Centre for Life will not get extra funding; Row erupts as Government rules out help.

Byline: William Green 

SCIENCE chiefs at Newcastle's Inernational Centre for Life last night condemned the Government for failing to give them extra funding.

Labour yesterday ruled out providing money for free education services at the cutting-edge science centre amid claims of funding "inconsistencies" for different organisations.

MPs have praised the Centre for Life and its counterparts nationwide for educating young people and inspiring them to take careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers.

And ministers were urged to look into providing funding to support that work by commissioning research into their effectiveness by the Commons science and technology committee in 2007. That study has now been completed and the new Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) headed by Lord Mandelson has used the report to reject funding for science centres.

Science Minister Lord Drayson said insufficient evidence meant it was "not possible" to say whether science centres offered good value compared to other funded projects - like the British Science Association - to encourage young people into STEM careers.

"This is explained by an analysis showing there is currently insufficient conclusive evidence around the long-term outcomes delivered by either science centres or comparator programmes," he said in a letter to committee chairman Phil Willis last month.

Lord Drayson added: "In the evidence of clear quantitative evidence for science centres' value in supporting BIS objective, and in influencing young people' understanding and choices around STEM careers in particular, a new stream of central funding for the science centre network cannot be justified.

"That said, the study does highlight the important work that science centres do, both in their local communities and beyond, with people of all ages to foster their interest in science and technology." Lord Drayson promised to work with centres to look at measuring their impact, with extra funding for that specific purpose this year.

Mr Willis said: "It is disappointing given the fact we are trying to ensure more and more young people become interested in science. And the science and discovery centres like the one in Newcastle are absolutely essential to getting youngsters out of their classroom and into very practical situations."

Centre for Life chief executive Linda Conlon said its business model was robust - with income from rents, car parking and its conference centre providing operational funding for the "hands-on" science centre.

But she added additional funding could help in terms of education, saying: "We make a small charge for education services. But it would be wonderful to have some funding to make sure every child in the region has a science experience. The Government has recently been making a lot of noise about the importance of science to the future economy. Shouldn't science centres have a role to play?" She also said: "If there is not sufficient evidence from people they are already funding why are they funding them? There is an apparent inconsistency in Lord Drayson's letter."

CAPTION(S):

VISION Centre for Life chief executive Linda Conlon wants every child to have science experience.