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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the transparency of publicly-funded medical research and development.

On 1 April the Government launched a UK Research and Innovation, a new body that brings together nine councils including the Medical Research Council (MRC), Innovate UK and Research England into a single organisation. UK Research and Innovation aims to ensure the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation.

UK Research and Innovation is one of the main means by which the Government funds medical research. It is committed to transparency in the medical research it funds. Information on all research projects funded by MRC, including information on outcomes and research publications will continue to be published on the Gateway to Research. By publishing this information, the research councils help to improve the public view of the progress of research, down to the individual project level. The Research Councils UK Open Access policy aims to ensure that ideas and knowledge derived from publicly funded research are made available and accessible for public use.

The National Audit Office published a report on cross-government funding of research and development in November 2017. This found that, for research in human health, coordination mechanisms and leadership arrangements are well established and functioning, consolidated data on funding and capability is used to support decision-making, and steps are being taken towards consolidated evaluation of research outcomes