Save Our Science!

DR PAUL ELLIOTT, a lecturer in chemistry at the University of Huddersfield looks at how government policy can change the world of science

Everyone, from company directors to corner shop owners, from mums with pre-school children to parents about to send their offspring to university will be keeping a close eye on what government policy changes mean to their businesses and daily lives.

In this, scientists are no different. Their particular concern is funding — the overall amount of money available to pay for research and the security of their jobs.

As well as there being an election, we are also suffering from one of the greatest meltdowns of our financial systems of the past century.

The party leaders have been making claims and counter-claims. But there is no doubt that there will be cuts.

As has often happened in times likes these, it is scientific research funding that gets the chop first.

But is this a wise course of action and what effects can this have on the future of our economy and our country’s success?

Industries

The might of our nation was built upon the back of heavy industries and manufacturing, but this has long since declined for the simple reason that it is cheaper to do this abroad in places like India and China.

Our economy has shifted toward finance and customer services-based industries, however, we still have many successful companies based in high technology and precision engineering.

Other European nations and the American government have increased university and science spending in the face of the economic crisis.

University funding to provide the graduates and scientific research funding to provide knowledge and skills are vital to these high-tech industries that could significantly help in the economic recovery. Cuts in these areas can only undermine this.

Labour, to its credit, increased science spending over the last 10 years but university funding has been recently threatened.

In one particular case, funding supposedly “ring fenced” for science was diverted to unsuccessfully prop up the ailing MG Rover when the company collapsed.

The Conservatives have promised to increase science spending, but have also said that funding needs to be centralised in “centres of excellence”.

This centralisation would not be wise as it would not lead to excellence but result in scientific stagnation.

Good ideas from scientists all around the country would end up being ignored and go unrealised.

It would only lead to the squandering of our scientific talent who would flee abroad to foreign universities.

We need to invest in our universities, to inspire interest in science and provide the graduates that our high-tech industries need.

We need to increase scientific research funding that will lead to innovation and new inventions that will benefit society and our economy.

Many research groups around the country, my own included, have interests in the development of solar cells for example.

Investments in these areas and other green technologies will lead to new industries and new jobs in this country as well as ensuring the future of the wider world by combating climate change.

And, if we are serious about green energy and wind farms, why on earth are we not manufacturing our own wind turbines instead of importing them?

But we should also be funding science for science’s sake.

Many of the innovations that have transformed our lives have been discovered by accident through scientific study out of simple curiosity.

The materials now used in microchips in everything from computers to microwave ovens, lasers that are now used in CD and DVD players, the liquid crystal materials now used in TV and mobile phone screens, the non-stick coatings on our pans and the polymers used in medical implants and joint replacements. The list goes on.

Necessity may be the mother of invention but the power of serendipity has often led to greater advances.

The future is not certain we all await the outcome.

But what is certain is the necessity of supporting our strengths, our scientific research talents and thereby investing in our future.