A Minister of Science for Science

The appointment of Sir Patrick Vallance as Minister for Science, soon to be Lord Vallance with a seat in the Lords and place in the Cabinet, bodes well for a government relentlessly focused on mission delivery. For a sense of how this appointment can deliver systems benefits across the whole of government it is worth looking at some of the areas championed by Sir Patrick as the Government Chief Scientific Advisor at the Government Office for Science.

To be clear, this is not just about getting a better deal for science, research and innovation, it’s about getting a better deal for everyone by using science, technology and innovation more effectively to tackle the big challenges facing the country.

Although now consigned to the gov.uk archives, here is a taste of the sort of things it is worth revisiting to get a sense of what we might expect to see more of from the new government:

1.?????? The Science Capability Review – conducted jointly with the Treasury and provided the foundations for a broad agenda of work and much of the other stuff listed below to give the tools to better manage risk and opportunity – “Realising our ambition through science” .

?2.?????? The role that CSAs play in the government system (and its not about white coats and hard hats!) - Chief scientific advisers and their officials.

?3.?????? The role of PSREs, national labs and the wider RTO network, custodians of critical national capability supporting defence, security and prosperity, greater accountability within departments and tools like the Public Sector Research Establishment Value Framework.

4.?????? The PM’s Council for Science and Technology, which advises on complex issues. Some of the issues looked at by CST in recent years: Achieving net zero carbon emissions through a whole systems approach; The contribution of science and technology for levelling up - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk); The UK as a science and technology superpower; Diffusion of technology for productivity; Investing in research and development

5.?????? Previous work to understand what a mission-led approach might look like in government, building on learnings from the vaccines task force, big R&D challenges and industry, including principles for science and technology moon-shots.

6.?????? A host of measures to improve policy-making in government and deliver better outcomes, applying systems engineering approaches to solving big challenges, systems thinking for civil servants, improvements to the interface with academia (NB more to do to look at the role of industry and catapults in this equation), areas of research interest, the role of scientific advisory committees (code of practice and map of connections), code of practice for scientific advisory committees and councils and guidance to implement the Concordat to Support Research Integrity within government.

7.?????? Other mechanisms to improve long-term thinking in government, broaden horizons and escape from group think, including Futures thinking and foresight, and the trend deck. The introduction of Rapid Technology Assessments to improve the responsiveness and timeliness of advice on complex issues, recognising that politics and science move on very different timescales.

8.?????? The Pro-innovation Regulation of Technologies Review(s).?

9.?????? Greater recognition of the role of that the Government Science and Engineering profession plays across government at all levels, strengthening careers for scientists and engineers in government, building closer links to the policy profession and others, improving mobility and doubling the size of the Science and Engineering Faststream. More STEM graduates in the civil service.

10.?? And finally, not forgetting the work that went in to development of the Science and Technology Framework that got the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology off to a great start.

There is more, as I am sure my former colleagues Government Office for Science will point out, but plenty to get to grips with for now.

DSIT should seize the opportunity with both hands to drive forward a whole of government mission to ensure that all departments are fully equipped to deal with the challenges and opportunities presented by scienctific and technological advances, delivering security and prosperity across the nation.