The new Higher Education and Research Bill sets out broad and significant changes to the structure of public research funding across the UK. It is important that these changes strengthen UK research and innovation, and do not cause unnecessary disruption to the sector.
The Academy of Medical Sciences and our sister Academies - the Royal Society, the British Academy and the Royal Academy of Engineering – have published a briefing and a set of probing amendments which seek further clarity on key aspects of the new organisational framework proposed in the Bill. This document has been provided to all members of the Committee scrutinising the Bill, and aims to initiate and inform a discussion on the potential impact of the Bill in its current form.
For information of the Academy’s wider activities around the Bill, please see our relevant policy page.
The Higher Education and Research Bill was introduced to the House of Commons in May 2016. It includes proposals to create a new research and innovation funding body, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), as well as changes to the higher education landscape in England, as outlined in the White Paper Success as a Knowledge Economy.