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Support of mycological research in institutions of higher education in the United Kingdom, 1977–85
69
SUPPORT OF MYCOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN INSTIrUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, 1977-85 D H Jennings Department of Botany, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX In April 1985, I sent out a circular letter to all members of the British Mycological Society with full-time appointments in institutions of higher education in the UK. In that letter I asked for the following information from individuals. 1. Details (title, amount and awarding body) of research grants awarded to you since 1977. 2. Details (title of research topic and research council) of postgraduate studentships from UK research councils (including MAFF a warded either by the individual's department or directly from a research council since 1977. 3. Details of topics of research students who have worked with the individual concerned since 1977 (other than those covered by 2) and the nationality of the students and the body giving them financial support. An indication as to whether or not 'bench fees' or funds equivalent to the Research Studentship Support Grant were given would be helpful. By August about half of those to whom the letter had been sent had replied. A reminder was sent out and a further set of replies was received. The data were collated in October when the final answers were received. There was an 85% return; the breakdown in terms of type of institution of those to whom the letter was sent and those who replied is as follows: Number Institution University Polytechnic College of Higher Education
Letters sent out
Replies received
99 16
84 14 1
1
One should note that two replies received from University correspondents contained none of the required information. About eight people who did not provide information are likely to have been in receipt of relatively substantial grants and supervising several postgraduate students. This should be kept in mind when inspecting the data below. It should also be borne in mind that some replies lacked certain information, in particular the monetary value of research grants. The reader should also remember that there will have been research of mycological significance supported by outside funds undertaken by persons not members of the British Mycological Society. However, my impression is that such research is confined to a very restricted range of genera, e.g. Aspergillus, Candida, Saccharomyces. The collated information has been brought together in the accompanying table. In that table there is information for each year with respect to funding of postgraduates and the size of grants from awarding bodies. Some correspondents did not provide sufficient information to allow its allocation to specific years. In this case the details have been subsumed in numbers for the whole period 1977-85. With respect to the bodies providing research grants, research councils and industrial concerns are self-evident. 'Other' included Ciba Geigy Trust, European Community, Forestry Commission, MAFF, MRC, NRDC, ODA, Royal Society, Tropical Products, Wellcome Foundation and individual unversities/polytechnics. With respect to the category 'Other' for postgraduate studentships, there is
70 within the number a significant number of students who were self-financed. I have not provided any information about bench fees because it was far too fragmentary. However, in those instances (61 in number) where there was a specific mention as to whether or not bench fees were paid, 59% of the studentships were supported by bench fees. The following information has been abstracted from the table: Postgraduates Research Grants
total
per person +
per year
389 £4,473,077
4 £46,114
43 £497,009*
+ 97 persons
*£5,124 per person per year
Finally before commenting on the table itself, it should be noted that as one goes backwards from 1985, the information will be affected increasingly by the absence of information from those who are no longer working in institutions of higher education. Secondly, I need to remind readers that the information for 1985 is understandably very incomplete, but less so for postgraduate numbers. Most readers will want to draw their own conclusions from the information presented here but it is interesting to note the following: 1. There is significant support for postgraduates from SERC, nearly half being supported through the CASE scheme. 2. A quarter of the postgraduates involved in mycological research are from overseas, the proportion appearing about constant over the nine years. 3. AFRC provides by far the most financial support and considerably more grants than any other research council. Given that other sources, particularly industry, also support plant pathology, it would seem that this area of research has been in recent years receiving major input from mycologists. 4. NERC support for mycology is much lower than from other research councils. 5. Support from industry seems to have been uneven but may be on the increase.
SUBSCRIPTION REMINDER Subscriptions for 1986 were due on 1 January, Members - £1 5, Associates - £5. H you have not yet paid, please do so as soon as possible to Dr L A Casselton, School of Biological Sciences, Queen Mary College, Mile End Road, London E14NS.
Funding of mycological research in institutions of higher education in the UK, 1977-85 Postgraduates (numbers)
Grants (£)
Year
SERC A*
B
C
1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985
6 5 9 8 7 9 2 5 6
6 7 3 9 7 13 5 6 7
2 2 2 1
-
Total
57
63
20
1977-85 29
8
8
86
71
28
% Total 22
18
Total
D
E
F
G
H
2 3
-
-
1
-
3 3 8 7 6 3
3 2 2 1 5 2 1 2
-
10 7 8 9 4 9 8 11 2
2
1
2
5 4 1
2
35
18
68
12
23
870,300(28)
3
4
30
1
8
47,375( 3)
2
38
22
98
13
31
7 0.5
10
6
25
3
8
-
-
3 5 5
1 2 5
-
1
2 10
77,367( 83,844( 122,881( 93,682( 131,071( 71,429( 93,448( 151,449( 45,129(
4) 3) 4) 4) 4) 2) 3) 3)
Industry
AFRC
NERC
Total
3) 3) 5) 7) 6) 6) 3) 7) 4)
126,780( 3) 87,500( 2) 5,017( 1)
109,000( 64,081( 9,922( 20,450( 59,263( 61,867( 274,235( 64,698( 119,203(
442,077(15) 1,606,169(44)
302,l02( 8)
782,719(39) 4,003,367(134)
65,734( 1)
50,000( 1)
157,000( 5)
149,601(11)
917,675(31)
507,811(16)
656,169(45)
459,102(13)
932,320(50) 4,473,077(155)
21(20)
11(10)
37(29)
10( 8)
1)
42,202( 18,865( 90,445( 40,449( 71,593( 126,962(
2) 1)
2) 2) 2) 4)
51,561( 2)
32,486( 44,549( 128,018( 210,481( 172,475( 259,297( 189,00l( 327,677( 242,185(
Other
27,805( 1)
55,000( 1)
2) 1) 3) 5) 4) 6) 9) 4) 5)
218,853( 262,481( 279,686( 415,058( 458,258( 464,186( 810,426( 631,324( 463,095(
9) 10) 13) 18) 17) 16) 22) 16) 13)
469,71O( 21)
21(32)
Numbers in brackets refer to number of grants except in the final line where the numbers represent % values A* B C D E
SERC SERC/CASE NERC AFRC MAFF/DAFS
F
G H
I
UniversityfPolytechnic Overseas Industry Other, e.g. self-financed
-..J
SUPPORT OF MYCOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN INSTIrUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, 1977-85 D H Jennings Department of Botany, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX In April 1985, I sent out a circular letter to all members of the British Mycological Society with full-time appointments in institutions of higher education in the UK. In that letter I asked for the following information from individuals. 1. Details (title, amount and awarding body) of research grants awarded to you since 1977. 2. Details (title of research topic and research council) of postgraduate studentships from UK research councils (including MAFF a warded either by the individual's department or directly from a research council since 1977. 3. Details of topics of research students who have worked with the individual concerned since 1977 (other than those covered by 2) and the nationality of the students and the body giving them financial support. An indication as to whether or not 'bench fees' or funds equivalent to the Research Studentship Support Grant were given would be helpful. By August about half of those to whom the letter had been sent had replied. A reminder was sent out and a further set of replies was received. The data were collated in October when the final answers were received. There was an 85% return; the breakdown in terms of type of institution of those to whom the letter was sent and those who replied is as follows: Number Institution University Polytechnic College of Higher Education
Letters sent out
Replies received
99 16
84 14 1
1
One should note that two replies received from University correspondents contained none of the required information. About eight people who did not provide information are likely to have been in receipt of relatively substantial grants and supervising several postgraduate students. This should be kept in mind when inspecting the data below. It should also be borne in mind that some replies lacked certain information, in particular the monetary value of research grants. The reader should also remember that there will have been research of mycological significance supported by outside funds undertaken by persons not members of the British Mycological Society. However, my impression is that such research is confined to a very restricted range of genera, e.g. Aspergillus, Candida, Saccharomyces. The collated information has been brought together in the accompanying table. In that table there is information for each year with respect to funding of postgraduates and the size of grants from awarding bodies. Some correspondents did not provide sufficient information to allow its allocation to specific years. In this case the details have been subsumed in numbers for the whole period 1977-85. With respect to the bodies providing research grants, research councils and industrial concerns are self-evident. 'Other' included Ciba Geigy Trust, European Community, Forestry Commission, MAFF, MRC, NRDC, ODA, Royal Society, Tropical Products, Wellcome Foundation and individual unversities/polytechnics. With respect to the category 'Other' for postgraduate studentships, there is
70 within the number a significant number of students who were self-financed. I have not provided any information about bench fees because it was far too fragmentary. However, in those instances (61 in number) where there was a specific mention as to whether or not bench fees were paid, 59% of the studentships were supported by bench fees. The following information has been abstracted from the table: Postgraduates Research Grants
total
per person +
per year
389 £4,473,077
4 £46,114
43 £497,009*
+ 97 persons
*£5,124 per person per year
Finally before commenting on the table itself, it should be noted that as one goes backwards from 1985, the information will be affected increasingly by the absence of information from those who are no longer working in institutions of higher education. Secondly, I need to remind readers that the information for 1985 is understandably very incomplete, but less so for postgraduate numbers. Most readers will want to draw their own conclusions from the information presented here but it is interesting to note the following: 1. There is significant support for postgraduates from SERC, nearly half being supported through the CASE scheme. 2. A quarter of the postgraduates involved in mycological research are from overseas, the proportion appearing about constant over the nine years. 3. AFRC provides by far the most financial support and considerably more grants than any other research council. Given that other sources, particularly industry, also support plant pathology, it would seem that this area of research has been in recent years receiving major input from mycologists. 4. NERC support for mycology is much lower than from other research councils. 5. Support from industry seems to have been uneven but may be on the increase.
SUBSCRIPTION REMINDER Subscriptions for 1986 were due on 1 January, Members - £1 5, Associates - £5. H you have not yet paid, please do so as soon as possible to Dr L A Casselton, School of Biological Sciences, Queen Mary College, Mile End Road, London E14NS.
Funding of mycological research in institutions of higher education in the UK, 1977-85 Postgraduates (numbers)
Grants (£)
Year
SERC A*
B
C
1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985
6 5 9 8 7 9 2 5 6
6 7 3 9 7 13 5 6 7
2 2 2 1
-
Total
57
63
20
1977-85 29
8
8
86
71
28
% Total 22
18
Total
D
E
F
G
H
2 3
-
-
1
-
3 3 8 7 6 3
3 2 2 1 5 2 1 2
-
10 7 8 9 4 9 8 11 2
2
1
2
5 4 1
2
35
18
68
12
23
870,300(28)
3
4
30
1
8
47,375( 3)
2
38
22
98
13
31
7 0.5
10
6
25
3
8
-
-
3 5 5
1 2 5
-
1
2 10
77,367( 83,844( 122,881( 93,682( 131,071( 71,429( 93,448( 151,449( 45,129(
4) 3) 4) 4) 4) 2) 3) 3)
Industry
AFRC
NERC
Total
3) 3) 5) 7) 6) 6) 3) 7) 4)
126,780( 3) 87,500( 2) 5,017( 1)
109,000( 64,081( 9,922( 20,450( 59,263( 61,867( 274,235( 64,698( 119,203(
442,077(15) 1,606,169(44)
302,l02( 8)
782,719(39) 4,003,367(134)
65,734( 1)
50,000( 1)
157,000( 5)
149,601(11)
917,675(31)
507,811(16)
656,169(45)
459,102(13)
932,320(50) 4,473,077(155)
21(20)
11(10)
37(29)
10( 8)
1)
42,202( 18,865( 90,445( 40,449( 71,593( 126,962(
2) 1)
2) 2) 2) 4)
51,561( 2)
32,486( 44,549( 128,018( 210,481( 172,475( 259,297( 189,00l( 327,677( 242,185(
Other
27,805( 1)
55,000( 1)
2) 1) 3) 5) 4) 6) 9) 4) 5)
218,853( 262,481( 279,686( 415,058( 458,258( 464,186( 810,426( 631,324( 463,095(
9) 10) 13) 18) 17) 16) 22) 16) 13)
469,71O( 21)
21(32)
Numbers in brackets refer to number of grants except in the final line where the numbers represent % values A* B C D E
SERC SERC/CASE NERC AFRC MAFF/DAFS
F
G H
I
UniversityfPolytechnic Overseas Industry Other, e.g. self-financed
-..J