Written question asked by Hilton Dawson (Labour) on Tuesday, 23 November 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 1 December 2004. It was answered by Patricia Hewitt (Labour) on Wednesday, 1 December 2004 on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Dept of Trade and Industry

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how the (a) impact and (b) success of basic research in the UK is being assessed; and how it will be assessed in the future. - Inc ref to study available in Library. (Holding answer 29 November 2004).

Answer: Mr. Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how the (a) impact and (b) success of basic research in the UK is being assessed; and how it will be assessed in the future. [199951] Ms Hewitt: [holding answer 29 November 2004]: The Department of Trade and Industry undertakes an international benchmarking study to assess the impact and success of UK research against a comparator group of 26 countries, including the G8 and leading EU nations. The 2004 study shows the continued strong performance of UK science across a number of key scientific indicators including papers published, citations received, number of high impact papers and productivity per unit spend of GDP. A copy of the study "PSA target metrics for the UK research base" is available in the Libraries of the House. The Department will continue to track progress towards meeting the Government's overall targets outlined in the "Science and Innovation investment framework 2004-14". In particular, progress will be measured against a basket of performance indicators for each of the broad attributes of the UK science and innovation system, as set out in Annex B of the Investment Framework.

Secondary information