Research England will have ‘unfair advantage’, Scots warned

The close relationship between Research England and UK Research and Innovation could allow it to prosper unjustly, say academics.

UKRI’s UK-wide funding could be siphoned into Research England’s coffers, Lesley Yellowlees of the University of Edinburgh told the Scottish parliament on 16 November.

Speaking at an Education and Skills Committee hearing on the higher education and research bill, Yellowlees called for “locks in the system” to be written into the bill to prevent Research England from having an “unfair advantage” over devolved bodies because of its close operational relationship with UKRI. In particular, Yellowlees said that Scotland should seek assurance that there would be distinct and separate budgets for UKRI’s UK-wide funding and Research England’s England-only funding.