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In their Notice of 6 May, the Council responded to the remarks made by Dr Evans at the Discussion of the Report on 12 February 2002 (p. 547) and announced that they would consider Professor Leigh's remarks, and those of the General Board in response, further.
The Council note that the funding arrangements for the University Farm, as an institution under the supervision of the Council, differ from those for academic institutions, in that the Farm pays directly for most of its overhead costs and retains the overheads paid by research sponsors. As they stated in their Report, the Council have agreed to provide the balance of funding for the project, which would then be repaid, over a period of time, from overheads on future University Farm research contracts.
The General Board for their part noted that the remarks which primarily concerned them related to the funding arrangements for the University Farm, compared to those for Faculties and Departments, and the longer-term academic considerations of the role and funding of agronomic research. As Professor Leigh pointed out, academic institutions under the Board's supervision retain only a small proportion of their overhead income and cannot therefore consider using them for funding projects on the scale of the proposed new Centre. However, such institutions are able to apply, through the Resource Management Committee, for a loan for a capital project repayable from income or external funds. The Board note that the duties of the Director of the Farm (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 637) currently include the promotion and direction of research in agriculture and the construction of the new facility should be seen in that context.
The Board, however, have proposed to the Council that arrangements should be put in place to represent the interests of the School of the Biological Sciences on the Farm Management Committee, and that the future arrangements for the conduct of research and development work at the University Farm should be the subject of a review in advance of the retirement of the current Director. The Council have accepted these proposals and will review the constitution of the Farm Management Committee and the future arrangements for the conduct of research and development work at the Farm.
In the light of these comments the Council have agreed that it is appropriate to submit a Grace to the Regent House for the approval of the recommendations in this Report (Grace 2, p. 844).
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Cambridge University Reporter, 22 May 2002
Copyright © 2002 The Chancellor, Masters and Scholars of the University of Cambridge.