Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Annual Report and Accounts 2014 - 2015 Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Annual Report and Accounts 2014 -2015 Presented to Parliament pursuant to Schedule 1, paragraphs 2 [2] and 3 [3] of the Science and Technology Act 1965. Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 7th July 2015 HC 138 © Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (2015) The text of this document (this excludes, where present, the Royal Arms and all departmental or agency logos) may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium provided that it is reproduced accurately and not in a misleading context. The material must be acknowledged as Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council copyright and the document title specified. Where third party ma erial has been identified, permission rom the respective copyright holder must be sought. Any enquiries related to this publication should be sent to us at [email protected] This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications Print ISBN 9781474118132 Web ISBN 9781474118149 Printed in the UK for the Williams Lea Group on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office ID 28041502 07/15 Printed on paper containing 75% recycled fibre con ent minimum Contents STRATEGIC REPORT Chair’s statement 2 Chief Executive’s summary 3 Financial review 23 Key funding & performance data 25 Sustainability 30 DIRECTORS REPORT Corporate information 32 Remuneration report 34 ANNUAL ACCOUNTS 2014-2015 Governance Statement by the Chief Executive 40 Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2015 51 Acronyms 76 This Report provides an overview of BBSRC’s major activities during the period 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015. This Report is accessible at www.bbsrc.ac.uk/annualreport. Readers may wish to refer to previous Annual Reports also found on this page: BBSRC Strategic Plan 2010-2015 at www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/planning/strategy/; and the BBSRC Delivery Plan 2011-2015 at www.bbsrc.ac.uk/documents/delivery-plan-2011-2015-pdf/ BBSRC The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), established by Royal Charter in 1994, is the UK’s principal funder of basic and strategic research across the biosciences, in universities and research centres throughout the UK. BBSRC is funded primarily by the Science Budget through the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). BBSRC works collaboratively with its sister Research Councils through Research Councils UK (RCUK) in areas that include: cross-Council programmes of research; research training and careers development; knowledge exchange and economic impact; communications, public engagement and administrative harmonisation. www.rcuk.ac.uk Updated information on BBSRC’s policies, activities and impact is accessible at: www.bbsrc.ac.uk Copyright for cover image: Ian Newton. This image of 'Microtubules in vitro' was voted by the public as overall winner of BBSRC's Images with Impact Competition in 2014. Chair’s statement As a member of the Councils of the Science and Engineering Research Council and the Agriculture and Food Research Council in the 1980s, the founding Chief Executive of BBSRC in the 1990s and the outgoing Council Chair this year, I often ponder on the organisation and development of science – particularly biotechnology and bioscience – in the UK in the past three decades. © Tim Smith © Tim These are undoubtedly exciting times for all involved. bioscience research can make its way from discovery Bioscience continues to be breathtaking and that is why in the lab to application as smoothly as possible. most of us do it. But biological approaches and solutions will be crucial to tackling sustainably the global challenges ■■ Research is becoming more multi-national with of the next century: feeding a growing population with increasing numbers of young scientists coming limited natural resources, creating new pharmaceuticals, from abroad to UK research laboratories. My fibres and high value chemicals, reducing our dependence academic laboratory over the past decade has on fossil fuels and improving the health of our populations. included scientists from 27 countries, with researchers from India, China, UK and Brazil being In the UK, we are globally well placed to help meet the largest groups, able to speak over 37 languages these challenges: investment in our research base by between them – it is important for groups like mine Government, charities and industry produces more that others continue to be able to join our labs. research and at a higher quality than the rest of the world. And, with less than 1% of the world’s population, ■■ There are increasing numbers of collaborations the UK generates 8% of the world’s scientific papers and internationally; for BBSRC, Brazil, India and China has 16% of the most cited papers. The UK continues to have been particularly important and will continue punch above its weight in bioscience, maximising the to be so. For the health of UK bioscience it is efficiency of very pound spent on research. important that BBSRC continues to foster these and other productive international relationships. In this context, I wanted to share some reflections: ■■ And finally, it is clear that new conceptual ■■ Bioscience research becomes evermore developments, for example in understanding multidisciplinary involving many different areas of evolution or cell growth, can have significant expertise. In my own basic science laboratories I impacts elsewhere both in the physical sciences and employ mathematicians, statisticians, computer in medicine. scientists, physicists, chemists, biochemists, cell biologists, whole organism biologists and clinicians. With thanks Mulitidisciplinarity will become even more important as we strive to apply bioscience to the I would like to thank our retiring Council members for problems the world faces and will need to include their time, support and wisdom: Mr Jim Godfrey, Professor expertise from the natural, physical and social Russell Foster and Dr Will West. And I warmly welcome the sciences and humanities. new members who have been appointed throughout the past year, who bring a wealth of experience from a broad ■■ BBSRC has a continuing responsibility to maintain variety of sectors: Dr Neil Brewis, Professor Richard Cogdell, the health of the fundamental biosciences right Professor Maggie Dallman, Professor Judith Petts, Professor across the various sub-disciplines from molecule to Helen Sang, Dr Belinda Clarke and Dr Deborah Keith. cell to organisms to interactions with the living environment. This basic bioscience is the foundation I would also like to take this opportunity to wish my on which we rely to maximise the impact of our work. successor Sir Gordon Duff the very best. His appointment was announced by Universities, Science and Cities ■■ We must continue to encourage our scientists to be Minister Greg Clark in March. Sir Gordon was previously on the lookout for new ways that their science can Chair of the Medicines and Healthcare Products translate into strategic areas even if the original Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and is currently Principal of objectives were purely curiosity driven. Investigator- St Hilda's College, Oxford. I know he will bring first-class led research has as much to offer wealth creation leadership to the Council and invaluable expertise in an as the strategic and applied. Astex, the company exciting, but challenging climate. that I co-founded in 1999, had its origins in a fascination for macromolecular structure and I leave BBSRC in a very strong position, well recognised in interactions but led to a drug discovery operation government as an innovative and collaborative research that sold for $886 million in 2013. body with many impacts on future health and wealth creation in the UK. We have a superb Chief Executive ■■ Translation not only requires bright minds and with experience in academia and industry, a very supportive regulation but also needs a research effective research secretariat, a well thought through ecosystem where academia, industry large and small relationship with the National Institutes of Bioscience and policy makers join-up and coordinate. BBSRC is and an increasingly effective involvement with the doing this brilliantly with Government support at academic communities in our universities. Babraham – now with 60 companies on its research campus – Norwich Research Park and elsewhere. Professor Sir Tom Blundell FRS Fostering this ecosystem will be increasingly BBSRC Chair important in the coming years as we strive to ensure June 2015 2 BBSRC Annual Report and Accounts 2014-2015 Chief Executive’s summary © Tim Smith © Tim BBSRC invests in world-class bioscience research and training on behalf of the UK public. Our aim is to further scientific knowledge, to promote economic growth, wealth and job creation and to improve quality of life in the UK and beyond. This is the UN Food and Agricultural Organization’s These novel techniques, which can introduce precise (FAO) year of soil, a resource which many of us take genetic changes into plants, are currently being used in for granted. Yet a resilient and fertile soil underpins research labs as a tool to help understand the function of our ability to grow food and enables a sustainable genes. Commercial applications are likely to follow: new environment. In the same way bioscience research and and improved crop varieties produced with these methods development