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UK Scientists To Benefit From New International Collaboration Scheme

Making the UK the destination of choice for international researchers and encouraging greater collaboration between UK and overseas scientists are the aims of a new £13.4m fellowship and alumni initiative announced today by Minister for Science and Innovation, Ian Pearson.

The Government will fund the Royal Society, the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering and Research Councils UK (RCUK) to run an international fellowship scheme and alumni engagement programme.

Mr Pearson said:

"The Government will be providing £13.4 million over the next 3 year spending period to enable the partners to deliver the scheme. This financial commitment underlines the Government's strong focus on continuing to raise the UK's profile in international research.

"The international fellowship scheme will be an important tool in establishing the UK as the partner of choice for research collaboration. The scheme will also help in building lasting international networks with the best institutions and individuals abroad, and in attracting outstanding researchers to the UK.

"The alumni engagement programme will support the fellowship scheme by ensuring that the UK maintains links with international research fellows after they have returned to their country of origin. This will mean that the UK continues to gain lasting benefits from the scheme in the future."

The scheme comes after the Global Science and Innovation Forum (GSIF) strategy for international engagement in research and development, published in October 2006, highlighted the importance of international collaboration to the UK.

The GSIF concluded that UK support in this area is having a positive impact and should be continued across a range of fellowships and at a level that will maintain this impact in the light of increasing global opportunities.

Mr Pearson made the announcement at a breakfast reception to mark the opening of the RCUK's Washington DC, USA, office. It is the third overseas RCUK office after Brussels and China.

Notes to Editors

  1. The Royal Society will receive 50 per cent of the funding allocated for this scheme, reflecting its status as the implementing body. The Royal Academy of Engineering and the British Academy will each receive 25 per cent. The Royal Society's share incorporates the budget they were proposing to spend on their existing international fellowships programme, which will merge into the new scheme.
  2. The Royal Society is the independent scientific academy of the UK and Commonwealth dedicated to promoting excellence in science. The Royal Academy of Engineering brings together leading engineers from all disciplines to promote excellence in the science, art and practice of engineering. The British Academy is the national academy for the humanities and the social sciences.
  3. For more information, contact Rhys Stacker in the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) press office on 0203 300 8105. Public enquiries: DIUS enquiries line 020 7215 5555.