Annual Audit Reveals £10.5M Hole in Regent House Accounts
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THE ROBUST Visual Arts Page 24 TO THE RELIGIOUS No. 613 The Independent Cambridge Student Newspaper since 1947 Friday February 04, 2005 Annual audit Eyes on the prize: Scientists discuss new direction for energy policy reveals £10.5m hole in Regent House accounts fundraising efforts” and the Oliver Tilley “devolution of budgetary plan- ning to Schools and THE UNIVERSITY has Institutions, so they can decide announced a deficit of £10.5m their priorities”. for the last academic year, raising The government has come fears over its medium-term under fire for its university fund- financial future. ing policy as the new £3,000 top- The deficit, a fivefold up fees are not expected to be increase on last year’s loss of sufficient. Tony Minson, Pro- £2m, was revealed in the Vice-Chancellor of the University’s annual accounts to University, said in an statement Regent House on Tuesday and issued upon the release of the has prompted renewed criti- budget “The University and the cisms of the government’s Colleges have faced years of funding policy as the financial chronic underfunding and future of the University looks although Tuition fees will go increasingly unsound. some way towards addressing the Reaching £17m before the balance in meeting the costs of consolidation of accounts and teaching, it will not be enough.” the inclusion of the University Mr. Reid appeared to give of Cambridge Local more ground to the government, Examinations Syndicate commenting “We are highly (UCLES) profits, the loss was reliant on the government and incurred after a poor perform- we believe that’s right”. But he Cambridge scientists convening at the Cambridge Energy Forum last week - science continues to blossom in Cambridge, with ance of the FTSE 100 in the did also note that “Government several exciting breakthroughs announced recently - ‘Science Matters’: page 4. Science: page16. Editorial: page 11. late 1990s, which hit funding per student has gone Cambridge’s pension scheme, down from £8,000 to £5,000 in requiring a £12.5m payout to the last 15 years.” cover its liabilities. The University is expected to New research could end animal testing The University has been keen push for a significant increase in to play down the significance of fees after 2010, when the govern- the deficit - which only amounts ment’s pledge to maintain cur- Lucy Phillips Although it is still in the be profiled in any standard labora- Awareness of the potential of to 1.6% of its annual turnover - rent pricing runs out. early stages of development tory, with no need for sophisticat- the technology comes after and expects to recoup the money Contrary to many people’s A TEAM OF Cambridge SimuGen is looking for funding ed and expensive equipment. Cambridge University aban- within 4 years. expectations, the University has University scientists are seeking in order to develop a commer- Dr Wills said “There is over- doned plans to build a multi-mil- A spokesman for the ruled out a move towards funding for a new technology that cial ‘research kit’ from the raw whelming proof that it will work. lion pound animal testing labora- University said: “this problem Oxford University’s policy of could remove the need for animal science. It has reached the final Progress has already been made to tory last year. The strength of was not unexpected and no-one reducing undergraduate num- testing in the development of of the Cambridge University move away from drugs trials on feeling among animal rights is panicking”, while Andrew bers and increasing overseas drugs and any industry where tox- Entrepreneurs business plan animals - it is now standard to activists had escalated the pro- Reid, the University’s financial student intake. icity standards need to be met. competition which could secure first test for DNA toxicity using jected costs of providing security director, emphasised the influ- A spokeswoman underlined The venture, called SimuGen, £50k towards the ground- bacteria and cell cultures rather for the facility. The new technol- ence of building maintenance the University’s position when has combined microarray and breaking project. SimuGen than animals.” ogy is thought to be much costs, adding “None of this she said “The University of machine learning technologies hope to have raised enough He continued, “The long term cheaper than animal research catches us by surprise, but we’ve Cambridge colleges are to produce a system that could funds to have a prototype kit plan is to replace animal testing centres, particularly in relation to got to pull out of this sooner absolutely committed to the form a method for creating new ready by the end of the year. research centres. I can see it hap- security measures. rather than later.” principle that no UK student drugs without pre-clinical trials The technology relies on pening in stages. The technology Oxford University has also The University has also should be put off from applying on animals. microarrays, which enable the is there but drugs regulators are just announced that work will highlighted several factors here because of financial wor- Dr Quin Wills of the testing of tens of thousands of very strict as to what is appropri- resume on its half-built £18 which they hope will alleviate ries, and that no UK student, University’s Computational genes at the same time, and ate and safe.” Current regulations million animal laboratory this the problem, including the once admitted, should ever Biology Department is a lead- machine learning methods to from drugs safety agencies require month. The project received a £11m they expect to gain from have to leave Cambridge for ing scientists associated with analyse what is going on inside an proof of safety by pre-clinical tri- setback after one of the con- the top-up fees to be intro- financial reasons.” SimuGen. He hopes that the organism. A specific tissue cul- als before human testing can struction companies pulled out duced by the government in enterprise will become a mar- ture model is exposed to different begin. This usually involves trials of the venture last year due to 2006, along with a programme - ‘EU expansion costs ket leader in the emerging toxins in order to generate a on two mammal species to show increased pressure from animal of “significantly intensified university’, page 4 field of ‘toxicogenomics’. genetic response which can then that the product is not toxic. rights activists. SHE VICAR? PAGE 3 BABY BIO PAGE 4 1000 MONKEYS 1000 TYPEWRITERS PAGE 9 ALL CUT UP PAGE 18 THEATRICALLY CHALLENGED PAGE 19 FOOTBALL CONSCIOUS PAGE 26 WALTZING ALL OVER MATILDA PAGE 24 2 NEWS February 04, 2005 www.varsity.co.uk News in Brief Researchers’ law Clean East Lawyers ‘poor’ score The East of England has ll John McHugh hands of extremists. been named the cleanest we Hewitt further justified the place in England, according FIVE YEARS in jail could government’s support for ani- to a new survey by Keep y Bar become the punishment for mal testing by highlighting Britain Tidy. London was Luc animal rights activists who the advances it can bring to branded the dirtiest city. target firms and individuals medical research. She empha- associated with animal testing sised the fact that British law Fire control under a proposed amendment on animal testing is amongst to the Serious Organised the toughest in the world with Concern is mounting over Crime and Police Bill. features such as strict licens- proposals to merge six of the The bill seeks to give exten- ing rules and no cosmetic test- region’s fire control centres, sive protection to the animal ing licences issued since 1999. including the Cambridgeshire experimentation industry with Furthermore, efforts are being one, into a single site. the proposed laws punishing made by the government to Residents are worried about those who target people with further reduce the need for the impact this will have on indirect involvement in animal animal testing with the cre- emergency situations. testing. This will cover busi- ation of a £660,000 centre for nesses in the supply chain, refining, reducing and replac- Experience Islam company employees and their ing the use of animals for families, charity shops and research. Experience Islam week universities. Those consider- Responses to the amend- starts on Saturday 5 ing becoming involved with ment indicate cross-party sup- February. A wide range of animal research facilities will port for the measures. The talks and cultural events will also receive protection from Conservative shadow solicitor explain the ins and outs of intimidation. general Jonathan Djanogly the world’s fastest growing Trade and Industry welcomed the plans recognis- religion. The highlight of Secretary Patricia Hewitt ing the ‘significant contribu- the week is expected to be The Cambridge Law Faculty. Law students have received criticism for their recent perfomance announced the proposals indi- tion to medical research’ that on Thursday night when cating that economic concerns the industry makes. Liberal there will be a chance to Lucy Phillips because of the high demand for Dr Fox said “The test is only are at the forefront of the gov- Democrat Dr Evan Harris experience an evening of art, places to study law.Atone element of the admissions ernment’s new plans. This is also fully supported the law to literature and music from UNIVERSITY LAW candi- Cambridge there are roughly process. We were using them in because the bioscience indus- ‘tackle the issue of economic across the Muslim world in a dates have been branded ‘not five candidates for each place a pilot sense.” try is worth £3 billion a year sabotage’ but also voiced con- Moroccan souk atmosphere.