Finance
At the time of writing, what is known as the
dual funding system - something of a misnomer, as will be seen - continues to
operate. In this, the `floor' is provided by the University Funding Committee
(formerly the University Grants Committee), while the Research Councils,
predominantly, for the PCL, the Science and Engineering Research Council,
support research. However, in recent years, whereas the UFC contribution, which
provides for the day-to-day running and internal maintenance of the building
and the teaching laboratory, the costs of consumables and the salaries of
non-academic staff, and, separately, the maintenance of equipment, has shown
modest increases in real terms, the support of the Research Councils had fallen
in 1988/89 by 50% from a maximum in 1984 (see figure). In 1991 no more than 20%
of projects rated in chemistry are being funded by SERC, and for those few that
are accepted, the promise is for jam tomorrow, not today. It has only been
possible to maintain the momentum of research work through contributions from
outside sources which have increased dramatically. The accounts for 1949/50
reveal outside grants totalling £575 for both Physical and Inorganic Chemistry
(about £8300 at 1990 prices): this can be compared with the total of £315 500
for outside grants to the PCL for 1989/90.
In the last ten years the HEFCE (formerly
the UFC) grant and the money from 'outside sources' have remained fairly steady
in real terms while the Research Councils have loosened the purse strings and
the Laboratory has been successful in many of its applications.
|
|
UGC/UFC |
UGC/UFC |
Research Grants |
|
|
|
grant1 |
equipment grant2 |
Research Councils |
Outside sources |
|
1975-76 |
603 |
61 |
261 |
79 |
|
1980-81 |
668 |
181 |
343 |
84 |
|
1984-85 |
744 |
179 |
442 |
120 |
|
1989-90 |
764 |
178 |
234 |
263 |
|
1994-95 |
732 |
174 |
695 |
475 |
|
1998-99 |
786 |
184 |
796 |
386 |
|
[1999-2000] |
[1106] |
[229] |
[1223] |
[566] |
The figures are in k£ at
1990 prices, and are averages over three years. The last line, in square
brackets, shows the actual money received for the single year 1999-2000. From
1994-95 the figures include the contributions of the previous Theoretical
Chemistry Department.
1This grant covers provision for
technical and clerical salaries, consumables, the teaching laboratory and the
internal maintenance of the building.
2This grant includes a small sum,
about £2000, of the annual furniture grant which was merged with the equipment
grant in 1994-95. From 2000-01 the whole of the equipment grant will be merged
with the main HEFCE grant.
The bald figures reveal only part of the
story. Increased sophistication means that the price of standard items of
bought-in equipment tends to rise in real terms, and so does the cost of
maintenance, and so also very often do running costs. Neither the building
itself, nor the level of work carried on in it, would have been possible
without the generous help of benefactors and sponsors and we acknowledge with
gratitude the support of those named below:
|
Albright
and Wilson Ltd |
American
Chemical Society: |
|
Association
for International Cancer Research |
Petroleum
Research Fund |
|
Atomic
Energy Authority, Winfrith |
Beecham
Group plc |
|
British
Biotechnology Ltd |
British
Council |
|
British
Drug Houses Ltd |
British
Gas |
|
British
Oxygen Company |
British
Petroleum Company plc |
|
British
Telecom Plc |
Central
Electricity Generating Board |
|
E.P.
Abraham Cephalosporin Fund |
Cheltenham
and Gloucester Building Society |
|
Ciba-Geigy
plc |
Commission
of the European Communities |
|
Courtauld's
Educational Trust Fund |
Department
of the Environment |
|
Department
of Trade and Industry |
Lord
Dowding Fund |
|
E.I.L. |
Electrobiology
Inc. |
|
Epichem
Ltd |
Freshwater
Biological Association |
|
Fulcrum
Communications Ltd |
General
Electric Company |
|
Genetics
International Ltd. |
Glaxo
Group Research Ltd |
|
Goldsmiths'
and Silversmiths' Company |
Helen Hay
Whitney Foundation |
|
J.W.
Hooper |
Hydrocarbon
Research Group |
|
I.C.I.
plc |
Institut
Français du Pétrole |
|
Kodak Ltd |
Kratos
International plc |
|
Leverhulme
Trust |
Lilly
Research Centre Ltd |
|
Marshall
Aid Commemoration Commission |
Meteorological
Office |
|
Ministry
of Defence |
Ministry
of Technology |
|
Mobil Oil
Company |
National
Engineering Laboratory |
|
National
Perinatal Epidemiology Unit: |
National
Radiological Protection Board |
|
(Radcliffe
Infirmary) |
NATO:
Scientific Affairs Division |
|
Nippon
Soda Company Ltd |
Nuffield
Foundation |
|
Oxford
Molecular |
Pergamon
Press |
|
Perkin
Elmer (U.K.) Ltd |
Pilkington
Brothers |
|
Plasma
Technology (U.K.) Ltd |
Pressed
Steel Company |
|
Research
Corporation Trust |
Royal
Signals and Radar Establishment |
|
Roussel
Scientific Institute UK Ltd |
Royal
Society |
|
Rutherford
Appleton Laboratory |
Salters'
Company |
|
Severn
Trent Water |
Smith
Kline Beecham plc |
|
The Lord
Rank Research Centre: |
Thor
Cryogenics Ltd |
|
(RHM
Research Ltd) |
Thorn EMI
plc |
|
U.K.
Atomic Energy Authority |
U.S. Air
Force |
|
U.S. Army
|
U.S.
National Foundation for Cancer Research |
|
U.S.
National Science Foundation |
U.S.
Office of Naval Research |
|
U.S.
Office for Scientific and Technical |
Unilever
plc |
|
Information |
Upjohn
Company |
|
Wellcome
Trust |
Wolfson
Foundation |
and the Research Councils, DSIR, SRC, SERC;
MRC and NERC.
