Unfocused science and technology strategy risks “science superpower” becoming an empty slogan, Lords Committee

The Lords Science and Technology Committee has today (Thursday 4 August) published its report “Science and technology superpower”: More than a Slogan?, examining the Government’s plans to deliver a UK science and technology strategy.

Key findings and recommendations include:

• The Committee welcomes the target to increase UK R&D spending to 2.4% of GDP by 2027, the associated increases in public funding, and the creation of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) as a cabinet committee and the Office for Science and Technology (OSTS) to prioritise science and technology at the heart of government.
  
  
• Without clearer remits, the NSTC and OSTS will become just another layer of bureaucracy in an already crowded landscape of science and technology bodies.
  
  
• The Government should be much more specific about what it wants to achieve in the broad areas of science and technology that it has identified. A clear implementation plan is needed, including measurable targets and outcomes in priority areas, and a view of how these will be delivered.
  
  
• Much of the additional investment required to reach 2.4% of GDP needs to come from business. Business and industry need to be much more closely involved in the development of the strategy, its targets and outcomes, and the policy levers that will be used to support increased investment.
  
  
• The new Prime Minister must make it a priority to chair regular meetings of the NSTC, to drive progress towards science and technology targets nationally and across government.
  
  
• The Committee was concerned that, at the time of writing, there was no Minister for Science, Research and Innovation. A new Minister is needed urgently; and it should be a cabinet-level position. There must be clear lines of accountability for the delivery of specific reforms and strategies.
  
  
• The Government’s inconsistent approach to international scientific collaboration has severely undermined the aspiration to be a "science and tech superpower." The UK’s reputation and scientific capability have been damaged by the cuts to Official Development Assistance and the ongoing lack of association with Horizon Europe. The UK must be seen as a reliable partner, and the Government must be realistic that it cannot reproduce the benefits of international collaborations domestically. The Committee recommends that the Government urgently takes steps to rebuild the UK's reputation as a partner.
  
  
• The Committee stresses that R&D is a long-term endeavour. It has been undermined by frequent policy changes, with strategies that are supposed to be long-term being abandoned after a few years. The Committee calls on the Government to make every effort to establish science and technology policy for the long term, building on existing policies and with clear, cross-party support.
  
  
• As things stand, the slogan “science and tech superpower” has no credible definition or underpinning.

Baroness Brown, Chair of the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee said:

“The Government has high ambitions for science and technology, which the Committee welcomes. Science and technology are crucial to the UK’s development and economic prosperity. Even with significantly lower spending than comparable countries, the UK’s excellent science base punches above its weight and can provide the tools to tackle major challenges like net zero. 

“But science policy has been far from perfect. R&D is a long-term endeavour which requires sustained focus and an implementation plan. But we found a plethora of strategies in different areas with little follow-through and less linking them together. There are numerous bodies and organisations with unclear or apparently overlapping responsibilities, and more are being added in the form of the National Science and Technology Council and the Office for Science and Technology Strategy. It is often unclear who is accountable for individual policies, and critically, for delivery. 

“The Government has suggested areas of reform to increase private sector investment in R&D such as public procurement for innovation, regulatory reform, and R&D tax credits. But these areas are perennial suggestions. New ideas - and specific details – developed with business are needed if this time the outcomes are to be different. 

“On the international stage, the failure to associate to Horizon Europe, and recent cuts to Official Development Assistance, have damaged the UK’s reputation. The UK cannot be a science superpower in isolation; relationships must be repaired.  

“UK science and technology remains strong and respected around the world, but they will not deliver their full potential for the UK with an inconsistent and unclear science policy from Government. A new administration must retain the ambition for science and technology and develop a clear plan for delivery.” 

Strictly embargoed: 00.01 Thursday 4 August 2022 The report will be available on the committee's website shortly after publication.  

To request an embargoed copy of the report, or bid for an interview with the committee’s chair, Baroness Brown, please contact: Louise Shewey sheweyl@parliament.uk  / 0207 219 1692