UK life sciences sector to grab a slice of £200m investment fund

The UK’s life sciences sector has been given a boost on news that it will be dished up a slice of a £200 million cash pie taken from the UK Innovation Investment Fund (UKIIF).

The government announced this week that the European Investment Fund has been picked to manage the £200-million UK Future Technologies Fund (from which £100 million was raised by the EIF itself) – which will also benefit digital and advanced manufacturing businesses.

The first investments will be made in UK venture funds, with cash injections destined for technology-based businesses “where there are significant growth opportunities, driving the UK economy forward and creating highly skilled jobs”, the government said.

The UKIIF, which was launched in June last year by Prime Minister Gordon Brown under the government’s strategy for Building Britain’s Future - designed to build “a stronger, fairer and more prosperous country” – operates on a fund of funds structure, which means that monies will not be invested directly in companies but instead a small number of specialist, private sector technology funds which have the expertise to invest directly in technology businesses.

The idea is that by boosting the stream of venture capital available to these funds the UKIIF will help to propel investment in high growth businesses, including start-ups and spin-outs and those that have yet to book any profits or sales and are finding it difficult to raise cash in the current difficult economic climate.

And it seems the idea is starting to pay off. “Despite a tough market, the UKIIF goes from strength to strength,” said Science and Innovation Minister Lord Drayson. “Private funds have matched the government's investment and money can now flow into promising technology companies [and] this is just the boost these companies need as the economy returns to growth,” he remarked.

The BioIndustries Association has also welcomed the news. “The closing of the fund is a significant step towards delivering much needed funding to life sciences companies in the UK and it is important that the fund managers act quickly,” said chairman Clive Dix. “We now hope that a significant proportion of the fund will be used to help make the UK’s life sciences companies the most successful in the world”.

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UK science principles criticised

Scientists and campaigners have questioned how the UK government plans to engage with scientific advisers.

On Tuesday, the government published a set of principles to "clarify the relationship between advice and policy".

The independence of scientific advisers has been under question since the home secretary sacked former drugs adviser, Professor David Nutt.

But critics say that the principles are ambiguous and need clarification.

These guidelines, published by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Bis), sought to answer calls from MPs and scientists for ministers to uphold scientific independence.

Professor Colin Blakemore from Oxford University, former chief executive of the Medical Research Council said that, overall, he was pleased with what the government had done.

But he drew attention to one point in the guidelines, which said that the government and its scientific advisers "should work together to reach a shared position, and neither should act to undermine mutual trust".

"I do worry with the potential picture of advisers and civil servants, or ministers, sitting together... to cook up the evidence appropriately to support whatever line the government wants," he told BBC News.

"That isn't necessarily what the government wanted at all, but it might mean that some clarification is needed here. This is open to [an] interpretation that would contradict much of the rest of the document."

Tracey Brown, managing director of campaigning organisation Sense About Science, welcomed the publication of the new principles, but said she was "very concerned" about that same point.
   
Ministers rely on scientific advice to develop sound government policy
Lord Drayson

"It re-introduces the ambiguity that we thought we were all seeking to eliminate through the development of these principles," she said in a statement.

"How will advisers know whether, in answering a question at a lecture or from a journalist one morning, they might be undermining mutual trust with the government?"

But Science and Innovation Minister, Lord Drayson, said that the principles would strengthen the important relationship between ministers and advisers.

"Ministers rely on scientific advice to develop sound government policy," he said. "[The principles] emphasise the importance of academic freedom, and the responsibilities of both scientists and ministers."

He added that they would now go out for consultation.

Culture clash

The government has assuaged some of the concerns that scientists raised in the wake of Professor Nutt's dismissal.

Some researchers said that there had been several examples of "news management" by Whitehall departments, when the government did not agree with the conclusions of a report.

The Bis principles have now made it clear that scientific advisers "have the right to engage with the media and public independently of the government".

Prior to their publication, the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee had recommended that if ministers did reject scientific advice, they should formally explain their decision.

The new principles do not go that far, but do suggest that, if government "is minded not to accept advice of a scientific advisory committee... the relevant minister will normally meet with the chair to discuss the issue before a final decision is made".

They also say that scientific advisers to the government must be "free to communicate in a professional capacity within their field of expertise, subject to normal confidentiality restrictions".

This point will aim to answer those scientists who criticised the Home Secretary Alan Johnson for dismissing Professor Nutt. Mr Johnson has said that Professor Nutt "crossed the line" in his role, by campaigning against government policy.

Timing is crucial

Scientists had also criticised the government's timing when it published its response to scientific advice.

Earlier this year, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) published its own climate projections on the same day as a scientific report that criticised them.

The new principles state: "The timing of the government's response to scientific advice will demonstrably allow for proper consideration of that advice."

The government says the principles were designed to cover "trust, respect, independence, transparency and openness".

They were agreed after a series of meetings, with input from scientific advisory committees, learned societies, science media representatives and Sense about Science.

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UPI NewsTrack Health and Science News

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif., Sept. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. space agency officials say they have selected a target lunar crater for an impact study to determine whether water ice exists at the moon's south pole.

NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite is to travel nearly 6 million miles in a journey that will have included several Earth and moon orbits before it crashes into the Cabeus A crater at 7:30 a.m. EDT Oct. 9.

The experiment involves the satellite's spent upper-stage Centaur rocket impacting the permanently shadowed polar crater. LCROSS will then fly into the plume of dust left by the impact and measure its properties before it also collides with the lunar surface.

NASA scientists said they selected Cabeus A based on a set of conditions that included proper debris plume illumination for visibility from Earth, a high concentration of hydrogen, and mature crater features such as a flat floor, gentle slopes and the absence of large boulders.

Professional astronomers using many of the Earth's observatories will help maximize the scientific return from the experiment, NASA said, noting the telescopes will provide observations from different vantage points using different types of measurement techniques.

NASA said it was dedicating the mission to the memory of the late news anchor Walter Cronkite, who provided coverage of NASA's missions from the beginning of America's manned space program into the age of the space shuttle.

Early clinical trial of H1N1 vaccines good

BETHESDA, Md., Sept. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. officials said they are encouraged by the progress of various clinical trials of H1N1 influenza vaccines.

"The early data from these trials indicate the H1N1 influenza vaccines are well tolerated and induce a strong immune response in most healthy adults when administered in a single unadjuvanted 15-microgram dose," said a statement by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

NIAID is also conducting clinical trials of H1N1 influenza vaccines, produced by Sanofi Pasteur and CSL Limited.

The NIAID trials are testing two different dosages -- 15 micrograms versus 30 micrograms -- and evaluating the immune response to one and two doses of these vaccines. More than 2,800 people are participating in ongoing NIAID trials of these vaccines.

Among healthy adults who received a single 15-microgram dose of the Sanofi Pasteur vaccine, a robust immune response was measured in 96 percent of adults age 18-64 and in 56 percent of adults age 65 and older.

Among healthy adults who received a single 15-microgram dose of the CSL Limited vaccine, a robust immune response was measured in 80 percent of adults age 18-64 and in 60 percent of adults age 65 and older, the statement said.

Flowering may move out of seasonal sync

CLAYTON, Australia, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Australian and U.K. scientists studying global warming say botanical calendars in many parts of the Earth may eventually move out of sync with the seasons.

The study into the impact of global warming on spring flowering was led by Malcolm Clark of Monash University and Professor Roy Thompson of the University of Edinburgh.

"Already there is a great deal of observational evidence of regional changes in climate associated with global warming," said Clark. "We have not only seen an earlier breakup of ice on rivers and melting glaciers, but also the early emergence of insects, egg laying by birds and the flowering of plants. This new model allows us to refine predictions of the future impact of warming on plant and animal life across much of the world."

Clark and Thompson predict likely changes in spring flowering in Scotland based on three potential global warming scenarios. For every 1-degree Celsius of climate warming, they predict spring flowering will begin approximately 11 days earlier.

Using their results, the scientists constructed a global map that demonstrates "desynchronization" of plant and animal life in the year 2080. The map shows maritime climates including Western Europe, the American Atlantic coast, New Zealand, Chile and North Africa will be the greatest affected as their botanical calendar moves strongly out of sync with the seasons.

The study is reported in the International Journal of Climatology.

Diabetes drug also kills cancer stem cells

BOSTON, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've found that in human breast cancer cell tumors in mice, a diabetes drug worked better than chemotherapy in prolonging remission.

Researchers led by Harvard Medical School Professor Kevin Struhl said the mice appeared tumor-free for two months after treatment before the end of the experiment. The drug, metformin, appears to selectively kill cancer stem cells in culture dishes and in mice.

The scientists said their findings provide additional rationale for testing metformin in combination with chemotherapy in people with breast cancer and perhaps other cancers.

The scientists said their findings add to a growing body of preliminary evidence in cells, mice, and people that metformin may improve breast cancer outcomes in people. In the new study, the diabetes drug seemed to work independently of its ability to improve insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar and insulin levels, all of which are also associated with better breast cancer outcomes, the researchers said.

NEWS BY:http://www.upi.com

One in 10' UK graduates unemployed

Unemployment rate for UK college leavers by subject
Lowest	Highest
Source HESA: Percentage of full-time first degree graduates (2008-9) unemployed after six months
Medicine 0%	Computer science 17%
Education 5%	Communications 14%
Law 6%	Architecture 13% 13%
Biological science 9%	Engineering 13%
Languages 9%	Creative arts 13%
Maths 10%	Business studies 11%

Universities Minister David Willetts said the overall figures showed that employers were continuing to recruit graduates in large numbers, "even though these are students who graduated at the height of the recession".

The National Union of Students (NUS) said it was "a particularly tough time for graduates looking to get themselves on the career ladder".

"University leavers will be the engines of economic recovery in the UK and the government must ensure that it invests in the creation of suitable jobs and secures access to employment opportunities to best utilise the vast pool of skills and knowledge emerging from our colleges and universities," said NUS president Aaron Porter.

The government wants colleges to give greater information about students' chances of finding work after graduation so they make better choices before they embark on a college courses. 

"I have asked universities to provide employability statements to help people make the right choice about which course to take," Mr Willetts said.

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Leaked Queen's Speech shows coalition plans 21 new bills

The coalition government plans to introduce some 21 parliamentary bills over the next 18 months, according to reports of an alleged leak of the Queen's Speech.

The monarch's address will be read at the State Opening of Parliament on Tuesday but a purported draft of the document has been obtained by both the Sunday Mirror and Sunday Telegraph newspapers.

The speech is said to include new measures regarding voting reform, education and the welfare system.

The coalition government will bring in legislation to allow more schools to become academies - a key Conservative manifesto pledge - as well as the expected scrapping of national ID cards.

The Sunday Telegraph reports the speech has central themes of "freedom, fairness and responsibility" and includes a number of policy initiatives pushed for by the Liberal Democrats in turn for entering into a coalition with the Tories.

The new government's first priority will be to "reduce the deficit and restore economic growth" and to "accelerate the reduction of the structural budget deficit" while other bills listed include an Energy Security and Green Economy Bill, a Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill and a new Health Bill.

Writing in the News of the World, prime minister David Cameron confirmed the first piece of legislation from his new government would be the Education and Children's Bill.

Mr Cameron said the bill will "increase freedoms for academies, give schools greater say in setting the curriculum and give parents the power to take over failing schools".

"Too many of the poorest children are stuck in chaotic classrooms in bad schools," he added.

"So we'll give teachers more power over discipline and bring in a pupil premium - extra funding for the poorest children so they go to the best schools, not the worst."

Speaking to Sky News, former Labour cabinet office minister Tom Watson said the leaking of the Queen's Speech was "a huge embarrassment for Parliament and the Palace".

"David Cameron has said on many occasions in the past that Parliament should be the first to know Government announcements," Mr Watson added.

"I know he will want to practice what he preaches by ensuring this never happens again. There should be an immediate leak inquiry."

NEWS BY:http://www.uknetguide.co.uk

Universities under pressure to pay living wage

London universities are under pressure from students and community groups to support a campaign to pay cleaners a "living wage".

Six universities in the capital now back a living wage of £7.60 per hour.

King's College is set for talks with campaigners next week - while University College London says it has "no plans" to adopt the living wage.

Students say the gap between high-paid university bosses and low-paid cleaners is "shocking".

A cleaner on the minimum wage of £5.80, working 40-hours a week, 52 weeks a year, would have to work more than 33 years to earn the annual pay package of the provost of University College London.
Survive

The University of London Union and London Citizens are campaigning for the living wage of £7.60 per hour to be paid to cleaners in universities in the capital.

They say that the living wage is the threshold that is needed to survive in an expensive city such as London - and is higher than the legal minimum.

It has been adopted by the London School of Economics, Birkbeck, the School of Oriental and African Studies, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Queen Mary.

Goldsmiths says it is introducing the living wage when it renews its cleaning contract.

King's College says it is about to hold an "initial meeting" with the students and representatives of London Citizens.

But University College London says it has "no plans to join the London Living Wage Campaign".

It says it pays its own directly-employed staff above the living wage, but this does not apply to cleaners who are hired through another company.

"UCL considers itself a fair employer and benchmarks its rates of pay and conditions of employment against competitor organisations, in relation to which they are attractive," says the university.

The university's president and provost, Malcolm Grant, is among the best paid university leaders in the UK.

UCL says he was paid £303,492 in 2008-09 - with pension and benefits the total was £404,742.
Publicly-funded

Students have contrasted the high levels of pay for the senior staff in universities with a reluctance to pay more for low-paid staff.

A report earlier this year found that 19 university heads were earning more than £300,000.

"For publicly-funded organisations there is an additional responsibility to have some kind of conscience," says ULU's vice president, Mazdak Alizadeh.

"There is a clear parallel between high pay at the top and low pay at the bottom.

"Those at the bottom should have enough to get by and not to have to live and work in poverty," he said.

Describing the pay gap as "shocking", he said: "It can't be justified to pay so much at the top when people who work for you are struggling to feed their families."

The living wage campaigners say that low pay condemns workers to a grinding life of poverty, many having to do two or three jobs, with limited time to see their own families.

An election event organised by the Citizens UK community group - and promoters of the living wage - was addressed on Monday by leaders of the three biggest political parties.

They heard the testimony of 14-year-old Tiari Sanchez who described the difficulties of a family trying to survive on her mother's income as a cleaner.

She broke down in tears and was comforted by Labour leader Gordon Brown as she described the lack of money for the basics of food and travel.

Her mother, who worked as a cleaner at the Treasury, had to leave home at 3.30am because she could not afford to travel there by tube.

"If they were paying a living wage, my mum could afford the tube and I would see her for three hours more every day," she told the meeting.

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