Drayson grilled over impact

Science minister Paul Drayson faced a hostile audience at a debate on the future of UK research at the Wellcome Trust in London last night. Surrounded by a panel of young researchers and science communicators, who at times seemed somewhat out of their depth, Drayson was interrogated by academics in the audience over impact assessment in research funding.

The exchanges got heated at several points, as academics took the opportunity to vent their frustrations over impact at the minister. It didn’t help that Drayson and his opponents both seemed to conflate two different issues – HEFCE’s proposed impact assessment in the REF, and the impact section on the research councils’ grant applications.

Drayson was correct when he tried to reassure researchers that they would not be required to predict the eventual impact of their work to get quality-related research funding from HEFCE. The impact statements in the REF are indeed retrospective rather than predictive. But it got confusing when he kept mentioning “grant applications” – which only makes sense if you see the REF as one giant grant application. I suppose it is, in a sense, but in this case it only served to heighten the confusion.

When asked about the research council applications, which do ask for a prediction of future impact, Drayson either misunderstood or dodged the question and continued to talk about the REF. After the debate, one of Drayson’s aides said that since the councils didn’t use the impact statements to decide on funding, there was nothing for academics to worry about. But of course they are worried, and for the science minister not to address those worries is a mistake.

It is encouraging, though, to see a minister so engaged with his brief. Few other politicians would have been willing to face such a one-sided debate. Even the moderator, particle physicist Brian Cox, was not entirely unbiased. The fact that the debate arose from Drayson’s exchanges on Twitter with astronomer Colin Stuart, who was also on the panel, shows how willing the minister is to talk directly to the public. Let’s hope he keeps it up.