Labour bets on a science lottery

AN incoming Labour government would look to the National Lottery as a means of funding innovative science and technology projects after the turn of the century.

The party was expected to announce this week further details of how their proposed National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA), would benefit science.

Under NESTA, lottery money would be invested, using the interest directly to help young scientists, inventors and designers who may not otherwise obtain funding. Artists have already been encouraged to hand over their royalties to such a scheme.