The belief that science in the UK is being protected has been exposed as a myth, according to Prof. David Phillips, President of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). The science sector's teaching funding had been slashed by almost 75 percent, research cut by more than £17 million and the capital budget by 66 percent, he said in a statement. Pointing out that it took decades for researchers to recover from the conditions in the 1980s, when many had to carry out their work in dilapidated facilities, he expressed concern that they were returning to that era.
Last week, Science and Universities Minister David Willetts revealed exactly how close science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) university departments had come to joining arts and humanities in losing their entire teaching budget. He said that about £4,000 of basic teaching costs across all subjects would be removed as reforms proposed by Lord Browne were implemented. Lab-based science courses receive annual funding of £8,700 per student, £3,300 of which is from tuition fees and loans with the remainder from HEFCE. The £4,000 drop in teaching funding is seen to leave STEM students with just £1,400 per year, marking a 74.1 percent fall.
Prof. Phillips said that when the Comprehensive Spending Review was announced in October 2010, it had been portrayed as a 'victory for science'. The actual picture is quite bleak, according to him. Further, an immigration cap limiting the number of scientists coming to the UK would come into force next month, he added.
Universities would have to start charging close to £9,000 just to make up the shortfall in teaching funding, Prof. Phillips pointed out.
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