Cuts to research funding would send a ¡°negative message¡± to the UK¡¯s science community as well as global investors, a leading MP has warned.

Chi Onwurah, the new chair of the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, said that the government¡¯s ambitions were ¡°driven significantly by research and development¡±, and that failing to back this with investment in the budget on 30 October would ¡°send a negative message to potential investors¡±.

Ms Onwurah, the Labour MP for Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West who previously spent 11 years as shadow science minister, warned that without continued investment, the UK could lose its world-leading status in research and innovation.

¡°We have the best science environment in Europe, and one of the top three in the world,¡± she said. ¡°But if you don¡¯t continually struggle to make sure that we¡¯re still in that position, we will lose that position.¡±

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The MP¡¯s comments came amid concern from university leaders that the budget could result in a flat-cash settlement for research, while also forcing the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to take on the costs of the UK¡¯s participation in Horizon Europe ¨C estimated to stand at between ?800 million and ?1 billion.

Sector leaders have warned that a settlement on these terms would?force ¡°deep cuts¡± across the UK research landscape.

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But Ms Onwurah said it was her understanding that it had been decided under the previous government that Horizon spend would ¡°categorically¡± come out of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology¡¯s (DSIT) budget.?

¡°Cutting the science budget overall I think would send the wrong kind of message, but folding in Horizon into DSIT is something that was always part of what the last Conservative government did, and I don¡¯t see that that sends the wrong message in itself. But the overall envelope of spending on science, innovation and technology is something that we will be judged on,¡± she said.

The European Union¡¯s successor to Horizon,?which is currently in early planning stages and known as FP10, ¡°is something the UK would want to be a part of¡±, Ms Onwurah said.

However, echoing the prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, she said there were ¡°hard decisions¡± to be made over higher education and research in the upcoming budget.

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While the Labour manifesto dodged details on how it would go about putting UK higher education on a ¡°sustainable financial footing¡±, ¡°this is something that I don¡¯t think the government can escape¡± within this parliament or ¡°possibly within the budget¡±, she said.

Ms Onwurah, a chartered engineer, additionally praised the new committee, which includes former science minister George Freeman and Kit Malthouse, chair of the all-party parliamentary group on life sciences ¨C for their backgrounds in science and technology.

¡°Every single one of our members has experience in science and technology, and I don¡¯t think that¡¯s ever been the case before. So, this is a really strong committee which has a wide range of real-world experiences from across the country.¡±

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com