Curiosity-driven ‘Blue Sky’ Research: a threatened vital acvity? Sir John Cadogan Inaugural President of the Learned Society of Wales ‘One somemes finds what one is not looking for.’ Although this is a paper commissioned by the Learned Society of Wales (Appendix 1), the threat addressed spans the enre UK scienfic scene. In Wales, while Educaon is devolved, support of research through the Research Councils is not. This paper addresses funding in the laer category on the opmisc assumpon that the vital QR (Quality-Related) funding from the University Funding Councils via the educaon budget line will be protected. Disaster would otherwise ensue. However, the same arguments apply to both categories of funding. Important comments from 41 Fellows of the Royal Society (Appendix 2) and from Professor John Tucker, General Secretary of the Learned Society of Wales are gratefully acknowledged. The design and producon of this paper are due to the much appreciated work of Georgia Burde and Dr Sarah Morse, execuve officers of The Learned Society of Wales. Thanks too, to the South Wales Instuon of Engineers Educaonal Trust for a contribuon to the cost of producon of this paper. A copy of this paper is available at: hp://bit.ly/lswbluesky List of Images Front Cover (clockwise from top le): ‘Transistor Closeup’ By Rosslav Lisovy [CC BY NC SA 2.0] via Flickr; ‘Airbus A380 at SFO’ By Todd Lapin [CC BY NC 2.0] via Flickr; Alexander Fleming (1881-1955)’ via ArFact; ‘MRI’ By Liz West [CC BY2.0] via Wikipedia Commons; Page 1: ‘Treatment: Photodynamic_Therapy: Argon-Ion Laser’ [Naonal Cancer Instute] [CC BY 2.0] via Wikimedia Commons Page 2: ‘Bloodhound SSC front dynamic’ [Siemens NX] via bloodhoundssc.com Page 3: ‘Double helix’ By Nik Stanbridge [CC BY NC ND 2.0] via Flickr Page 5: ‘Controlling magnec clouds in graphene’ via graphene.manchester.ac.uk Page 6: ‘Cisplan’: By Larry Ostby [Public domain] via Wikipedia Commons Curiosity-driven ‘Blue Sky’ Research: a threatened vital acvity? by Sir John Cadogan Published by: THE LEARNED SOCIETY OF WALES The University Registry King Edward VII Avenue Cathays Park Cardiff CF10 3NS hp://learnedsocietywales.ac.uk/ Registered Charity: Number 1141526 Registered Company: Number 7256948 Digital ISBN: 978-1-910417-01-0 © The Learned Society of Wales 2014 Contents The Issue ……..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 1 What are the lessons of history? Where have the great breakthroughs come from? ...…… 4 What of the next generaon of researchers?.....................................................................6 Evidence from the short-lived ROPA (Realising Our Potenal Awards) scheme……………… 7 What next? ...................................................................................................................... 8 Appendix 1: Call for contribuons from Fellows of the Royal Society ……………………..…….. .9 Appendix 2: Contribuons from Fellows of the Royal Society…..…………………………..………. 10 Appendix 3: Comments on the ROPA scheme… ....……… 48 Curiosity-driven ‘Blue Sky’ Research: A threatened vital acvity? The Issue: The word impact has become a favourite, indeed dangerously dominant, driver of our paymasters and their servants in relaon to scienfic research. Of course impact is an important factor but there is danger in deciding in advance the importance of a body of yet to be performed research. Emphasis on impact not only tempts sciensts to go for the obvious in We hear and see much about directed research the light of fashionable targets of the moment, programmes, and, of course, they have an it may also smulate the imaginaons of our important part to play, with the extent varying sciensts— but in the wrong way, as Professor between research councils. Such programmes Dianne Edwards points out in Appendix 2, by can and do lead to unexpected discoveries. Ole imagining not new scienfic ideas but dreaming Petersen touches on this in Appendix 2 , up raonales to fit the demands of the commending the Medical Research Council’s programme managers. In most cases of the flexibility. Let no one deny these facts. Indeed breakthroughs that have changed the world the Medical Research Council (MRC) began as (Table) their impact was not seen at the me ‘The Medical Research Commiee and Advisory but realisaon came many years later. Such Council’ in 1913 following concerns about demands for evidence of impact, in advance, tuberculosis. Time has modified the MRC’s displays convicons based on ignorance far mission to accommodate, for example, the beyond even a superficial understanding of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology which is an nature of scienfic discovery. Heed should be unsurpassed monument to, indeed beacon for, taken of Nietzsche who asserted that curiosity-driven research leading to immense ‘Convicons are worse than lies’. and unforeseen praccal outcomes, not to menon 13 Nobel Prizes, among the 30 which came aer MRC support. This is as important as Industry and society depends on the the vital service the MRC provides for the university science base to make naon, for example, its connuous work in discoveries that no one knows need to combang the ever-changing influenza virus. be discovered. It is easier for our paymasters to feel The issue is the increasing imbalance in favour comfortable about proclaiming of directed research programmes relave to programmes related to Health, Energy, undirected, curiosity-driven research. The Materials, Climate Change, the raonale of this paper is to aempt to redress Hydrogen Economy and so on rather the balance by reporng the impact of so-called ‘blue sky’ research. Much of the content of this than to announce, let alone trumpet, paper has been underpinned by contribuons that money is available for sciensts from 41 Fellows of the Royal Society (including 7 and engineers to follow their curiosity Nobel Laureates, a Crafoord Laureate, a Dan in their own disciplines . David Prize winner and a Fields Medallist). These internaonally disnguished researchers However, some of the abundant directed actually know the nature of discovery; they have programmes today smack of quasi-industrialism. done it and led it. Although this is a small But any knowledgeable industrialist will say that sample it is significant. Their comments have industry depends on the university science base great weight and are included with their to make discoveries that no one knows need to permission in Appendix 2. Indeed, these are be discovered – discoveries outside the box, so- collecvely so powerful they could well stand to-speak. As an aside, industrialists have an alone without the introducon provided by this important part to play; they must have paper. awareness ‘in-house’ in order to latch on as 1 Curiosity-driven ‘Blue Sky’ Research: A threatened vital acvity? intelligent customers to discoveries made ‘Social media can make some people elsewhere. It is no good contracng-out very rich but cannot save the planet. research if there isn’t the front line knowledge The laer requires new fundamental in-house to cherry-pick, and thus to know discoveries.’ – Sir Andre Geim whether the outcome is of any value. Also, the process of contracng-out means that the deny not only the nature of scienfic discovery, crucial selecon and management of operang but the lessons of history. personnel is not under in-house control. This That it has always been this way, to some can be disastrous. Sadly, UK industry no longer extent, is no reason to just accept it. Sir John uniformly wants to be, or is good at such in- Meurig Thomas reminds us that Faraday, the house capability. As the amount of research unsurpassed genius of discovery and pioneer of inside UK industry declines, so does research curiosity-driven research, was once instructed council support for vital curiosity-driven by a joint commiee of the Board of Longitude research in the universies. This describes not and the Royal Society, chaired by Humphry so much a vicious circle but a downward spiral, Davy, to invesgate the properes of glass, and leading to the UK research deficit double hence beer telescopes for the Royal Navy. He whammy. didn’t like this very much and said so in a leer Socio-economic targets are not of 13 May 1830 to Peter Roget, of Roget’s Thesaurus, a secretary of the Royal Society: scienfic disciplines. Without discoveries in and across disciplines ‘With reference to the request which the populist targets become part of a council of the Royal Society have done me meaningless and unaainable wish the honour of making, namely, that I should list. connue the (glass) invesgaon, I should under circumstances of perfect freedom assent to it at once. But, obliged as I have Over the last 15 years the UK science budget been to devote the whole of my spare me to has grown significantly, and successive the experiments already described and Governments should be congratulated on this. consequently to resign the pursuit of such But Government and research council direcon philosophical enquiries as suggested has increased too. It is completely acceptable themselves to my own mind, I would wish, for Government to demand evidence that the under present circumstances, to lay the glass taxpayers’ money is being spent in ways which aside for a while, that I may enjoy the will return benefit to the naon. However, pleasure of working out my own thoughts on Government must also accept without other subjects.’ challenge that the socioeconomic advancement of humankind has its roots in science and This was aer Davy and Thomas Young of the technology, and that much of that has been commiee had both died in 1829.The curiosity-driven. However, the nature of all commiee was subsequently dissolved and polics and policians means it is easier for our Faraday was free to return to exploring his own paymasters to feel comfortable about the ideas. On 19 August 1831 he discovered proclaiming of programmes relang to Energy, electromagnec inducon. Health, Materials, Climate Change, the Hydrogen Economy and so on, rather than to announce, let alone trumpet, that money is available for sciensts to follow their curiosity in their own disciplines.