Twenty years of relative neglect of the university sector has lead to a degradation of its infrastructure, Professor Colin Blakemore, chief executive of the Medical Research Council (MRC), told the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee this week.
Questioned about the state of research in Britain today, Professor Blakemore said: “The strength of British biomedical research is that we live in a culture that places a value on scholarship and individual effort.” “Unfortunately,” he continued, “we're currently living off our past capital.”
He reminded the committee that, measured per head of the population, the United States now spends eight times as much on medical research as Britain.
Questioned by Geraldine Smith MP, Professor Blakemore spoke further about the need for more money. “The MRC simply does not have enough money,” he said, adding that he hoped the committee could help in the matter, especially if a more cordial relationship could be re-established.
As if to emphasise that the committee had heard Professor Blakemore's plea, a third member, Dr Desmond Turner MP, later asked him how much money he'd like. A ball park figure would do, Dr Turner added. Professor Blakemore suggested that doubling the budget would be about right.
Mindful of the committee's recent and damning report on the MRC, Professor Blakemore may have felt a touch apprehensive as he took his seat in committee room 6 on Monday afternoon. The committee's chairman, Ian Gibson MP, opened the session with a few tame inquiries about the new job and then asked if MRC staff were still as disgruntled as the committee had previously judged them to be. Professor Blakemore reported that he was trying to meet as many as possible and, during the first 13 of his round of university meetings, had been inspired by the generosity of his reception.
The mood turned slightly frostier when Tony McWalter MP took over the questioning and complained that Professor Blakemore had used that morning's Today programme to criticise the committee for its previous report. After a couple of sharp exchanges the two agreed to stop raking over past disagreements.
The agenda thereafter included the importance of engagement with the public, and the need to enlighten MPs about science.
Figure 1.
Professor Colin Blakemore
Credit: MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL