detailed report to full effect in guiding education policy decisions."

3/12/07 Brain Imaging
Hilary Leevers, CaSE's Assistant Director, attended an evening reception for the conference addressing "What do we want to see in brain imaging?" with leaders of the Global Medical Excellence Cluster at the London Science Museum.

3/12/07 CaSE's New Director
Nick Dusic joined CASE as its new Director today. He joined us from the British Ecological Society where he was Science Policy Manager and first collaborated with CaSE. Before that he worked in Parliament on science and environmental policy. Nick commented: "I am greatly looking forward to working with policy makers to improve the environment for science and engineering in the UK. It's an exciting time to be joining CaSE, working to keep science at the forefront of a reorganised Government."