§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the universities awarded funding for research infrastructure as part of the Joint Infrastructure Fund Competition, indicating how much funding each will receive. [121665]
§ Ms HewittThe Joint Infrastructure Fund (JIF) has made 109 awards worth just under £600 million to 39 universities. The final two rounds of awards will be announced in November 2000 and March 2001.
The successful universities are listed. The value of Round 2 and Round 3 awards are subject to negotiation with successful applicants and will be announced later this year. Round 1 figures are shown in the table.
£ million Universities awarded funding1 Value of Round 1 awards Aberdeen — Bangor (University of Wales) 2.8 Bath — Birkbeck College — Birmingham 11.1 Bristol 2.0 Cambridge 30.4 Cardiff — Dundee — Durham — East Anglia — Edinburgh 6.3 Glasgow 2.1 Imperial College 11.3 King's College, London — Lancaster 0.6 Leeds 2.4 Leicester — Liverpool 6.1 LSE 6.6 Manchester 1.8 Newcastle 4.4 Nottingham 5.0 Oxford 17.9 Queen Mary and Westfield College 24.8 Queen's, Belfast 0.4 Reading — Sheffield — Southampton 3.8 Strathclyde 1.2 SUERC (Glasgow) 3.9 Surrey 4.7 Sussex — Ulster — UMIST — University College, London — Wales College of Medicine — Warwick 1.0 York — Total (Round 1 only) 150.4 1JIF Rounds 1–3
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) which organisations are responsible for funding infrastructure requirements in universities; [122139]
(2) what models are being considered for the replacement of the Joint Infrastructure Fund. [122137]
§ Ms HewittOverall responsibility for funding university infrastructure in Scotland, Wales and Northern196W Ireland is with the devolved administrations. For England, the responsibility is with the Higher Education Funding Council for England.
In addition, my Department, together with the Wellcome Trust and the HEFCE, is responsible for the £750 million Joint Infrastructure Fund initiative, which provides for research infrastructure and equipment in UK universities. My Department is also responsible, together with the Higher Education Funding Councils and the Department of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment, for the Joint Research Equipment Initiative for university research equipment.
Competition for funds from the JIF has been very strong. There have been many high quality applications and we have been able to fund only the most outstanding. Under the terms of the JIF scheme there can be no re-submission of unsuccessful applications.
JIF was set up as a one-off fund to boost university infrastructure. The Government are giving careful consideration to the need for a follow on programme. This includes exploration of options other than allocation based on competition through bidding.
The 1997 Dearing Report of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education drew attention to the need to invest in university research infrastructure in order to ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of scientific research. Dearing's recommendations were based on the 1996 "Survey of Research Equipment in UK Universities" undertaken by the Policy Research in Engineering, Science and Technology Unit at the University of Manchester (PREST). Dearing also drew on Segal Quince and Wicksteed's 1997 "Review of Dual Support: The Funding Gap" study of overall research funding in universities.
I understand that the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals of the Universities of the United Kingdom expects to publish shortly an updated study by PREST, part funded by CVCP and HEFCE, of the present state of research equipment provision and needs in UK universities.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what his policy is on funding proposals which have not been successful in gaining an allocation from the Joint Infrastructure Fund; [122165]
(2) what provision will be made for financing research infrastructure once the funds from the Joint Infrastructure Fund have been allocated; [122164]
(3) what analysis has been made of the volume of investment required in research infrastructure in universities to bring infrastructure in particular subject areas up to the standards of major international competitors. [122166]
§ Ms Hewitt[holding answer 15 May 2000]: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given today to her written question 122138, Official Report, column 193W.