Investment in large scientific facilities
Summary
Government invests in a range of large scientific
facilities to support and develop the nation’s science base. The main
components of planning for these facilities are a road map describing large
facilities which UK scientists are likely to need in the next 10 to 15 years,
and a central fund (the Large Facilities Capital Fund) of around £100 million
per year to support investments in such facilities by Research Councils.
This Report,
‘Big
science: public investment in large scientific facilities’ (HC 153) is part
of the National Audit Office (NAO) ‘Value for Money’ series and examines plans
for investment in science. Currently, £830 million has been earmarked to 15
projects which are expected to cost the UK taxpayer some £1.2 billion to build.
Ten of these projects have now been approved, one of which has been delivered,
with the others due for completion in the period to 2011.
While it is too
early to assess the value for money of the science facilities, the latest
figures show that expenditure is likely to exceed by 6% and some delivery dates
are likely to be much later than forecast.
Found this story interesting?
Spread
the news by clicking below to add it to your bookmarking service:
How does it affect me?
If you work in science in the public or private sector, this affects you.
The NAO finds that Research Councils need to re-estimate the likely
costs of new facilities and to examine the potential impact of new facilities
on the future demand for research funding. The Research Councils are the Arts
and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Biotechnology and Biological Sciences
Research Council (BBSRC), Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research
Councils (CCLRC), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Engineering and
Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Medical Research Council (MRC),
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and Particle Physics and Astronomy
Research Council (PPARC).
Find out more about the
Office of Science and Innovation
and Research Councils UK.
See the full list of
NAO
‘Work in Progress’ .
