§ Mr. Strangasked the Secretary of State for Defence what formal links exist between universities and his Department, other than the awarding of research contracts.
§ Mr. Norman LamontWe have joined the research councils in making available joint research grants for work of high scientific merit and relevance to defence in the academic sector.
The Ministry of Defence has other links with the research councils at various levels, and the Chief Scientific Adviser is a member of the Advisory Board for the Research Councils.
Work is in hand to achieve greater collaboration with the academic sector in the provision and use of research facilities and there is to be a meeting held annually under ABRC auspices to review the MOD's and the research councils' capital investment plans: the inaugural meeting was held on 20 March 1986.
The Ministry of Defence has a sponsorship scheme to assist students wishing to study engineering and science at university. It also sponsors defence lectureships at several universities.
There are finally various arrangements between individual MOD research establishments and institutions of higher education with a mutual interest of particular lines of research.