London

Annual stipends for British research students should increase by more than a third — even if it means fewer studentships — according to a report published last week.

The report was produced for the UK Life Sciences Committee, an umbrella organization representing a range of biological and biomedical societies. It calls for better quality and support of research studentships, rather than maximizing the number of students at the lowest price.

“Filling the places is not the same as getting the best students into science,” says Brian Follett, vice-chancellor of the University of Warwick and chair of the group that wrote the report. The report says that all PhD students funded by the UK research councils should receive a tax-free stipend of at least £9,000 ($14,900). The average is currently about £6,620.

Follett says he hopes the government will provide fresh leadership and thinking on PhD funding and recruitment — an area that has been unchanged for at least 40 years. The timing of the report is appropriate, he says, given that the government is in the middle of a public-spending review.

Policy changes mean that new graduates carry debts of around £10,000. The PhD system must change to reflect this, says Follett, because the average research student would not clear such debts until 15 years after graduation. This would deter people from poorer backgrounds from entering research.

Follett acknowledges that not all academics will be pleased to see a reduction in the numbers of PhD students. But, he says, “we need a culture change, away from a policy of maximizing numbers towards a much greater emphasis on the student, their training and their future.”

He says that he is optimistic that government officials will take the report on board. It is now with the director-general of the research councils and the chief executives.