The Department of Trade and Industry announced Tuesday that the U.K. government has decided to create a new Large Facilities Council merging the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils and the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council following the Next Steps consultation exercise.
The government aims to set up the new council so it can take on its new functions by April 1, 2007.
The announcement was jointly welcomed by John Wood, chief executive of CCLRC and Keith Mason, chief executive of PPARC, who made the following joint statement:
Science is undoubtedly international both on a European and global scale, and the new council will enable the United Kingdom to be a major player in the forthcoming era of scientific facilities and discoveries that lie ahead.
Through the new council and our membership of major European organizations, the United Kingdom will be in a much stronger position to help shape and exert greater leadership and leverage in the development of strategies for large research facilities, enabling the U.K. research community to have access to the best facilities in the world.
The U.K.'s technology capability will be enhanced through the development of the Harwell and Daresbury Science and Innovation Centers leading to greater industrial engagement, knowledge transfer and economic impact.
During the months ahead we will conduct wide consultation with our broad community and stakeholders in designing the new council, which presents an enormously exciting opportunity for the UK science and engineering base.
