General Chat

The U.K. Pre-Budget Report last week has given cause for concern across the scientific community as it was revealed that the government are planning £600m savings from higher education, science and research budgets according to the BBC.

The report outlined where £5bn of savings could be made across the board by 2012-13 to cut overall expenditure.

Campaigners have said the outlook is bleak, but the government have rebuffed this comment by reminding us of the fact that since Labour took office in 1997 its annual spend on the science programme has doubled to £6bn.

They went onto highlight that £600m savings would come "from higher education and science and research budgets from a combination of changes to student support within existing arrangements; efficiency savings and prioritisation across universities, science and research; some switching of modes of study in higher education; and reductions in budgets that do not support student participation."

A spokesman from the department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) assured the BBC that while the government needs to make efficiencies it remained committed to its 10 year science and innovation investment framework, which aims to increase spending in this area by 2.5% a year in real terms. He went onto say that stakeholders would be called upon to help decide where best to make those savings.