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Research Council Institute and PSRE Sustainability Study (RIPSS)

Public Sector Research Establishments (PSREs), including Research Council Institutes (RCIs), collectively represent a world-class resource for UK science. Their sustainable performance, alongside universities, is of strategic importance to the UK.

The Government published a report, PSREs and the Science Base, in April 2004, which incorporated the findings and recommendations of the Office of Science and Innovation's Research Council Institute and PSRE Sustainability Study (RIPSS). The report found that the long-term sustainability of PSREs is under threat from a combination of factors including low cost recovery, complex lines of strategic responsibility, and inadequate investment. If left unchecked, these factors could seriously compromise the future capacity of the UK public sector to conduct world-class research. The report is available in pdf format under related documents on the right-hand side of the screen.

The ten-year Science and Innovation Investment Framework 2004-2014 set out the Government's commitment to the sustainability of the UK research base, including PSREs. Sustainability includes knowing the Full Economic Costs (FEC) of research and raising sufficient income from the combination of external research contracts and block grants to cover these FEC and thus maintain a necessary level of infrastructure investment. The OSI also produces a newsletter providing updates on developments on PSRE sustainability, copies of which are available in pdf format on the right-hand side of the screen.

In order to help Government departments and Research Councils implement full economic costing for PSREs, the OSI, with the support of HM Treasury, established a new forum in September 2005, "Research Establishment Sustainability UK", where matters relating to the implementation of FEC and the wider RIPSS guidelines can be discussed among the parent organisations of PSREs.

As part of the commitment made in the Science and Investment Framework for PSREs to move towards financial sustainability, DIUS runs an annual monitoring exercise on PSRE sustainability. A commentary on the outcome of the first and second annual monitoring exercises is available in word format on the right-hand side of the screen.