Introduction
A Science Strategy for Scotland, 1 published by the Scottish Executive in August 2001, drew together for the first time the Executive's vision for science as a key driver for Scotland's economy and quality of life. The Executive pledged to take this agenda forward across a wide range of science issues identified during extensive consultation on the Strategy. The objectives of the Strategy were grouped under five main themes:
- research excellence
- commercialisation of science
- science education
- public understanding and
- science in Government
The Strategy noted that these themes would overlap and inter-relate, and taking work forward required a cross-cutting approach. The Strategy proposed mechanisms to address difficult issues, for example, the creation of an independent Scottish Science Advisory Committee to help identify a consensus on priorities and to fill gaps in understanding.
The Strategy recognised that science policy and funding is partly the responsibility of the Executive and partly the responsibility of the UK Government. It is essential that the Executive works closely with Whitehall on science policy and funding, particularly on higher education research. Devolved funding through the Scottish Funding Council 2 supports the higher education sector research infrastructure, while the UK Research Councils (alongside charities, the EU and business) fund particular research projects by a competitive process. The flow of UK funding into Scotland for research is largely determined by the quality and fit of the science base in Scotland to UK funders' priorities. Many other aspects of the science agenda, such as teaching of science in schools and use of science in policy making by Government, are devolved to the Scottish Executive.
The developing context on science since 2001
Science 3 remains a key part of the Scottish Executive's overall economic and social strategy. Scotland has continued to forge ahead in many areas of science and technology which promise great rewards economically and socially ( Case study 1). However, there is a need now to update and reshape the Strategy to ensure a good fit with the changing landscape, both in Scotland and elsewhere. Competition on the science agenda has intensified since 2001, both within the UK and internationally. This is because more countries across the world are shifting their economies towards innovation and moving them up the value chain. Excellent research and innovation is now taking place in countries that just a few years ago were competing mainly as low-wage manufacturers. The response by the UK Government has been a very marked emphasis on science funding and strategy in the last two UK Government spending reviews, culminating in the Science and Innovation Investment Framework 2004-20144 ( Case study 2). This Framework has set the UK vision firmly on the need for increasing investment by public and private funders in science and research as a proportion of Gross Domestic Product and as part of a wider innovation system. It has also set challenging goals across the whole science and innovation agenda, including for instance, increasing UK investment in scientific excellence, making the public science base more responsive to the needs of the economy, and improving Government communication on the benefits and impacts of new technologies. The Government intends to review progress annually. The first such report was produced in July 2005. Within Scotland, the refresh of both the Framework for Economic Development in Scotland and A Smart, Successful Scotland reflect the priority afforded to growing the economy. Science and innovation are increasingly seen as key components of economic competitiveness and growth.
The Executive's Science Strategy therefore needs to be reviewed and refreshed. Before this, it is essential to take stock of progress so far on our existing Strategy. We need to identify what still needs to be done and also what no longer needs to be done. This report sets out a picture of science-related activity across the five main objectives of the Strategy, and assesses progress as impartially as possible on the basis of a range of indicators.
Overall progress on the Strategy
We have made good progress on the Strategy. The Scottish science base 5 still competes very well with the rest of the UK and internationally. The Scottish Executive has helped achieve this by making a number of highly significant long-term investments in science, technology transfer and science education, the details of which are presented in this report. The benefits of these investments will take some time to be fully realised, but they should continue for many years. Most of the short-term commitments in the Strategy have been achieved or significant progress has been made. Looking forward, the UK Framework will provide new opportunities and funding across the UK. It is essential that we build on the progress made in our Strategy on developing world-class infrastructure and human resources to enable us to fully exploit these opportunities.
The progress made since 2001 on science has not all been as a direct result of the Strategy document. Much work was already underway when the document was published. However, there are also many examples of activity and financial investments which have drawn on the philosophy and commitments given in the Strategy to help drive them forward. It is likely that these investments would have been less, or taken longer, without the Strategy. In the last Scottish Executive spending review, for instance, science was highlighted as a key driver of economic and social development. This provided a rationale for increased investment in science-related budgets. The Strategy did not itself create a special budget for science. Such an approach would have been impractical given the many disparate areas of the Scottish Executive's activities which have a science connection. In common with the UK Framework, a special budget for science is unlikely to feature in any revised Strategy. But it is possible that if a good consensus emerges on particular areas of science and innovation of clear strategic value, we could see the creation of cross-cutting budgets to help drive activity linked to these areas.
Structure of this report
The chapters in this report correspond to the five objectives in the Strategy. The text provides a narrative on progress and highlights since 2001 in Scotland and in the context of UK developments. It also identifies areas where progress has not been so strong. Many of the 55 commitments identified in the Strategy were inter-related and spanned different overall objectives. Discussion of activity on more than one commitment may therefore be covered in a single place in the text. Annex A provides a summary of activity noted against each commitment individually, together with a progress rating. A comprehensive list of all the activities identified during the compilation of this report is provided on the Executive's website. Data which helps track performance are presented in the report in charts, with extra data available on the Executive's website. Annex C contains web link references and useful sources of further information. The text provides case studies where important, sometimes cross-cutting developments, merit more detailed description.
Progress towards refreshing the Strategy
The 55 commitments in the Strategy were a mixture of long-term aspirations and specific short to medium-term action plans. Several of the commitments were complex, containing mixtures of aspiration and action. Most, if not all, of the long-term aspirations remain valid now and into the future, but it is sensible at this point to set aside commitments which have been achieved or have been overtaken by events. This report distils the main long-term aspirations into a set of 20 ongoing commitments, and provides an updated set of short to medium-term action plans; all of these plans are already in the public domain. This is an interim rationalisation of the Strategy, in preparation for a refreshed version to be developed over the next year. The refreshed Strategy will build on the existing Strategy, and it is intended will also embrace "innovation" as a joint main theme. This will help to build synergy with the UK Framework and reflect the Partnership Agreement to growing the economy as our first priority. The refreshed Strategy will also consider in more depth the contribution of science to enhancing quality of life.
As part of the review process, the Executive plans to consult widely and to invite organisations and individuals to submit comments on how the Strategy should be taken forward. Annex B provides a list of questions that are expected to be included in the consultation.