The UK government has rejected claims that the Medical Research Council (MRC) is guilty of financial bungling by misjudging its projected income and then having to turn down applications for research grants.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) cleared the UK's leading medical research institution of mismanagement in its official response to a damning report from the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee. The response was delivered Wednesday, June 4, in the House of Commons and prompted an angry response from some MPs.
Although the DTI agreed the MRC needed to improve the way it makes financial judgements and "plan its forward expenditure in detail," it rejected allegations that this amounted to mismanagement.
In a detailed response to the committee's criticisms it stated, "We cannot agree with the committee's assertion that the MRC has mismanaged its funds. We are satisfied it has properly controlled its expenditure. Its accounts ...
