Vallance seeks to refresh government strategy for scientists

Pandemic-driven overhaul of civil service management approaches is part of wider reform

The government’s chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, has outlined plans to overhaul the government’s approach to its management of civil service scientists, as a part of a wider reform of the civil service driven by the pandemic.

Vallance said Covid-19 had thrust Government Science and Engineering (GSE) staff “into the limelight”, adding that it was “in large part” down to the hard work of scientists and engineers that we now have “safe and effective vaccines, as well as plans in place to prepare for a future pandemic”.