Policy watch: Bridging gaps in the eight great technologies

The Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology has published reports on the strengths and weaknesses of research linked to the government’s eight great technologies. Craig Nicholson sought opinions on a set of documents likely to influence future funding and policy initiatives.

The Council for Science and Technology’s report on the state of the UK’s space, satellite and astronomy research, lists five weaknesses in the field. As at least four of these relate to funding, it is likely that funders and grantees will be closely scrutinising their content for a steer on future direction.

The report, published on 15 June, lists concerns around collaboration between funders, the age of instrumentation, getting the development stages of a project off the ground and funding flexibility.