Ministers should boost university research funding, says report

Wales' research potential is not being fully exploited, a report has said.

The review, by Professor Graeme Reid, has called on the Welsh Government to address a "funding shortage" for research in universities.

The report says a new office should be opened to boost the visibility of Welsh research, and proposes additional spending of £84m.

Skills minister Julie James acknowledged more can be done to boost the influence of Welsh research.

The report, which was written in December 2017 but was only published by the Welsh Government six months later, on Tuesday, said the funding of post-compulsory education and research is being transformed.

Brexit will end Wales' access to European Union structural funds, with their replacement unclear, bringing a shift towards competitively awarded funding from the UK Research and Innovation organisation.

"I have found great strengths and national assets in Welsh Universities and in research and innovation centres that have been developed in Wales during the last decade but I am not convinced that the potential of these assets is fully exploited for the benefit of Wales," Prof Reid said.

His report argued that the research community needs to work together to become more influential in pursuing competitive funding.

It calls for the Welsh Government to introduce a "powerful, performance related, incentive and reward system, based on winning competitively awarded research and innovation funding from outside Wales".

Low levels of funding for research in Wales, relative to the rest of the UK, has been a "structural weakness" for almost two decades, the report says.

This "is reflected in relatively low levels of funding secured in competitions at UK-wide and EU levels and fragile levels of business income in Welsh universities," Prof Reid wrote.

Calling for parity with the rest of the UK, the review argued that the "funding shortage can only be addressed by the Welsh Government: no other funding source is available".

The report showed that Welsh universities receive 3.5% of the total research income for the UK, despite Wales having 4.8% of the population.

Scottish universities, in comparison, receive 13.4% despite Scotland having 8.3% of the population.

A new Welsh Research and Innovation London Office should be opened, Prof Reid recommends, able to identify and promote funding opportunities and take advantages in the focus from the EU to the UK.

The Welsh Government should implement recommendations made by the Prof Ian Diamond - which it has accepted - to protect quality-related research funding, the report argues.

Prof Reid also called for a fund worth £30m a year to allocate cash to universities in proportion to additional cash raised from competitions outside of Wales.

Julie James said: "I was pleased to read that Professor Reid found research and innovation in Wales to be strong, with many examples of national and international impact and success.

"It is essential that we build on this success and grow the sector, as we respond to the changing UK research landscape and the potential consequences of Brexit.

"We do acknowledge however that, working across sectors, we can do more to increase the visibility and influence of Welsh research. We will therefore take forward the recommendation on a dedicated London presence to promote Welsh Research and Innovation immediately."