YORKSHIRE — Monday's announcement of a 10% increase in science spending for each of the next three years has won unqualified approval from Research Councils UK, the body representing all of the UK research councils. "It's better than we expected," said Sir George Radda, chief executive of the Medical Research Council, on behalf of them all.
Even Peter Cotgreave, director of the organisation Save British Science, the lobby group that has harried successive governments to spend more on science, was unable to find a down side. "All in all this is genuinely good for science," he said.
By contrast, Universities UK, which represents higher education institutions, is disappointed that the spending review did not state how the 6% increase in spending on education would benefit tertiary education.
But the body did welcome the increase in the science budget and the capital infrastructure fund intended to pay for better scientific research ...