English MPs have challenged the government to explain why it has taken money from the Medical Research Council (MRC) that was expected to go towards funding a new medical research centre.
The MPs raised the matter during a recent meeting of the House of Commons Innovation, Universities, and Skills Committee to review plans for the UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation, which will be located in central London.
The centre, announced in December 2007, will bring together research teams from the MRC’s National Institute for Medical Research, the Cancer Research UK London Research Institute, and University College London. The Wellcome Trust will also fund scientists working at the centre, which is planned to open in 2013.
The MPs found that the Treasury had recently invoked previously unused rules “to claw back” £92m (€120; $180) in savings that the MRC had built up in its commercial fund, money resulting from exploitation of its intellectual property. This money will now be available to the government as part of its overall funding.
If the money had not been taken by the government, it could have gone towards the £297m that the MRC will be expected to put towards the centre.
The committee thought that the establishment of the centre was “potentially one of the most exciting developments in UK research for some time. It is also one of the most high risk, involving an estimated cost of £500m, including nearly £300m of public funds through the Medical Research Council.”
The group therefore decided that reviewing the plans for the centre should be one of its first tasks, as part of its role in examining the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Department for Innovation, Universities, and Skills, the government department in charge of research.
Following the Treasury’s decision to claw back the £92m, the council will have to find money from the Large Facilities Capital Fund, a source of government funding for big projects.
The Treasury has also put a cap on the gross income from the MRC’s commercial fund for the next three years.
The committee said, “We are at a loss to understand the rationale for this behaviour by the Treasury and request an explanation.” In a report of the meeting, the group added, “Encouraging the MRC to be self financing to a degree and then appropriating its savings, thus forcing the MRC to come cap in hand for funding, is hardly redolent of good faith. Doubts over the MRC’s ability to finance the project and science on at least the current scale must be resolved as soon as possible.”
Members of the group were also concerned about the timetable and project management of such an ambitious scheme. They were particularly anxious about the time needed for the MRC to bid for, and gain, the additional funding that it now needs.
In addition, they were concerned about the science vision for the new centre and “what, if anything, is likely to be lost from the current research portfolios supported by the partners.” They hoped to see suitable representation from all four partners on the committee that will steer the centre’s development and adequate communication with current staff on plans that will affect their future.
The committee said that it would expect quarterly updates, beginning in March 2008, on the development of the project.
House of Commons Innovation, Universities, and Skills Committee: UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation: First Report of Session 2007-8 is available at www.parliament.uk.