PoliSCI
What’s been in the UK science and policy news?
Brexit negotiations
On Thursday, David Davis made his closing remarks at the end of the second round of EU exit negotiations in Brussels. He reiterated the four core principles guiding the UK’s approach:
- engaging constructively
- working hard and at pace – there were 98 civil servants attending this week
- negotiating for every nation and region of the United Kingdom
- keeping Parliament and the public informed as the negotiations unfold.
He noted particularly the progress made on understanding each other’s position on citizens’ rights; the financial settlement; the first meetings of sub-groups on separation issues, and on the issues around Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Medicine and technology funding
The government has announced a new funding package of £86 million for UK SMEs to develop and test new medical breakthroughs and innovations in the NHS. The funding is intended to speed up the time it takes to get new technologies from the lab to patients in the NHS and could include innovations such as digital technologies to help patients manage their conditions from home instead of a hospital, or to develop new medicines. The announcement is the first step in response to the Accelerated Access Review (AAR) – an independently chaired review, which recommended the government speed up patient access to new technologies.
Michael Gove’s first speech as Secretary of State for Defra highlights environment and Brexit
In his first speech since returning to the cabinet, the new Environment Secretary said he hoped the US president would have a change of heart about his approach to climate change, saying that international cooperation was crucial and that the ‘world’s second biggest generator of carbon emissions can’t simply walk out of the room when the heat is on’. He also described himself as an environmentalist and said he would deliver a ‘green Brexit’, despite no environmental legislation being included in the Queen’s Speech. He also said farmers must prove they deserve future subsidies after the UK leaves the European Union, although the government will keep overall subsidies to farmers at the same level until 2022.
Funding calls relevant to members
Open programme round 3
Competition opens: Monday 12 June 2017
Competition closes: Wednesday 9 August 2017 12:00pm
UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £15 million. This is to deliver game-changing, cutting-edge innovations with significant potential for impact on the UK economy. Projects may last between 6 and 36 months. Total eligible project costs should range from £25,000 to £1 million depending on the type of research and development (R&D) to be undertaken. It is important to note that any project with total costs outside this range will be deemed out of scope and ineligible.
APC8: Anchoring low carbon technology in the UK
Competition opens: Monday 10 July 2017
Registration closes: Wednesday 20 September 2017 12:00pm
The Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) is to invest up to £35 million in a number of collaborative research and development (R&D) pre-production match-funded projects for low carbon automotive technologies. Projects must demonstrate the development of technologies based around one or more of the Automotive Council’s 'sticky' technologies.
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