HC Deb 07 May 1987 vol 115 cc518-9W
Dr. Marek

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his policy towards the minimum period for an academic institution to be informed, in advance of the beginning of any academic year, of what Medical Research Council funding will be available for that year.

Mrs. Rumbold

Academic institutions receive Medical Research Council funding through grants to individual applicants. Each grant covers a specific project or programme of research, has a fixed tenure and provides an agreed level of support. M RC funding for each institution is the sum of all the individual grants made to researchers in that institution. Thus funding for an academic year is determined by the grants in existence at the beginning of each year but may increase during the year as new grants are awarded.