Shaping strategy amid cuts: An exit interview with NERC’s Philip Newton

Adam Smith talks to NERC's former science director about the council’s forthcoming strategy and whether further cuts are likely in the spending review.

How has NERC funding changed during your time with the council?

When I arrived, the tendency when addressing a particular environmental challenge or problem was to get on and do the environmental science. If the problem actually involved people then the social or economic science, or engineering or medical research, would have to be done too at some point. What’s really changed is the recognition that if we are going to solve environmental problems, we have to engage in partnerships right from the outset in planning our strategic research programmes.