ESS nn a a < * 
EE Oe Se CE, Ae ete Pn eT oy ME Ee 
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. 
Scientific Research in the United 
Kingdom. 
By SIR FRANK HEATH, K.C.B.* 
No. II. (continued from page 440). 
HE second branch of the work of the Department of Scientific and 
Industrial Research deals with the encouragement of research in the 
industries. The Advisory Council recognised that many of our indus- 
tries were making less use of science than was desirable, or indeed 
necessary, if they were to survive. But they realized that there were 
many causes for this. They refused to indorse the easy cry that. 
manufacturers were too ignorant or too indolent to make use of scientific men.. 
This may be one factor in some cases, but it is by no means the whole story. 
The Council attempted to analyze the position in their first annual report, and I 
need not repeat the analysis here. It will suffice to say that the relatively 
small size of the majority of British firms, the shortage of well-trained researchers. 
and even of routine workers in science, and the lack of mutual understanding 
between the Universities and the industries, were some of the difficulties in the 
road. The Council reached the conclusion that any safe advance must be made 
by the industries themselves, that the most hopeful means was co-operative 
actions by the firms in each industry, and the best the Government could do 
was to encourage co-operation, while leaving the immediate responsibility to 
those who presumably knew. most about the conditions of the industry, i.e., to the 
manufacturers themselves. Thus the scheme for co-operation research associa- 
tions came into being. These associations are limited liability companies working 
without profit, and with a nominal guarantee from their members in place of 
shares. The members of each association make-an annual subscription usually, 
proportionate to the size of their business, towards the income of the association; 
and when the memorandum and articles of the association have been approved 
by the Department, and a licence has been issued by the Board of Trade, the 
Board of Inland Revenue recognises the subscriptions of the. members as 
“business costs,” i.e., as free from income tax and excess profits duties. If, im 
the opinion of the Department, further help is needed, it will make an annual 
grant-in-aid to the association for a period of five years. ‘This grant is, in the 
first instance, usually £1 for £1, but the average over the whole five years will 
in most cases be less than this. The intention is to give the new associations 
an impetus over a period sufficiently long to enable them to prove the value of 
research. After that, it is anticipated that they will need no encouragement 
to continue the work. 
CO-OPERATION WITH INDUSTRIES. 
The Department acts as a clearing-house of information for the associations, 
and gives all the assistance and advice in its power, whether the association is. 
in receipt of a grant or not. The association has full control of its own income,’ 
whether from the Government or from its members, and all the results of research: 
are the sole property of the association held in trust for its members. The 
Department asks to be kept informed, acts as the go-between when an association. 
seeks to sell its results to another industry or association, and reserves the 
power to prohibit the communication of results to a foreign body or person. 
But this is the limit of Government interference. The Advisory Council laid 
stress upon the representation of science, as well as capital and management, on, 
the Board of Directors, and they think it desirable that there should be some 
representation, if possible, of skilled labour. They also lay great stress upon 
the appointment in each case of a responsible technical officer as director of 
research, in order to insure the unity of direction, which is as necessary in 
research as in the battlefield. Two other important points of detail should be 
mentioned. The scheme of ,the Advisory Council contemplates that thé asso: ' 
ciations should be limited in each case to those firms in an industry, or in groups 
of closely related industries, whose interests are sufliciently homogeneous te’ 
induce them to pool their resources for the purpose of research. It will not” 
* Secretary, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, London. 
483 
