Britain: An official handbook > 1959

PROMOTION OF THE SCIENCES AND THE ARTS
195
the universities and virtually the whole of their money for new building comes
from Government sources. There is no direct departmental control and the method
•of administering the grant—through the University Grants Committee—is designed
to ensure academic freedom. Additional funds for the prosecution of research are
also secured in some instances by the private endowment of research fellowships
generally awarded by the universities to selected persons, or by grants from outside
bodies tenable at the universities. Examples are the Leverhulme Fellowships, the
Imperial Chemical Industries Fellowships and the research grants of the Nuffield
Foundation.
The universities are also assisted by grants from industry and commerce and
from the Government Research Councils. An example of the close co-operation
that has been achieved between several branches of industry and the research
departments of universities is the Glass Delegation of the University of Sheffield.
This is responsible for the general direction of the work of the Department of Glass
Technology and is composed of members appointed by the Council of the Univer¬
sity and representatives of firms and companies who subscribe funds for the
furtherance of training and research. Another example of co-operation between a
Government Department, an independent organisation and a university is the
world’s largest steerable pencil-beam radio telescope at Jodrell Bank, Cheshire,
financed jointly by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, the
Nuffield Foundation, and Manchester University, which has been responsible for
its development. The telescope is used mainly for the study of stars detectable only
from their emission of electromagnetic waves, very distant nebulae and galaxies.
Technical Colleges
The Government’s plans for a large-scale and rapid expansion of education in
advanced technology (see Cmd. 9703, issued in February 1956, and pp. 160-3)
include the increase of advanced work at technical colleges as well as at the univer¬
sities. Certain technical colleges in England and Wales, which concentrate entirely
on advanced work, including postgraduate and research work, have been designated
as ‘colleges of advanced technology’. There are so far eight in number: the Birming¬
ham College of Technology; the Bradford Institute of Technology; the Welsh
College of Advanced Technology, Cardiff; Loughborough College of Technology;
the Royal Technical College, Salford; and, in London, the Battersea, Chelsea and
Northampton Colleges of Advanced Technology. In the south-west of England,
Bristol College of Technology has been selected as a potential college of advanced
technology, and Rutherford Technical College, Newcastle upon Tyne, has been
chosen from those on the north-east coast.
In Scotland, advanced instruction in a wide range of technologies is given at
Central Institutions (see p. 162).
Most postgraduate studentships and fellowships awarded by the Government
Research Councils may be held at colleges of advanced technology and technical
colleges as well as at universities.
RESEARCH IN INDUSTRY
Industrial research in Britain is conducted by individual industrial firms and
organisations independently of Government aid, by co-operative Research Associa¬
tions which are assisted in varying degrees by the Government, by sponsored
research institutes, and by universities and some of the major technical colleges.
The main nationalised industries have their own research establishments and also
give financial support to organisations concerned with research into matters of
interest to them.