Labour may have missed the boat on science sector reform

Labour’s former science spokesperson, Megan Woods. (Image: Getty)

Thu, 07 Sep 2023

In the run-up to the 2017 election, Labour’s science spokesperson, Megan Woods, promised a much-needed overhaul of the research sector to deliver taxpayers more bang for their buck. Woods had worked for the crown research institute (CRI) Crop & Food Research back in the 2000s, and understood how an underfunded and overly competitive sector held back researchers and businesses trying to innovate. When Labour came to power that November, I expected Woods, now ensconced as research, science and innovation minister, t...

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