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Written Question
Research: EU Grants and Loans
Thursday 4th April 2019

Asked by: Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour - City of Durham)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will guarantee that UK Research and Innovation will sign the terms of grants of researchers who have submitted successful bids for European Research Council advanced grants in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal before the advanced grant process has been completed.

Answered by Chris Skidmore

The Government underwrite guarantee will cover funding for all successful UK bids to Horizon 2020 that are submitted before exit, even if they are notified of success after exit. This includes the 47 successful UK bids to the ERC Advanced Grant 2018 call which form part of the €540m funding recently announced by the European Commission for cutting edge research.

The UKRI portal was announced in the Horizon 2020 Technical Notice and is part of our plans to underwrite funding for UK Horizon 2020 beneficiaries in the event of ‘no deal’. In this scenario, UK beneficiaries who have registered on the UKRI portal will receive detailed information about how the guarantee will be delivered and the next steps that they need to take.

If the underwrite does need to come into effect, our delivery partner, UKRI, is ready to deliver and has planned to make the process as simple and effective as possible for UK beneficiaries.


Written Question
European Research Council: EU Grants and Loans
Wednesday 3rd April 2019

Asked by: Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour - City of Durham)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government has taken to ensure the latest cohort of successful European Research Council Advanced Grant applicants are aware of the underwrite that exists should the UK leave the EU without a deal before the conditions of their grants have been finalised.

Answered by Chris Skidmore

The Government underwrite guarantee will cover funding for all successful UK bids to Horizon 2020 that are submitted before exit, even if they are notified of success after exit. This includes the 47 successful UK bids to the ERC Advanced Grant 2018 call which form part of the €540m funding recently announced by the European Commission for cutting edge research.

The UKRI portal was announced in the Horizon 2020 Technical Notice and is part of our plans to underwrite funding for UK Horizon 2020 beneficiaries in the event of ‘no deal’. In this scenario, UK beneficiaries who have registered on the UKRI portal will receive detailed information about how the guarantee will be delivered and the next steps that they need to take.

Since the announcement of the underwrite guarantee in 2016, the Government has consistently reiterated our commitment to deliver it, should it be required. Methods used include Ministerial statements in Parliament, digital engagement by both BEIS and our delivery partner UKRI, and direct engagement with business and stakeholder groups.


Written Question
Research: Finance
Wednesday 26th April 2017

Asked by: Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour - City of Durham)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much government research funding was provided to each higher education institution in each of the last three years; what proportion of all government research funding is provided to such institutions; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone

The attached tables show the amount and proportion of research income earned by each higher education institution (HEI) from the Research Councils and higher education funding bodies across the UK in each of the last three years.


Written Question
Research: Finance
Thursday 20th April 2017

Asked by: Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour - City of Durham)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the Government's policy is on increasing its investment in research and development as a proportion of GDP above the OECD average by 2020-21.

Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone

Research and development is a key driver of economic growth and is a vital part of the government's Industrial Strategy. The government clearly demonstrated its commitment to science and research in the 2016 Autumn Statement, committing an additional £4.7 billion to R&D funding covering both science and innovation over the period 2017/18 to 20/21. This equates to an extra £2 billion a year by 2020/21, the biggest increase in any parliament since 1979.

Total R&D expenditure in the UK in 2015 represented 1.68% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The rate in future years will depend on both public sector and private sector investment in R&D as well as on the level of GDP.


Written Question
Research: Finance
Thursday 20th April 2017

Asked by: Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour - City of Durham)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of government investment in research and development as a proportion of GDP in (a) 2018-19, (b) 2019-20 and (c) 2020-21.

Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone

Research and development is a key driver of economic growth and is a vital part of the government's Industrial Strategy. The government clearly demonstrated its commitment to science and research in the 2016 Autumn Statement, committing an additional £4.7 billion to R&D funding covering both science and innovation over the period 2017/18 to 20/21. This equates to an extra £2 billion a year by 2020/21, the biggest increase in any parliament since 1979.

Total R&D expenditure in the UK in 2015 represented 1.68% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The rate in future years will depend on both public sector and private sector investment in R&D as well as on the level of GDP.


Written Question
Teachers: Standards
Wednesday 3rd February 2016

Asked by: Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour - City of Durham)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate what proportion of the cost of introducing the proposed Teaching Excellence Framework will fall to (a) central government and (b) universities.

Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone

We recently published the Green Paper “Fulfilling our potential: Teaching Excellence, Social Mobility and Student Choice,” which sets out our proposals for delivering the Teaching Excellence Framework and reducing the regulatory burden on the sector. The consultation period closed on 15 January 2016.

Once we have considered the consultation responses, and are in a position to publish our final proposals, we will publish a Regulatory Impact Assessment which will set out the costs of implementation.