Speaking at yesterday’s Royal Society of Chemistry STEMM event in the Senedd, North Wales MS Mark Isherwood stressed that “as we look towards the future, investment in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine is more important than ever”.
However, he expressed concern that Research and Development expenditure is down substantially in Wales compared to England, and also less than Scotland, and that there is a lack of STEMM graduates in Wales.
He said:
“Britain has a long history of leadership and innovation, from the steam engine to the World Wide Web, that has brought growth and prosperity. Wales has played a key role in this. From the world’s first steam locomotive to the modern day hovercraft, Wales has been at the forefront of technological advancement. Wales has also been home to some of the world’s most famous inventors and scientists, including Sir Richard Owens, the father of the modern day petrochemical industry, and Sir David Brewster, the inventor of the kaleidoscope.
“As we look towards the future, investment in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine is more important than ever. In this context however, official figures for 2020 showed that England accounted for 88.1% of UK Research and Development Expenditure, followed by Scotland with 7.7%, but Wales had only 2.4%.
“The UK outperforms its closest competitors, with 4 of the world’s top 10 universities and a technology sector worth over one trillion dollars. If you put together just 8 of the UKs university towns, they are home to more billion-dollar unicorn start-ups than the whole of France and Germany combined.”
He added:
“The Welsh Government has recently launched its Innovation Strategy for Wales, which acknowledges how Wales has been “integrated into the UK RD&I ecosystem” since the start of devolution. The Welsh Government states that the Strategy aims to secure a greater wellbeing for the future generations of Wales; an integrated new strategy to guide government, business, third sector, academia and people to deliver ambitious, but achievable goals.
“However, the most recent Senedd Cross-Party Group on STEMM highlighted the lack of STEMM graduates and the knock on this is having on business, investment, and the Welsh economy. This was coupled with issues raised around education – such as lack of subject specific science teachers, resource issues, and the impact this has on young people taking STEMM subjects, and subsequently moving into the STEMM sector as a career. It was felt this issue was not simply one of education or the economy, but of both, and the Cross-Party Group were keen to explore the role of STEMM in education and the role of STEMM as a key driver of economic development in Wales.”