UK urged to embark on global recruitment drive for leading scientists

The recommendation was made by the Science and Technology Committee in the House of Lords in the UK parliament in a new report on EU membership and UK science after the UK's vote to leave the EU earlier this year.

The Committee warned of the potential impact of Brexit on UK science. It said the UK will "become a less attractive destination for talented people, research and development (R&D) investors and scientific partners" unless the "negative effects of Brexit are mitigated".

However, it said the government has the power "not only to compensate for Brexit, but to further increase the attractiveness of the UK as a place to pursue science careers and invest in R&D".

One measure that the government pursue is a major recruitment drive for top scientific researchers, the Committee said. It is not enough just to "permit the world’s most accomplished scientists to work in the UK", the UK "must search for these scientists and persuade them to pursue careers here", it said.

"We recommend that the government asks national academies and the new [UK Research and Innovation] to search the globe for outstanding scientific leaders, and attract them to the UK with compelling offers of research funding for their first 10 years in the UK and support for their immediate families as they settle into the UK," the Committee said. "This initiative should receive resources beyond the existing science and research budget to ensure that it does not undermine support for the existing UK science community."

"These scientific leaders may well be magnets for investment by international businesses and not for profit organisations," it said.

In its report, the Committee welcomed the commitment the government has made to "underwrite" EU funding for science from the European Commission's 'Horizon 2020' programme. It said the move was "significant" and signals that the government "is putting significantly greater emphasis on science to deliver its long term objectives in addition to any replacement of EU funding".

However, the Committee urged the government to negotiate a deal with the EU, similar to arrangements already enjoyed by some non-EU countries, that allows UK researchers to continue to have access to Horizon 2020 funding post-Brexit.

The Committee also said that UK immigration policy should be changed so that international students that come to the UK and hold a tier 4 visa are distinguished from other immigrants in the government's "immigration statistics and the net migration target". Student numbers should also be treated separately for "immigration policy making purposes", it said.

"In the light of the EU referendum, the need for government action on this issue is all the more pressing," the Committee said. "We urge the government in the strongest possible terms to take action. In the short term the government should send repeated signals to the global science community that the UK remains a welcoming place for talented scientists."

The Committee's other recommendations included a call for the government to expand "the scale and scope of the R&D tax credit to cover a wider span of business innovation".

"The government should take advantage of Brexit and review current rules on VAT exemption on sharing of buildings, equipment and facilities for the purposes of R&D, to support industry, academia and charity collaborations and attract further inward investment," it said.

The Committee said the government should also liaise with the UK's scientific community to "identify opportunities for bold long-term moves to reinforce the UK’s global standing in science".

It said: "This could include the UK offering to host, in partnership with governments and funding bodies from other countries, one or more new international research facilities on the scale of the Diamond Light Source in Harwell or the Francis Crick Institute in London, together with existing and new networks. We expect that all such moves should be subject to the rigorous review and value for money appraisals that apply to existing research funding."