Universities UK are please to submit a Memorandum to this inquiry. The ability of the UK to maintain and strengthen international research collaboration is crucial to the country's future competitiveness.

  The Committee will be well aware of the UK's international research standing and the significant role that universities play in delivering this. Recent figures produced on behalf of the OSI show that the UK has increased its share of the world's most influential scientific papers and its research base is second only to the United States. The UK produces nine per cent of the world's scientific papers and has a citation share of 12 per cent .

  This does not mean to say we should be complacent. A recent report by the think tank DEMOS suggests that China, India and Korea are now significant players in global networks of innovation that channel flows of people, ideas and technologies and that US and European pre-eminence in science and innovation can no longer be taken for granted. In December 2006, the OECD announced that China had moved ahead of Japan for the first time to become the world's second largest investor in R&D after the US, spending £4.7 billion. South Korea's spending increased 15% over 2005 to 3% of GDP, 75% of it coming from private industry. In India, R&D spending rose by 24% to £2.3 billion.

  The UK's universities have been, and continue to be, international organisations with a diverse staff and student body. They have links, partnership and collaborations with universities, business and other organisations around the world. This is supported in a number of different ways through the Research Councils and other government departments and agencies.

  It is crucial, however, that we can increase the attraction of the UK for inward investors and potential partners, and capitalise further on international collaborations. This has been recognised in the UK Government's 10-year Science and Innovation Framework, though continued and increased investment to support and build upon work to date should be a priority for the current spending review. A report by Technopolis , for the OSI, suggests that financial constraints act as a significant barrier to R&D collaboration.

  This is not always simply a funding issue and additional investment needs to be combined with good coordination and strategic planning. The Global Science & Innovation Forum (GISF) and the development of a strategic approach to improve the UK efforts in international science and innovation collaboration is therefore a positive development. However, better cross government coordination of policies is still needed, particularly in those departments which may not have a direct responsibility for R&D collaboration, but are making policy decisions that could have a significant impact. For example, work by the member organisations of GISF to enhance the attractiveness of the UK may be hindered by the development of over stringent visa and vetting requirements from other parts of Whitehall.

  We welcome the increased focus the Research Councils, both individually and collectively through RCUK, have given to supporting international collaboration. Plans to enhance Research Council presence in China and the US are very welcome. Initiatives such as these will help to facilitate a more strategic and coordinated approach to collaboration between the UK research community and these countries.

  There is still, however, scope for improved cooperation at a strategic level between UK's national funding bodies and their counterparts abroad. More international bilateral agreements and understandings are needed to over come barriers to collaboration, such as the double jeopardy problem .

  We would welcome the development of a RCUK international strategy. This would be particularly useful in helping to identify cross Council issues and ensuring a consistent approach. RCUK could also have a key role in developing new evidence on factors that drive or inhibit collaboration, which can then inform individual Councils' policy making and strategic planning.

  In relation to Europe, the UK's performance in past Framework Programmes has been strong. UK organisations were involved in and coordinated more Framework Programme 4 and Framework Programme 5 projects than any other Member State. The performance of the UK HEI sector has been exceptional in the past. Under Framework Programme 5 the UK received 25 per cent of all funding that went to universities throughout Europe. Early data from Framework Programme 6 shows that this is a continuing trend.

  Research for Universities UK showed that the benefits of universities' participation in the Framework Programme are significant. It ensures strong collaboration across Europe, with the free exchange of ideas that enables UK academics to experience and benefit from a broader perspective on their research. EU-funded research adds considerably to the research standing of many universities. It also promotes research across disciplines and can lead to enhanced capability in key areas that may not be possible at a national level.

  The UK Research Office (UKRO), which is the Brussels office for the Research Councils, plays a vital role in promoting awareness of opportunities in the Framework Programme. This facility is of great value to UK HE sector and universities are very well catered for through the provision of advice and training. It is clear that UKRO will play a crucial role in enhancing the UK's involvement in Framework Programme 7. Universities UK also welcome UKRO's stakeholder focus, including subscribers in all aspects of their work.

  As part of the Framework Programme the ERA-Net scheme offers a good solution towards co-ordinating programmes run in the Member States and we are pleased to see the UK Research Councils continued and enhanced involvement in this. EU legal provisions, such as Article 169, allow support for Member State collaboration. Support for these collaborations has been more widely applied in Framework Programme 7 and further Research Council involvement in these areas is to be encouraged to maximise the EU's research efforts.

April 2007

PSA target metrics for the UK research base, DTI, March 2007.

The Atlas of Ideas: mapping the new geography of science, DEMOS, January 2007.

Drivers, Barriers, Benefits and Government Support of UK International Engagement in Science and Innovation, Technopolis, December 2005.

Double jeopardy is where a project runs the risk of not being funded because it needs to be agreed by two or more separate funding agencies running separate review processes.

Study to identify the costs of EU framework programme projects to UK higher education institutions: A report by JM Consulting to Universities UK and HEFCE, JM Consulting, 2006.