Letter: Effective funding of medical research
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: The article by Tom Wilkie ('Are science and charity too cosy?', 16 September) was timely in its urging that the balance between charities' and public funding of medical research needs to be addressed.
The fact is that to date there has been a so-called dual support system, in which taxpayers' funds controlled by the Universities Funding Council were supposed to cover a substantial part of the 'indirect' costs while the charities funded the 'direct' or incremental costs.
Financial capping of the UFC contribution has damaged medical and other research in our major research universities over the past few years.
Now we have a new organisation with this dual-support responsibility, the Higher Education Funding Council (for England). It is still developing its research funding strategy, but its current thinking, as expressed in a discussion document, is to withdraw dual support from charities' funded research. This is potentially disastrous to medical research.
It is indeed essential that William Waldegrave's White Paper should address this issue, and that the HEFC should refrain from inflicting damage on medical research until that White Paper has been produced and debated.
Yours faithfully,
DEREK ROBERTS
Provost
University College London
London, WC1
16 September
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments