Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Drayson on 12 November (WA 207–8), how the Medical Research Council (MRC) will "sustain the careers of the future research leaders", as described in its strategic plan for 2009–14, when it has declined funding for an investigator whose example had been highlighted by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health; and how the departure of a prominent scientist from academia would continue the "tradition of supporting the United Kingdom's most talented individuals at critical stages of their research careers".
Answer
The Medical Research Council (MRC) is committed to supporting the UK's most talented individuals at critical stages of their research careers and to seek novel ways of enabling career research scientists to flourish. The MRC considers excellence as the primary consideration in taking decisions on which proposals to fund and all research proposals submitted to the MRC are subject to stringent scientific peer review. The MRC works closely with stakeholders in industry and academia to exchange knowledge and forge successful partnerships and to maintain a cadre of highly skilled researchers within the UK which is essential for the innovative research in both the commercial and academic sector that increases our understanding of health, disease and treatment.