Technology foresight : first report. Volume II, Minutes of evidence and appendices / Science and Technology Committee.

  • Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Select Committee on Science and Technology
Date:
1995
Catalogue details

Licence: Open Government Licence

Credit: Technology foresight : first report. Volume II, Minutes of evidence and appendices / Science and Technology Committee. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    24 October 1995] [Continued It is expected that the Group will focus particularly on those areas where Government has a particularly strong locus, namely, in the areas of communications, education and training, finance and the policy and regulatory framework. The Group met for the first time on 12 September 1995. 4.8 Second, the Research Councils have a role in providing new incentives for multidisciplinary research, in looking again at the incentives for academics to work with industry, and in maintaining research excellence. In the Research Council’s Response to Foresight document, the BBSRC noted that it is: — Maintaining the skills base through strong studentship and fellowship schemes aimed at identifying the best supervisors, departments and research programmes. — Maintaining support for truly excellent research, whether or not in a Technology Foresight priority area, through the peer review process. — Providing incentives for multi-disciplinary research through workshops, co-ordinated programmes, Interdisciplinary Research Centres, research groups, Institutes, LINK programmes and joint programmes between Institutes and universities. — Providing incentives for universities to work with industry through LINK, ROPA, CASE, the Teaching Company Schemes, equipment-with-industry initiatives and workshops between academics and industrialists. The Research Councils will thus focus particularly on the first eight infrastructural priorities identified by the Steering Group, dealing with “the skills base” and “research in the science base”. 4.9 Third, the Higher Education Funding Councils will also keep in view Foresight infrastructural priorities. For example, the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) is canvassing the views of organisations, institutions and individuals who have an interest in the role of higher education in Scotland as to how SHEFC might respond to Foresight. It has asked for views on whether recurrent research grants might be affected by a Foresight “priority factor”; it is considering whether Foresight might affect funding for physical infrastructure; and it is discussing a wide range of related issues. The SHEFC will submit an action plan to the Secretary of State for Scotland by the end of 1995 which will detail the way forward. MAINTAINING NETWORKS AND PANELS 1. We recommend that the sector panels be maintained by OST and that a focus of their work, at least over the next 12 months, should be to ensure communication of the results. 2. We recommend that action be taken, wherever and whenever appropriate, to implement the recommendations of the various panels and the generic priorities we have identified. 3. We recommend that the Steering Group, chaired by the Chief Scientific Adviser, be continued in its overarching capacity. 4. We recommend that the 15 sector panels be retained but that the composition of each panel be shaded to take account of the need to communicate and promote implementation of the results. 5. We recommend that Research Council representatives be added to the membership of appropriate sector panels, and that Departmental representatives with expertise in policy and regulatory matters continue to be in membership of each panel. 6. We recommend that the panels develop close working links with professional bodies, learned societies and trade associations. 7. We recommend that senior personnel from industry, relevant trade associations and professional bodies be recruited by OST to serve as the links between the sector panels and the relevant community. 8. We recommend that sub-groups of individuals drawn mainly from different panels should -be established to address cross-sectoral issues. 9. We recommend that further foresight work on Marine Science and Technology be undertaken, as recommended by the Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment panel. 5. Speciric STEERING GROUP RECOMMENDATIONS 5.1 For ease of reference each of the 64 recommendations made by the Steering Group is given alongside the accompanying text on the actions taken subsequently. . 5.2 Maintaining Networks and Panels. Most of the Foresight panels are to remain in being for the foreseeable future. Two of the former panels, namely, Communications and Information Technology and