New Opportunities For Industry And Business Scientists, UK

Main Category: Biology / Biochemistry
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 19 Nov 2008 - 1:00 PST

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A multi-million pound initiative to help universities and research institutions fill skills gaps with scientists who have proven track records in industry and business was announced by Research Councils UK (RCUK) with support from Science Minister Lord Drayson.

Funding of up to £5million is being made available to recruit highly qualified people into a number of senior level research and technology-transfer posts in universities and research institutions across the UK. The Skills Gap Awards will apply to a range of sectors from which it has traditionally been hard to recruit.

The initiative, to be administrated via the Medical Research Council (MRC), is aimed at talented individuals currently working in the private sector who are looking to switch to a career in the academic sector.

The Government is supporting the initiative as bolstering wider work to ensure the UK holds on to top scientific and research talent in difficult times.

The MRC, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) will take part in the initiative which will run for six months. The goal of this interim project is to ensure that appointments may be made rapidly. Decisions will be taken within four weeks, and funds will be provided to establish facilities or initial project support, while appointees seek grant funding. Co-funding from industry partners will be welcomed.

The Economic and Social Research Council will also bring forward funding for around 30 studentships to retain economics trained graduates in the priority areas of macro-economics and quantitative methods. In addition, BBSRC will advance funding for an additional 20 four-year studentships in four key priority areas of ageing research, bioenergy, bioprocessing and environmental change.

More permanent efforts to encourage active, two-way movement of skilled people from universities and research institutions to the private sector and vice versa will be strengthened in 2009 through people-exchange programmes.

Welcoming the announcement, Science and Innovation Minister Lord Drayson, said:

"Many businesses and industries in the UK employ first-rate scientists. In the current economic downturn, some highly qualified people may face uncertain futures so we need to give them all the opportunities we can to stay working in our research base or in wider science based roles. These initiatives are an important part of that effort.

"By keeping top talent in the UK research base, we ensure that UK universities and our research institutions have the wide range of expertise they need to support innovation. Forging ever closer links between academia and industry will be key to future growth in innovative companies.

"Research Councils harbour some of the brightest and best scientific talent in this country and it is quite right they have moved to identify areas where they need reinforcements and have taken swift action."

Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Chief Executive of the Medical Research Council, said:

"Scientists working in industry and business are notoriously hard to lure back into academia, but academic research is at the cutting edge and is constantly seeking to translate discoveries into progress, from better treatments to better engineering solutions. "While this scheme is only a modest addition to our existing strategic appointments, we hope it will draw scientists from all sectors to the exciting opportunities offered by academic research."

Professor Ian Diamond, Chair of Research Councils UK, said:

"I am delighted that we in the Research Councils, working together, have created such an excellent initiative which addresses the difficult situation many researchers are facing at this time, as well as ensuring that the UK remains a world-leading knowledge economy."

This scheme will build on the Government's successful drive over the last ten years to strengthen university-business interaction.

Notes

- The interim scheme will support between 10 and 15 strategic appointments and a number of studentships. For more information visit: http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Opportunities/index.htm

- BBSRC will advance funding for an additional 20 four-year studentships in four key priority areas of ageing research; bioenergy; bioprocessing; and environmental change. These will be awarded as part of BBSRC's current 'Targeted Priority Studentship' scheme in December, and are available for take up in 2009. Details of the science areas covered are available on the BBSRC website.

Medical Research Council