https://doi.org/10.36866/pn.103.7

Health of Physiology Report

After a long gestation period, the Health of Physiology report will be released at our main meeting, Physiology 2016, and following the event, will be available on our website. The report sets out the state of physiology as an academic discipline in the UK in 2016, and gives recommendations on how The Society and the academic community of physiologists could take it forward to strengthen its future.

The wellbeing of physiology must be assured by effective training of the next cadre of physiologists who will take the discipline forward and continue to play a central role in biomedical research. This requires a robust training route and continued support through the Research Councils and other sources of funding. The scientific importance of physiology will also continue to be emphasised to the general public via The Society’s media outlets, its scientific meetings, publications, and policy and outreach initiatives. All these activities will be strengthened by enhanced collaborations that are now being developed with The Society’s partner organisations, most notably in the UK, Europe and the United States. The recommendations in Health of Physiology will focus the work of The Society in order to ensure its future strength.

Science in George Osborne’s Budget

The bulk of the government’s plans for science funding were laid out (as a framework, if not with much detail) in last year’s Comprehensive Spending Review. However, further information and policy of note to the scientific community came out in the recent spring Budget.

Government plans to continue converting schools in England to academy status, eventually achieving full conversion. There is a concern that the change to academies will disconnect student learning from the National Curriculum, potentially reducing students’ exposure to science subjects and practical experience of science due to funding and expertise shortfalls.

A more positive change for education came in the form of loans for postgraduate study all the way up to PhD level. These should enable more people to continue their studies after their undergraduate degree, thereby gaining research experience as well as qualifications. They also provide a route for adult retraining in a highly-skilled scientific career later in life. Loans of up to £25,000 will be available, with a projected 9% repayment rate.

The Budget included announcements related to science capital funding, with some specific projects in the life sciences being supported. These include research into ovarian and mesolithiomal cancers, and the Quadram Institute which will study food, health, the human digestive system and the microbiome.

Research Excellence Framework review

While the Comprehensive Spending Review set out the overall size of the science funding pot, we were required to wait until March for the details of the split of that funding among the individual Research Councils and other governmental bodies. Research Councils UK responded by saying ‘allocations may have an impact on some existing commitments [and] may necessitate some difficult decisions.’

Resource allocations for most Councils fall in cash terms from 2015/16 to 2019/20 with money instead being allocated to the Global Challenges Research Fund, awards from which must meet international development criteria as well as the scientific criteria normally mandated by the councils. Inflation will progressively diminish the value of science resource budgets towards the end of this Parliament. Full details of Research Council allocations can be found in the government’s document at http://tinyurl.com/jk2wuuo