A new science chief

After a long and winding appointments process, with a few dead-ends and about-turns, Professor Sir Mark Walport was announced as the new CEO of UKRI – a new organisation that will bring together the seven research councils along with Innovate UK and Research England.

Many will know Sir Mark as the current Government Chief Scientific Advisor (GCSA) and our understanding is that Sir Mark will split his time between the two roles before fully taking on his new post when UKRI officially opens in April 2018.

This raises a few questions. Over many years the UK’s science advice structures have maintained a careful and planned separation between funding decisions for science, and scientific advice. The GCSA has no responsibility or role in funding decisions for science, helping ensure there aren’t any conflicts of interest in their independent advice given to Government. Similarly, Government doesn’t primarily look to those who lead research funding organisations for independent scientific advice. But now the same person holds both roles, albeit temporarily. How can that best be managed in a transparent, accountable way?

It also raises a question about science advice capacity. Undoubtedly Sir Mark will be able to devote less time to his role as GCSA during this transition period. That is perhaps compounded by recent comments made by Sir Mark to the Commons Science and Technology Committee which seemed to indicate that Department’s without their own CSA, including the newly created Departments for Exiting the EU and International Trade, seek out his advice instead. Surely that can no longer be a feasible alternative to appointing their own CSA, if it was ever so?

It also means that (hopefully) soon the search will be on for a new GCSA. There have been many cases of unacceptable gaps between a CSA leaving and a new one being appointed – with some Departments currently in that predicament. So we hope that the Government will make appointing a new GCSA a priority. Equally we hope that many eligible candidates from the science community will consider whether they could put themselves forward for this vital role. CaSE will be publishing a new piece of work at the end of April that will make recommendations to improve science advice in Government. We hope it will, in part, provide some things for the new GCSAs to do list.

Author: Naomi Weir, Assistant Director, Campaign for Science and Engineering

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