Sir Ron looks to blue chips

A DOZEN top companies have been asked by Sir Ron Dearing to take part in a novel loan scheme to fund expensive university laboratory kit and maintenance.

Sir Ron, whose inquiry into higher education is expected to report next month, is planning to meet heads and senior officials from the companies over the next few weeks to discuss the idea. Unilever, ICI, Glaxo Wellcome, Zeneca and Smithkline Beecham are among those invited.

Sources close to the Dearing committee say the scheme would offer loans at "highly preferential rates" and that a pool of hundreds of millions of pounds is needed for the scheme to work. Successful loan bidders are likely to be those close to universities with high research ratings.

Institutions given loans would have to give other universities access to the equipment to ensure maximum use. The scheme could also involve Government, charities and funding councils.

Initial industry reaction to the scheme has been lukewarm. One company source said: "It sounds like another tax on industry to me but we wait to hear more details."

The Chemical Industries Association, several of whose members have been invited to meet Sir Ron, said funding for laboratories is the Government's domain. CIA's Paul Leonard said: "The 1993 science White Paper rightly aimed to increase collaboration between industry and academe. Are we now to see a proposal whereby those companies which collaborated most strongly and effectively pay extra for the privilege?" A study out this week estimates that universities in England are suffering from a Pounds 440 million annual shortfall in the funding of research staff and maintenance of the "research environment", including libraries and laboratories, but not equipment. The study, by consultant Segal Quince Wicksteed, was commissioned by the Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals and the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

The "funding gap" is based on analysis of the volume of research funds from the council on the one hand, and sponsors including research councils, charities, industry and the European Union on the other. It concludes that if there is to be no increase in funding, the volume of research needs to be cut by more than 30 per cent to reduce the funding gap to zero.

* The Association of Medical Research Charities has not endorsed a study by key research funding bodies which suggests charities should contribute more to the funding of university laboratory equipment.

AMRC's decision follows that of Wellcome Trust which declined to endorse the study two weeks ago. The trust fears the report undermines its policy that universities should bear the cost for overheads of work it funds.

The report calls for urgent action to deal with the poor state of university laboratories and is backed by key research funders including the HEFCE and the British pharmaceutical industry. It has been submitted to the Dearing inquiry.

Opinion, page 13