Written question asked by Lord Grayling (Conservative) on Thursday, 29 January 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 23 February 2004. It was answered by Alan Johnson (Labour) on Monday, 23 February 2004 on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills.

Dept for Education and Skills

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what his policy is on the regional dimension of future research grant allocation.

Answer: Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his policy is on the regional dimension of future research grant allocation. [152639] Alan Johnson: The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) allocates research funding selectively to universities by a formula according to the quality and volume of their research activity. The funding formula has no explicit regional element. The Government's policy is to target available resources on the highest quality research wherever it exists to ensure our global competitiveness. The report of the Lambert Review of Business- University Collaboration in December 2003 recommends that there should be a new stream of funding for business- led collaborative research, which should be delivered at a regional level through Regional Development Agencies. The Government expect to respond fully to the report this summer.

Secondary information