Science & Engineering in Government

Professor Jeremy Watson FREng FIET FICE

Chief Scientific Advisor

Tel. 030 3444 1228

Email: jeremy.watson@communities.gsi.gov.uk

A Significant investment

Each year, government departments invest around £3.4 billion on

scientific research and development to support their work (£1.3

billion spend by civil departments and £2.1 billion by defence). The

breadth of issues is extensive: from facing environmental

challenges through improving health and wellbeing to preventing

and reducing crime

A further ~£6.2 billion is routed to UK universities via the Higher

Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the seven

Research Councils

What is Innovation?

Concept to Commercialisation?

Idea to Implementation?

• Displaces and replaces – products, processes

• Also augments, makes more effective

• Associated with entrepreneurial thinking

It‟s not just about invention or creativity (but creativity‟s pretty important)

Creating jobs which did not previously exist, and solving problems that people

assumed were part of the natural order of things (Economist, Feb 24 2011)

Schumpeter: ‘Creative destruction’ –

Disruptive technologies

Types of Innovation

Push

• Technology creates a market

Long gestation, success = high payoff

Pull

• Existing market drives development

Rapid deployment, standards help

Platform innovation

• Enhancement of market

Concurrent and continuous

• Collaboration across supply chains

Facilitated by industry associations

Where Innovation applies

Product development

• Consumer and industrial products, e.g. iPhone,

brushless motor in Dyson products

Service development

• E.g. Rolls Royce „Power by the Hour‟, web services

like Google, Shiply

Process improvement

• In-house innovation; important in public sector, e.g.

SBRI procurement

Where Innovation applies

Product development

• Consumer and industrial products, e.g. iPhone,

brushless motor in Dyson products

Service development

• E.g. Rolls Royce „Power by the Hour‟, web services

like Google, Shiply

Process improvement

• In-house innovation; important in public sector,

e.g. SBRI procurement

Overview of Science & Engineering in Govt

GCSA = Government Chief Scientific Adviser

CSA = Chief Scientific Adviser

SAC = Scientific Advisory Committee

DG = Director General

GO-Science = Govt Office for Science

PSRE = Public Sector Research Establishment

HSL = Health & Safety Labs

NNL = National Nuclear Labs

LGC = Lab of the Govt Chemist

EPSRC = Engineering & Physical Sciences RC

ESRC = Economic & Social RC

BBSRC = Biotechnology and Biological Sciences RC

MRC = Medical RC

NERC = Natural Environment RC

AHRC = Arts & Humanities RC

SFTC = Science and Technology Facilities Council

CST = Council for Science & Technology

GCSA (Sir John Beddington)

“As Government Chief Scientific Adviser a key part of

my responsibility to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet

is to ensure that the best science and engineering

advice is brought to bear effectively on Government

policy and decision-making”.

“I am supported in this by the Government Office for

Science and by the network of Chief Scientific

Advisers now in place in all major science-using

departments. I also work closely with the economic,

statistical, social research and operational research

professions”.

“Another crucial part of my role is to work with Ministers,

the scientific community and the media to ensure that

the scientific method, risk and uncertainty are

understood by the public. This is especially important

at present given the misunderstandings around climate

change”.

Government Chief Scientific Adviser: roles

Direct advice to the Prime Minister and Cabinet

• Awareness and context of STEM issues; briefings for PM

• SAGE - Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies

• Contingency advice as it relates to Science & Engineering

• Co-chair of the Council for Science & Technology

GO-Science

• Professional leadership of Government Science and Engineering (GSE)

• Foresight – recent reports: o International Dimensions of Climate Change

o Global Food and Farming Futures

o Technology and Innovation Futures

o Land Use Futures

CSAC

• Leading the cross-departmental team of CSA – weekly core meetings

• Guidelines & principles

• Extended CSAC includes CEOs of Research Councils

Departmental support

• Reports

• Professional support

Council for Science & Technology (CST)

Advises the Prime Minister on the strategic policies and framework for:

• Sustaining and developing science, engineering and technology (SET)

in the UK, and promoting international co-operation in SET

• Fostering the practice and perception of science, engineering and

technology as an integral part of the culture of the UK

• Promoting excellence in SET education.

• Making more effective use of research and scientific advice in the

development and delivery of policy and public services across

Government

• Promoting SET-based innovation in business and the public services

to promote the sustainable development of the UK economy, the

health and quality of life of UK citizens, and global sustainable

development

A Network of Chief Scientific Advisers

in all major science using departments

Prof Jeremy

Watson

CLG

VACANT

DCMS

Prof David

Mackay

DECC

Prof

Bob Watson

Defra

Prof

Chris Whitty

DFID

Prof Dame

Sally Davies

DH

Prof Peter

Freer Smith

Forestry C.

Prof David

Clary FCO

Dr Andrew

Wadge

FSA

Dave Bench

HSE

Prof Mark

Welland

MoD

MI5

Prof John

Harries

Wales

Prof Adrian Smith

DG Science &

Research (BIS)

Prof Bernard

Silverman

Home Office

Rebecca

Endean

MoJ

Rob Smith

DfT

John Perkins

BIS

Dr Bill

Gunnyeon

DWP

Carole Willis

DCFS

VACANT

Scotland

The role of a Chief Scientific Adviser

• Challenge

o Quality assurance of policies and processes

• Professional support

o Head of Profession for Scientists and Engineers

• Cross-departmental collaboration

o Member of „CSA College‟ under Sir John Beddington

o Regular meetings and cross-departmental projects

• Special projects

o Research

“The effective use of Science and Engineering advice (allied to

other evidence) in policy making is important. Decisions that

don't take into account science and engineering are not robust,

and policies that take account of sound evidence are more likely

to succeed than those that do not. The credibility of a

department's policy making will be undermined if it is perceived

to be based on poor, inadequate, or inaccurate evidence”

DG Science & Innovation (Sir Adrian Smith)

‘Making the UK world-class in enabling people, organisations

and systems to create, disseminate and exploit knowledge

for economic growth and benefit to society’

• Higher Education Student Funding Directorate

• Higher Education Policy Directorate

• Innovation Directorate

• Research Base Directorate

Knowledge and Innovation works towards a strong, innovative

economy through establishing a higher education, science and

research framework that promotes world class competitiveness in

teaching and research, and ensuring progression fair access and

better quality for students. It also strengthens links between

universities and industries and supports innovation and

technology development

Academies

Royal Society – Stewardship of science in the UK and beyond

• Investing in future scientific leaders and in innovation

• Influencing policymaking with the best scientific advice

• Invigorating science and mathematics education

• Increasing access to the best science internationally; and inspiring an interest in the joy,

wonder and excitement of scientific discovery.

Royal Academy of Engineering - The UK‟s national academy for engineering

• Bringing together the most successful and talented engineers to promote excellence

• Providing analysis and policy support to promote the economic UK‟s success

• Leading on engineering education and investing in the UK‟s research base for innovation

• Working to improve the public awareness and understanding of engineering.

British Academy – the UK‟s national body for the humanities and social sciences

• Representing the humanities and social sciences

• Facilitating international collaboration

• Providing an independent and authoritative source of advice, and contributing to public

policy and debate.

• Funding to support excellent ideas, individuals and intellectual resources in the humanities

and social sciences.

Funded through government grant-in-aid and subscriptions

National Measurement Office (NMO)

• NMO is the BIS Agency responsible for the National Measurement System. This is the

collective infrastructure of national facilities, expertise, knowledge, science, research

and legal framework in metrology that provides:

o Traceable measurement to Primary & National Standards

o A Regulatory system to control trade based on defined quantities

o Development of new measurement standards and techniques

o Help to users to improve measurements

o Representation of the UK in the Metre Convention

• NMO has a budget of around £60m pa spent primarily on research and capability

maintenance at 3 National Measurement Laboratories – the National Physical

Laboratory (NPL), LGC and NEL

• Prioritisation is based on the advice of independent expert advice judging the following

criteria – Economic impact, Quality of life impact, Innovation value, Science value and

National Metrology Institute capability.

Government Chemist

• Current Government Chemist is Dr Derek Craston, appointed by DIUS (BIS) in June

2008. Government Chemist is, or is appointed as, a Director of LGC Ltd

• Since 2003 the Government Chemist function has been provided through the NMS

Programmes managed by the NMO

• The two principal roles of the „Government Chemist function‟ are: o “an independent and impartial referee analyst, authorised analyst and analyst by reference

to or pursuant to certain legislation”: the statutory function;

o “a source of advice for HM Government and the wider analytical community on the analytical

chemistry implications on matters of policy and of standards and of regulations”, the

advisory function

• The legislation covered is primarily concerned with Food and Feed-stuffs but also

includes Medicines and Hydrocarbon oils

• The NMO programme is about £1 million p.a. which covers provision of the referee

and advisory function and some research in support of these.

National Physical Laboratory (NPL)

• NPL is the UK‟s National Measurement Institute (NMI), delivering about 80% of

the National Measurement System Programmes o NPL maintains the primary and national measurement standards, which support an

infrastructure of traceable measurement throughout the UK and the world, to ensure

accuracy and consistency

o Standards cover the seven SI units (metre, kilogram, second, ampere, kelvin, candela

and mole) and also include some derived standards in areas such as acoustics and

ionising radiation.

• NPL represents the UK in the international measurement community and

provides independent support to UK firms and organisations

• Organisationally NPL is a PSRE operated as a GOCO, i.e. it is owned by BIS

but operated by NPL Management Ltd which is a subsidiary of Serco Group

Research councils

• AHRC = Arts & Humanities RC

• BBSRC = Biotechnology and Biological Sciences RC

• EPSRC = Engineering & Physical Sciences RC

• ESRC = Economic & Social RC

• MRC = Medical RC

• NERC = Natural Environment RC

• SFTC = Science and Technology Facilities Council

Engineering & Physical Sciences

Research Council

• EPSRC is the main UK government agency for funding research

and training in engineering and the physical sciences

• Invests more than £850 million a year in a broad range of

subjects – from mathematics to materials science, and from

information technology to structural engineering

• Themes • Digital economy

• Energy

• Engineering

• Global uncertainties

• Healthcare technologies

• Information and communication technologies (ICT)

• Living with environmental change

• Manufacturing the future

• Support for core STEM disciplines

Economic & Social Research Council

• The UK's largest organisation for funding research on economic

and social issues

• Supports independent, high quality research which has an impact

on business, the public sector and the third sector

• Total budget for 2011/12 £203 million

• At any one time over 4,000 researchers and postgraduate

students in academic institutions and independent research

institutes.

TSB

• Goal to accelerate economic growth by stimulating and supporting business-led

innovation

• Since formation: o Invested over £2bn in over 3,000 businesses to stimultate UK innovation in partnership with

RCUK, RDAs, DAs and with business

o Brought more than 110 universities to engage in business innovation projects

o Worked with businesses to create large-scale technology demonstrators in low carbon

vehicles, low impact buildings and digital services

• Funding interventions o Innovation Platforms : programmes around challenges that will shape future markets- such

as stratified medicine, sustainable agriculture and food, and the environmental impact of

buildings

o Collaborative R&D

o Knowledge Transfer Networks : promoting open innovation - 30,000 members

o Knowledge Transfer Partners

o SBRI : £35m of contracts awarded to more than 500 SMEs

The UK’s national innovation agency

Context in the

Department for Communities and

Local Government

CSA DCLG

Professor Jeremy Watson Departmental mission • Decentralising power as far as possible • Meeting people's housing aspirations • Putting communities in charge of planning • Increasing accountability • Letting people see how their money is being spent

CSA role spans four broad categories: • Quality assurance of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

(STEM) content and process in policy • Cross-departmental science and technology collaboration • Head of Profession for ~20 STEM staff • Special projects and initiatives

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Part L 2013

• New homes: exploring „uplift‟ ambition and metrics for targets for

different dwelling types to deliver the next step towards Zero

Carbon, including a Fabric Energy Efficiency Standard, and to

improve compliance and performance.

• New non-domestic buildings: exploring „uplift‟ ambition and

metrics for targets for different building types to deliver the next

step towards Zero Carbon

• Existing buildings: taking regulatory steps where these are

justified and support the broader aims of wider retrofit policy

particularly the Green Deal

Improving energy performance in:

Research to inform policy options

Value in creating reasoned, worked-through policy options to

address ministers’ objectives

Majority of specialists in DCLG are economists; outnumber

scientists and engineers by around 3 to 1

Budget for research

Research Gateway process

Innovations • Concordat with Research Councils

• Research Networks of academics

Current policy interests

Behaviour change • For localism

• Energy efficiency

Adaptation to climate change • Ensuring building regs have no negative impact

Toolkits for localism

Systems view of infrastructure

Innovation through local authority initiatives • LARCI, LEPs and SBRI

Collaboration across Whitehall with

Other Government Departments

• Construction Innovation Growth Team (CIGT) – Paul

Morrell, Chief Construction Adviser at BIS

• 2050 Pathways and Calculator tool, Green Deal – David

MacKay and colleagues, BIS

• Infrastructure UK Interdependencies Advisory Group –

Brian Collins and Alice Raine, HM Treasury

Construction Innovation & Growth Team

Housing

Buildings

Infrastructure

Major Projects

Paul Morrell Chief Construction Adviser

Key outcomes:

• Responses from Departments

• Green Construction Council

• Procurement Guidelines (BIM)

DECC 2050 Pathways

Public domain

Calculator and scenarios: http://2050-calculator-tool.decc.gov.uk/

Infrastructure UK

IUK aims:

• To provide greater clarity and coordination over the planning,

prioritisation and enabling of investment in UK infrastructure;

• To improve delivery of UK infrastructure through achieving greater

value for money

Some £200 billion of investment planned over

the next five years, across the economic

infrastructure sectors (energy, transport,

waste, flood, science, water and telecoms)

IUK has been set up as a separate unit within HM Treasury, providing advice to the

Commercial Secretary to the Treasury who leads on infrastructure issues and who

reports to the Chancellor of the Exchequer

An expert advisory group (EIEG) is working to identify technical

interdependencies and opportunities

Carbon emission: a top-level driver

Drivers and Trends: CO2

CO2 rise derived from

Antarctic ice core

measurements and readings

from Mauna Loa, Hawaii.

James Watt’s steam engine

developments took place in

the 1750s

IT responsible for 3% of

CO2 emission, similar to

aviation

• Tipping point – 500ppm? Ice caps melt, more sunlight absorbed, trapped CH4 & CO2 released

Keeling curve

Priorities for the Built Environment

Adaptation (time-frame 0 to 50+ years) • Global temperature increase has already led to seasonal extremes in Europe

• 23,000 died in 2003, ~900 in UK

• Need to design buildings with passive cooling (and ensure that compliance with

high code levels does not make things worse)

Energy shortages (time frame 5 to indefinite years) • Global depletion of fossil fuels and exhaustion of indigenous fossil fuels

• Drive to de-carbonise central energy resources – need to „go nuclear‟

• Need to minimise energy consumption in buildings (2016 – zero-carbon new

build)

Mitigation (time frame 0 – 200+ years) • We have to live with effects of already-emitted carbon for 200+ years

• Ultimately must bring carbon emissions to an equilibrium point

• Possible active sequestration – CCS plus atmospheric abatement

• Buildings viewed at district-level should be carbon neutral or negative

Regulatory obligations

HMG is committed to an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050 and

45% of all present carbon emissions come from existing buildings, with

27% from homes

80%+ of existing buildings will still be here in 2050

Building regulations – review in 2013

Obligations – e.g. mandatory emissions reduction targets

2016 – Residential new build zero carbon

2019 – Commercial new build zero carbon

2050 – 80% carbon impact reduction: legacy and new build

Energy Act 2011 – First Green Deal Q4 2012

Retrofit case study: Drum Housing

Measures:

• Energy efficiency: • Cavity wall insulation

• Loft insulation 300mm

• Double glazed windows

• Low-energy light bulbs

• Draught proofing & ventilation

• Waste water heat recovery

• Renewables: • Ground source heat pumps

• Solar Photovoltaics

Savings: • 50% on bills (~£600pa)

• 75% C-saving

Part of „Generation Homes‟ initiative

www.generationhomes.org.uk

Cost per home £22,750 ► £10,000

( 38 ► 17 year payback)

6 semi-detached homes

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Refurb cost vs. CO2 reduction

Source: National Refurb Centre 2011

Uses complete Refurbishment Portal dataset

Retrofit challenges in brief

Issues

~22m homes to be retrofitted by 2050 1500 per day from

now „till 2050

£10,000 - £20,000 cost per home

Impact of £220bn - £440bn

Inhomogeneity of stock implies challenge in achieving

„standard solutions‟

Lack of standard solutions implies difficulty in obtaining cost-

down through scale

Needs

Cooperation across the supply chain – industry association as

collaborative and single-minded as SEMI

Deployment at scale of relevant materials, components and

systems

Skills to install

Drivers and Trends: Social & Behavioural

Resistance to change

• “I won‟t reduce my water use until London Water repairs all the

leaks”

• “No-one will tell me how to behave in my own life/ home/ territory”

Green energy tariffs – e.g. FITS was introduced April 2010, RHI;

April 2012? Green Deal Q4 2012

• Social norms are weak

• Institutional support is at an early stage

• Information is not widely available

Need to make it part of personal identity

• Social obligation: c.f. drinking and driving

• Fashion: „doing the cool thing‟

• Social comparisons & role models

Behaviour

Change

Social

responsibility

Design &

Technology Regulation

Behavioural research challenges

• Building and product design influences sensitivity to behaviour

• Rebound and contrary behaviours

• How to engineer design from objective outcomes?

• Transition dynamics – adoption curves

• Role of regulation and fashion alongside technology

• Need for multi-disciplinary research to guide engineering and

policy

• Systems which learn (and maybe question) occupant choices

and behaviour

Behaviour is a dominant effect compared with physical interventions

Built environment in the 22nd century

Designed as an integrated and organic system

High density, low rise, mixed use, ‘walkable’

District-level thermal and electrical energy from waste and renewables

De-carbonised electricity grid – nuclear and large-scale renewables, with

distributed energy storage

Water recycling and re-use; local high-intensity horticulture

Local, hyper-automated manufacture of consumables, including food

Service provision in place of capital consumer goods

Adapted dietary habits and food requirements

Reduced population, post demographic bulge, pervasive behaviour change

New work styles enabled by ultra-high bandwidth ICT