The idea for such a group came from the government's Advisory Council for Applied Research and Development (ACARD). The Council, a group of senior industrial and government research managers, is chaired by Sir Francis Tombs, the chief executive of Rolls-Royce.
The Council has wrestled unsuccessfully with the question of setting priorities for national R&D efforts since the late 1970s. Each time a program cut was considered, noted a former chairman, someone on the Council would rise passionately to its defense and the group would change its mind.
The new forum will spearhead a drive to persuade private industry to spend more on R&D. Greater spending on both in-house and contract research is needed, government officials argue, for Britain to remain competitive with Japan and the United States.
Fairclough believes that Britain needs a substantial and secure core budget for academic science—and, despite the view of many in academia, he said ...
