§ Mr. IngramTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the eligibility criteria for the provision of funds for capital expenditure under the joint equipment initiative; and if he will make a statement. [3690]
§ Mr. Ian TaylorThe eligibility criteria can be found in the guidelines for the initiative, which were issued on 26 February 1996. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. IngramTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what support has been provided to universities under the joint equipment initiative; what were the targets set for the initiative; and if he will make a statement. [3689]
§ Mr. TaylorThe awards to be made under the joint research equipment initiative have yet to be announced, so no figure is currently available for the support provided to universities under the initiative. The objectives of the scheme were as follows
To enable high-quality research relevant to the foresight generic science and technology priorities to be conducted with the equipment;To contribute more generally to the physical research infrastructure in higher education institutions;To promote partnership between higher education institutions and external sponsors of research, such as industry/commerce, charities, Government Departments, agencies and NHS trusts;To assist the funding councils, the Department of Education Northern Ireland and research councils in taking a strategic overview of the equipment needs of the UK higher education sector.