Life Sciences: Research

(asked on 16th July 2020) - View Source

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 been made of the implications for his policies of the Association of Medical Research Charities’ proposal for a Life Sciences-Charity Partnership Fund.


Answered by
Amanda Solloway Portrait
Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
This question was answered on 21st July 2020

Ministers in BEIS and officials have met regularly with the Association of Medical Research Charities and their members over the last months and we are aware of their proposal for a Life Sciences-Charity Partnership.

On 27th?June, we announced a major package of?support for universities to help them continue research and innovation activities being impacted by Covid-19. This will aim to address the broader set of issues facing the university research sector.?From the Autumn, Government will provide a package consisting of low-interest loans with long pay-back periods, supplemented by a small amount of government grants, to cover up to 80% of a university’s income losses from international students for the academic year 20/21, up to the value of their non-publicly funded research activity, including from charities.

Universities will?be asked?to demonstrate how these funds?are being utilised to sustain research in areas typically funded by charities and business, for example to protect areas of medical research that have been developed in part with support of charities. We continue to engage with medical research charities as the details of the package are developed.

Reticulating Splines