§ * Councils and their Boards/Committees/Groups are invited to use the criteria listed here to discuss and compare relative benefits. Whenever practicable, reference should be made to objective data in support of the assessment (eg demographic data; social costs; relevant government expenditure etc.) in relation to the cost of the research.
§ Scientific Policy Criteria
- (1) Excellence of study field
- Where benefits are attributable to a high proportion of the research being intrinsically of high intellectual value.
- (2) Excellence of the research workers
- Where benefits are attributable to the exceptional quality of the individuals or teams to be employed in the activity.
- (3) Pervasiveness of the activity
- Where benefits include the impetus to advances in other and related fields of science in addition to the primary field.
- (4) Social and/or economic importance
- Where expected benefits arise from the work being directed to supporting social or economic aims.
- (5) Significance for the training of scientific manpower
- Where benefits will include training and experience for scientific research workers.
- (6) Educational importance
- Where benefits will include a contribution to education.
- (7) Significance in maintaining national scientific prestige
- Where benefits will contribute to national reputation.
§ Management Criteria
§ 2. A set of selected management criteria are also offered. These apply to the consideration, from a management policy point of view, of alternatives which have already been assessed on the scientific policy criteria.
§ A. Efficiency of operation
§ Where improvements in organisation and/or plant would lead to a general increase in efficiency.
§ B. Obsolescence
§ Where the maintenace of a capability (at whatever level of activity) requires replacement within the Forward Look period of a major item of obsolescent plant or equipment.
§ C. Timing
§ Where a start on a new or increased activity within the Forward Look period is critical if the expected benefits are not to be lost or much reduced.
§ D. Dependence on Science Budget Support
§ Where there is likely to be limited support, national or foreign, available for work related to the activity except the Science Budget.
§ E. Availability of scientific manpower
§ Where an activity attracts priority by virtue of greater availability of scientific manpower for it (or its execution is constrained by lack of it).
§ F. Scope and limits of redeployment
§ Where the priority accorded to an activity is conditioned by difficulties or opportunities of redeployment.
§ *Extract from instructions to Research Councils, 1975 Forward Look.