Horses for resources

Bidders for the Natural Resources Institute have been whittled down to three: Cranfield University; a consortium of Edinburgh and Greenwich universities, Imperial College and Wye College, both part of London University; and Serco International in association with the University of Wales. Baroness Chalker, minister for overseas development, said that the Government's objective in selling the NRI was "a transfer of ownership which will continue to provide a centre of multidisciplinary expertise on the sustainable management of renewable natural resources for ODA and other customers".