CaSE responds to Autumn Budget 2017
November saw the Chancellor announce his Autumn Budget.
CaSE prepared for the budget with a submission to HM Treasury calling on Government to prioritise R&D investment to boost business confidence and to set an interim milestone to increase public investment in R&D to 0.7% of GDP by 2022.
The Government trailed the budget with announcement of an additional year of R&D investment in 2021/22, continuing the upward trajectory of the four year £4.7bn fund announced in 2016, and aligning closely with CaSE's 0.7% target.
CaSE published comment and a digest of the budget announcements, as well as analysis of the spending commitments over the next five years against the Government target to reach R&D investment of 2.4% of GDP by 2027.
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Earlier this month the government published its Industrial Strategy, setting out the government's long-term plan to boost the UK's productivity.
CaSE's response focussed on accountability and delivery; R&D investment; and skills, both domestic and international. CaSE published a press release with comment on each of these areas and a digest of the strategy structure and announcements on the day of publication. We also published an analysis of the R&D investment and skills elements of the strategy, including a full breakdown of spending commitments announced in these areas.
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CaSE Annual Lecture 2017
'Britain's Place in the World'
November saw the 2017 CaSE Annual Lecture
, given by the Chair of the Exiting the European Union Select Committee, the Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP.
The event was hosted by the Institution of Engineering and Technology on London's Embankment with over 200 guests in attendance.
The lecture drew the full sweep of Brexit history and politics and set science's place in it. You can watch the recording of the lecture
, read our
event summary
, look at photos from the event
, and see what others were saying in our social media digest of the discussion #caselecture17.
Thanks to Elsevier and Fragomen for their sponsorship.
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CaSE has put its name to a joint statement calling on government to ensure the UK continues to recruit highly trained technical staff in any post-Brexit immigration system.
The statement has also been signed by organisations including the Russell Group, Wellcome Trust, and Cancer Research UK.
CaSE Director Dr Sarah Main was interviewed
for BBC Newsnight
back in September on the impact of draft Home Office proposals on technicians.
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CaSE has published a letter in The Times, highlighting the importance and consideration of scientific regulation during the Brexit negotiations.
This comes in response to indications from the International Trade Secretary that the UK would be moving away from harmonisation of regulations with the EU.
CaSE has previously called on the government to deliver a stable regulatory environment that will facilitate trade, access to markets and innovation.
CaSE has also called for the establishment of robust science advice structures within the Department for International Trade and we've welcomed the recent appointment of Dr Mike Short in the newly created position of Departmental Chief Scientific Advisor.
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Over the last month CaSE has held numerous meetings with Ministers and MPs.
CaSE met with the Universities and Science Minister, the Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, and members of the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee.
CaSE also met with the leader of the Liberal Democrats, as well as the Liberal Democrat
Spokesperson on Brexit and International Trade, and
Business and Industrial Strategy Spokesperson.
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New Board and Advisory Council Members
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Eleanor Beal, Senior Policy Adviser at the Royal Society,
explains the value of the Future Partnership Project and how to input.
Maria de Kleijn, Senior Vice President of Analytical Services at Elsevier,
summarises findings from their recent report on how the UK research compares to the rest of the world.
Dr Cat Ball, Policy Manager at the Association of Medical Research Charities,
explains the vital role of the Charity Research Support Fund in university research.
At the end of Tomorrow's Engineers week Bola Fatimilehin, Head of Diversity and Inclusion at the Royal Academy of Engineering,
reflects on the future focus for the sector.
Robert Ashcroft, Policy and Communities Officer at the Institution of Environmental Sciences
comments on the role of science in meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Our Guest Blog series brings together topical comment and views from members and collaborators across the science and engineering sector. If you would like to write an article for our blog, please get in touch.
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