Government Science Capability Review
A review which addresses the capability of government science and engineering, recommending actions to further embed government science into policymaking.
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Science is a cornerstone of our future economy and will impact increasingly upon every part of government and society. The Government Chief Scientific Adviser carried out this review to assess our current science and engineering capability. The recommendations encompass several key messages:
- Whilst there are pockets of excellence, science activity and expenditure is variable across government – with reduced science budgets in many departments.
- To improve the impact of our science, it is necessary to work across government and the wider scientific community in academia and industry, both in the UK and internationally.
- In our public laboratories, we have an extraordinarily valuable asset, and we need to do more to nurture them.
- New models for working with private sector innovative companies will be required to meet the science needs of government.
- The government science and engineering profession, analysts and policy professionals will need to be part of defining the problems to be addressed by science and using science to improve performance and outcomes.
Government Science Capability Review: progress update (9 January 2024)
The 2024 Science Capability Review (SCR) update, published by the Government Chief Scientific Adviser, provides a qualitative evaluation of the work carried out since 2019 to deliver improvements in science capability in government.
Key messages from the progress update report include:
- The SCR has been effective in strengthening science capability in government and in demonstrating the importance of science in policymaking.
- There has been significant progress made against the recommendations since publication, with five recommendations now complete and embedded in government operations while all others are in progress.
- Key findings include that government needs to maintain a clear focus on science funding and that challenges remain in the area of Public Sector Research Establishments (PSREs) and recruitment and retention of people and skills.
- Government should continue to prioritise work on improving science capability and tackle the identified challenges.
Updates to this page
Published 5 November 2019Last updated 9 January 2024 + show all updates
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The Government Science Capability Review (SCR) progress update has been published. It provides progress on the delivery of the actions recommended in the 2019 Government Science Capability Review.
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First published.