Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Stedman-Scott on 21 June (HL Deb col 54GC), when they will respond to the September 2021 consultation conducted by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on making flexible working the default.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government will publish its response to the consultation on flexible working in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to encourage investment in (1) so-called 'Wave 2', and (2) other future generations of, vaccines for COVID-19.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The current overall UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) portfolio of COVID-19-related grants, including awards supported by Innovate UK, includes vaccine projects that provide greater diversity of approaches than for the first generation of vaccines developed. Details can be found on the UKRI website.
UKRI will continue to review ongoing needs in this area with the Vaccine Taskforce.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reasons given by (1) UK Research and Innovation, and (2) the Medical Research Council, for (a) rejecting, and (b) accepting, applications for grant assistance from researchers developing COVID-19 vaccinations.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), including the Medical Research Council, invited applications for research related to COVID-19, including for research into vaccines, through funding routes such as the joint UKRI-Department of Health and Social Care rapid response call, as well as the UKRI rapid response rolling call. The requirements and guidelines for these were published on the respective application pages and decisions were made under a peer review process and in coordination with the Vaccine Taskforce.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to encourage grant funders to support so-called 'Wave 2' vaccines in development.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The current overall UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) portfolio of COVID-19-related grants, including awards supported by Innovate UK, includes vaccine projects that provide greater diversity of approaches than for the first generation of vaccines developed. Details can be found on the UKRI website.
UKRI will continue to review ongoing needs in this area with the Vaccine Taskforce.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government to whom (1) the Medical Research Council, and (2) UK Research and Innovation, are accountable for decisions taken to support research into COVID-19 vaccines.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) was established under the Higher Education Research Act 2017. The Medical Research Council is a council of UKRI.
The UKRI Board is accountable to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy for the delivery of its functions.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether participation by an individual or an organisation in an academic boycott is taken into account in funding decisions by UK Research and Innovation, based on their principles of equality, diversity and inclusion, and in compliance with the public sector Equality Duty; and if not, why not.
Answered by Lord Henley
UKRI funding decisions are made on the basis of the excellence of the proposals that are received, and any academic partnerships which strengthens applications and delivers such excellence are encouraged. UKRI does not ask applicants about their political views or activity, or those of the employing organisation. UKRI has clear eligibility criteria and EDI policy principles which the organisations we fund are expected to meet.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of benefits to the UK from Israeli advances in medicine, science and technology.
Answered by Lord Henley
BIRAX (the Britain Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership) is a £10 million initiative of the UK Government and the British Council in Israel funding cutting-edge research into regenerative medicine. Over £8 million has been committed to 19 projects in the UK and Israel funding research in Oxford, Cambridge, Nottingham and Edinburgh universities. The programme provides an invaluable framework for enabling knowledge exchange between UK and Israeli researchers.
Researchers presented BIRAX supported research at 71 conferences and workshops to over 21,000 scientists and researchers, postdoctoral students and students across 22 countries including the US, India, China, France, Japan, Germany, Sweden as well as to audiences in the UK and Israel. To date, 27 scientific articles have been published as a result of BIRAX projects and BIRAX funded research has been cited 635 times. Three of the seven BIRAX projects which concluded in 2016, have registered patents and two project teams have been approached by biotech companies expressing an interest in licensing their intellectual property. Three BIRAX projects have secured further funding for research initiated under the BIRAX initiative.
In BIRAX’s first five years, three scientific conferences and two workshops have been held for BIRAX grantees, reaching over 1,000 participants from over 110 British and Israeli universities.
This year a major new initiative, BIRAX Ageing, launched which will be the main academic research theme for the next 4-5 years.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the reported rise in anti-Semitism in the UK, in particular at universities, and what action they plan to take to tackle anti-Semitism in the light of that assessment.
Answered by Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
There is no place in our society, including higher education, for bigotry, hatred and any form of racism such as anti-Semitism. We expect universities to act swiftly to investigate and address any anti-Semitic incidents reported to them.
Responsibility for ensuring students do not face harassment, abuse or violence rests with individual institutions, as a clear part of their duties under the 2010 Equality Act.
The higher education sector is committed to tackling discrimination and challenging intolerance on campus. Bodies such as Universities UK (UUK), Guild HE and the Equality Challenge Unit provide support to institutions to help discharge their responsibilities through the provision of practical guidance, discussion and networking events to help share best practice across the sector.
In addition, at the request of the Government, UUK have set up a task force to consider what more can be done to address harassment on campus, including on the basis of religion and belief. The Union of Jewish Students are part of the wider advisory group.