On behalf of all the Research Councils, RCUK has released this statement this afternoon regarding the Spending Review announcement made today by the Chancellor of the Exchequer:

'We understand that the spending review has seen unprecedented cuts to public spending.  The allocation that the Science and Research budget has received will enable the UK research base to contribute positively to the future prosperity and wellbeing of the UK. It will nonetheless present challenges to the research community.  The Research Councils will continue to work closely with BIS to finalise their delivery plans.  At this time we cannot speculate on the allocation that will be made to individual Councils or the impact upon specific disciplines.

The support for scientific capital projects such as UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Institute for Animal Health and the Diamond Light Source is welcomed.  However, the overall cut in capital funding will present significant challenges to research and we will work with BIS to minimise the impact on affected disciplines.'

 For further information please go to: www.rcuk.ac.uk