Liberal Democrats recognise that to recruit, retain and satisfy the career demands of a new generation of engineers, the UK must continue to invest in research and development. Without opportunities to build the new power stations, the next generation low-carbon transport networks, and to develop new bioengineering technologies, the genius of UK engineering will wane.
The Government target of 2.5 per cent of GDP spent on research and development is woefully unambitious. We believe we must - at least - match the ambitions of the US and the EU. Now that’s an engineering challenge for the future!
Dr Evan Harris, Lib Dem science spokesman, in a response to the Royal Academy of Engineering’s magazine Ingenia.
His full response, as well as those from the Labour and Conservative parties, are reproduced on New Scientist’s blog The S Word.
