February 2021 E-bulletin
2021 Ambitions  | R&D Investment | New Member | Remarks from New CaSE Chair
Ambitions for 2021
CaSE is gearing up for yet another busy year, building on our success from 2020.

Already this year we’ve hosted a digital roundtable with members on how the government can best support research, made representation to HM Treasury on what we want to see in the upcoming Spring Budget and held one-on-one meetings with senior officials from across Whitehall.

Our ambitions for 2021 include:

  • Ensuring the uplift in public funding for science and research is sustained at the Budget and beyond towards reaching an investment target of 2.4% of GDP in R&D by 2027.

  • Building a compelling case towards sustaining and growing public and political support for R&D investment as part of our R&D Decade project. CaSE is honing the evidence, messages and techniques needed to take this campaign forward.

  • Advocating to secure a commitment from Government to fund UK participation in Horizon Europe without affecting existing science budgets.

  • Publishing a policy briefing setting out the key challenges facing science education across the UK and putting forward recommendations to support the provision of high-quality science education.
Brexit and UK Research
With a Brexit deal being agreed between the UK and the EU over Christmas, CaSE has looked at what the deal means for UK research.

While the news is mostly positive there is a lot of detail to work through and CaSE is seeking a commitment from government to fund UK participation in EU research programmes without affecting existing science budgets.
Introduction from the new CaSE Chair
Following his appointment at the 2020 AGM, the new CaSE Chair Dr Bob Sorrell has reached out to members and supporters with an introductory message. The AGM also included the appointment of new trustees to the Board. Bob will be working with CaSE staff and the Board to fulfil the organisation's mission in ensuring that the UK has the skills, funding and policies to enable science and engineering thrive.

CaSE's Executive Director also offered her report at the AGM on CaSE's activities and successes in 2020.

Dr Sorrell replaces Professor Graeme Reid, whose term as Chair has now ended. Professor Reid has written a piece for the CaSE website looking back on what the organisation has achieved in the last six years and the challenges that still lie ahead.
Post-Covid recovery and R&D investment
CaSE has written to the Chair of the Science and Technology Committee asking his Committee to assess the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on research-intensive businesses in the UK. This letter is part of our work giving prominence to the issues affecting the research and innovation sector arising from the pandemic. You can also read our submission to the S&T Committee's original inquiry into the effects of Covid-19.

As part of our work on R&D investment we held a policy roundtable with Imperial College London, BEIS, and CaSE members at the end of last year exploring how the UK Government's R&D Roadmap can support innovation. In our latest analysis we've also looked at the release of business R&D investment statistics, and examined the impact of the latest Spending Review on R&D.
Wrexham Glyndwr University join CaSE
CaSE are pleased to welcome Wrexham Glyndwr University as new organisational members.

A chief pillar in CaSE's standing comes from its broad and diverse membership representing scientific and engineering strengths across the UK. We are delighted that Wrexham Glyndŵr University has chosen to add its voice to this growing membership. 
Engaging with the Sector
CaSE have held discussions with government officials across the UK and the devolved nations, including the office of the Science Minister, UKRI, Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy and the office of the Scottish Chief Scientific Advisor.

Executive Director Dr Sarah Main gave her inaugural lecture as Visiting Professor at the University of Westminster last month, on why politics and policy matter. Introduced by Westminster's Vice-Chancellor and followed by an audience Q&A, the lecture can be watched online.

CaSE staff took part in a Council of Professors and Heads of Computing policy roundtable with UKRI, as well as the UK Science Park Association's Policy and Research Forum.

We've also held a series of virtual one-on-one meetings with members and the wider sector, including Airto, Anglia Ruskin University, AstraZeneca, Cancer Research UK, the Royal Society for Chemistry, the Royal Academy of Engineering, Huawei, Kielder Observatory, the University of London, British Pharmacological Society, the Physiological Society, University Alliance, and the Wellcome Trust.
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