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University funding cited as UK loses out on Nobel prizes

Posted on: Friday, 24 October 2003, 06:00 CDT

A SHARP downturn in Britain's share of Nobel prizes has been caused by chronic under- funding of British universities, a millionaire philanthropist says.

This month Britain won three of the four Nobel prizes awarded in chemistry, physics, physiology or medicine and economics for the first time since 1973.

But two of the three winners have worked in the United States for 20 years or more. This success masks a long- term decline in British universities, Sir Peter Lampl claims. He is campaigning to get more working-class students into top universities.

Sir Peter called for better funding for UK universities but described Government proposals for institutions to raise more money through top- up fees of up to pounds 3,000 as "inadequate".

He conceded that they were a step in the right direction and said it would be a "tragedy" if the proposals did not get through Parliament because of opposition from Labour rebels.

An analysis of Nobel prize winners in chemistry, physics, physiology or medicine and economics over the past 100 years found a reversal of fortunes in Britain, Germany and the rest of Europe compared with the US.

The study was conducted by the Sutton Trust, the educational charity founded by Sir Peter. Before the Second World War Germany had the most Nobel prizes at 30 per cent, with Britain second at 20 per cent. Since then the US had won more than 50 per cent of prizes, rising to almost 75 per cent since 1990. Britain's share held at about 20 per cent until 1980 before falling to well below 10 per cent. Germany and other European countries have seen a similar decline.

Sir Peter blamed Britain's demise and America's domin-ance on differences in their university funding.

Britain spends 1 per cent of GDP on higher education, which is below the OECD average of 1.3 per cent and well below the US spend of 2.7 per cent, he says.

Twenty years ago the UK spent the equivalent of pounds 10,000 per student on university tuition, he argued. It now spent only pounds 5,100.

By contrast, in America the average funding for private university students had grown from pounds 6,000 to pounds 11,000 and at state universities was more than pounds 7,000 per student.

"Nobel prizes give a time- delayed measure of performance and given the rapid deterioration of funding at British universities over the last 20 years it is likely that the current situation in the UK is worse than that suggested by this analysis," he said.

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