In October 2009, the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Sir John Beddington, asked the Committee to review the adequacy of research and innovation arrangements in the UK related to achieving our climate change goals.  The Committee published their report (Building a low-carbon economy – the UK’s innovation challenge) on the 19th July 2010.

The Committee’s main findings are:

1. A reduction in current levels of public funding (£550m per year) would increase risks of missing carbon budgets and would forego opportunities to build a green economy in the UK. Increased funding will be required for key technologies (e.g. electric vehicles).
2. There are opportunities for the UK to lead the development of low-carbon power generation and transport technologies, particularly in:   

• Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) for power
• Offshore wind
• Marine (wave and tidal power)
• Aviation technologies
• Smart grids and smart meters, and
• Electric vehicle technologies
• A longer term focus is required for energy and related technology policy objectives given the requirement to achieve an 80% reduction in emissions by 2050.  Government  needs to set out its long-term strategy on low-carbon innovation out to 2050, in order to ensure that investment is focused on the research and development of those technologies that will enable the UK to meet this target and ensure wider economic benefits. 

The Committee did not take a view on the number of institutions required to deliver the Government’s technology objectives. The crucial point for the Committee is whatever the institutional arrangements; delivery bodies should have clear objectives which are consistent with the Government’s long-term strategy on low-carbon innovation. This is currently not the case.

In coming to these conclusions the Committee considered  technology paths to 2050,  priority areas for UK Research Demonstration Development & Deployment (RDD&D) support, current support levels and mechanisms, and existing institutional arrangements.

The  analysis draws on a range of technology studies (e.g. our own Markal modelling, together wtith analysis by the International Energy Agency, UK Energy Research Council and the ERP), patent analysis by the London School of Economics (LSE) commissioned by the CCC for this review, and interviews with a wide range of stakeholders. The full supporting analysis for the review will be available from the reports page.