Peter Mandelson, the government’s new Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills offered some reassurance this morning about the role of science within the newly formed Department for Business Innovations and Skills (DBIS or just BIS). Mandelson spoke at the centenary celebration of London’s Science Museum.
For those in need of a catch-up, BIS was formed last Friday after a number of resignations from Gordon Brown’s cabinet rocked the government. BIS took over the science brief from the short-lived Department of Innovation Universities and Skills, which is now defunct after just 20 months.
Some folks fret that moving science into BIS means that it will come second to business, but that’s not going to happen according to Mandelson. “We will be operating on a budget which is ring-fenced safe and sound,” he told reporters at a press conference after the event. He added that the Haldane principle, which says that government should not interfere with the research councils, should be respected.
That’s not to say there won’t changes. At one point Mandelson said that applied research “obviously will receive greater emphasis.” But when pressed about it, he backed down: “Applied research does not operate at the expense of fundamental science. You need both,” he told me.
There have also been some worries about Paul Drayson, currently the minister of state for science. Under the cabinet reshuffle, it looks like he’ll also be working for the Ministry of Defence. The BBC reports that he’ll be managing the Defence R&D portfolio along with some procurement (although the MoD couldn’t confirm it). Will that mean less time to devote to science?
No, says Mandelson. “Lord Drayson will give the overwhelming bulk of his time to science, innovation, and technology,” he says. “I think you will find that he is a spokesman for the MoD in the Lords, rather than a minister who is going to be developing the bulk of his time to that title.”
Indeed, several people are feeling pretty good about the Mandelson/Drayson tag team. Jessica Bland over at Just a Theory has a nice analysis of why it might be good for science.
But many others are still adopting a wait-and-see approach, including Universities UK, the UK’s largest higher education group. They’re hoping to set up some face time with Mandelson later this month to find out what this will mean for higher ed.
Bill Hartnett of the Royal Society summed up the press conference rather well: “The words are reassuring,” he says
Reassurance is one thing, but it’s the policy that will matter in the end.
UPDATE: Drayson’s duties have now been outlined by the MoD. Among other things he will be “championing new technologies” in defence.
Image: J. Sutcliffe/Science Museum