Industry and academic leaders urge UK government to recognise chemistry’s strategic importance

Leaders from university chemistry departments and key industry sectors are calling on the UK government to acknowledge and protect the strategic importance of chemical science in the face of financial pressures within higher education. This urgent appeal highlights the critical role of chemistry research and education in driving innovation and economic growth. 

Dr Annette Doherty, Royal Society of Chemistry president said: ‘The financial crisis in UK Higher Education increasingly threatens chemistry degrees, the main pathway for educating the future chemical sciences workforce. While the potential for job creation in the sector over the next decade is 30% greater than that of the wider UK economy, realising this potential will require a diverse talent pipeline of chemistry graduates and apprentices – that needs our governments to act now and act decisively to avoid missing the opportunity.’

Those figures come from the Royal Society of Chemistry’s recent Future Workforce and Educational Pathways report. Building on years of data capture and research, the report demonstrates a clear need to increase that pipeline to deliver wider economic growth, meet national sustainability ambitions and support businesses, from spinouts to multinationals. 

There are already skills shortages in areas such as exposure science, toxicology, regulation and compliance, applied chemicals safety assessment and socio-economic assessment. Dr Alex Reip, Chief Technology Officer at Oxford NanoSystems recognises that economic impact and emphasises the importance of chemistry research in fostering innovation. He said: ‘Chemistry is at the heart of the innovations driving the UK’s most important growth sectors, including hydrogen, clean energy, advanced manufacturing and healthcare. Sustained investment in chemistry education and research is essential if we are to retain the talent and expertise needed to deliver future economic success. The Government must act now to protect this vital pipeline before we lose our competitive advantage.’  

Steve Foots (Chief Executive Officer of Croda International) added: ‘Chemistry graduates bring a vital mix of practical skills, problem-solving ability and deep analytical knowledge to a business – these are all key to developing the sustainable solutions our society needs.  As a chemistry graduate myself, It is essential that government recognises the vital contribution of chemistry – not just to our economy, but to the health, energy and environmental challenges we face. The chemicals sector remains a very attractive, rewarding and appealing area to work in.’

Dr David Price Senior Vice President and Head of Oxford Research Site, Vertex Pharmaceuticals echoes that concern: ‘If the UK is to maintain its position at the forefront of Life Science innovation, it is critical that we have a pipeline of world-class chemistry graduates with the high-quality training and transferable skills that are so important for our sector. Vertex is playing its part through the provision of hands-on chemistry and STEM education, training and internships, and we hope that the Higher Education chemistry sector here in the UK will remain in robust health for years to come.’ 

Professor David M Smith, executive Dean and Pro Vice Chancellor in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Swansea University said: ‘While universities are taking steps to put themselves on a more sustainable footing, decision-making in individual institutions may not always consider the broader impact on skills provision and research capacity across the UK. Many students cannot move to study, so chemistry degrees and training need to be available in all nations and regions.  

‘To achieve this, we call on the government to review the financial sustainability of higher education and ensure quality chemistry teaching and research remain available in all regions to meet economic, employer, and student needs.’ 

Tom Moody, Vice President of API Development and Commercialisation, Almac – ‘Almac is a major employer of the life sciences including many chemists deployed to manufacture new and commercial active pharmeceutical ingredients. We have and will continue to recruit chemistry graduates for many years. We have always been impressed with their underpinning chemistry knowledge, but also their transferable skills, which allow them not only to understand other disciplines in the short term but enhance their career paths long term within Almac – including movement into physical characterisations, analytical, engineering, flow, bio and chemocatalysis, project management, patent law and sales.  

‘This flexibility is an evolution to the structure of chemistry degrees over the years and shows how the academic sector has adapted to the needs of employers. This adaptability is essential for us as a business and allows us to innovate and create new processes and methodology which benefits not only Almac but ultimately society as a whole.’