Research and Development in Scotland

Abstract

SOME further notes on "Scientific Research in Scotland" are contributed by Mr. R. H. S. Robertson to Discovery of October, to some extent amplifying those in Bulletin No. 3 of the Scottish Reconstruction Committee (see Nature, August 12, p. 205). Some reference is made to the research stations already established in Scotland such as the Maoaulay Institute, the Rowett Institute and the Fisheries Research Station at Torry, but no fresh evidence is advanced in favour of the formation of a new Scottish research station or branch of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. What is required is rather more attention to local conditions and problems and more effective liaison with the research boards and stations of the Department, whether they are located in Scotland or elsewhere. Modification or adaptation of the Portal house may be as important to suit conditions in Devon or Cornwall as to suit those in Scotland. To duplicate the work of the Building Research Station when the first need is a large all-round expansion of research would be both wasteful and inefficient. The national research stations, wherever located, should be strengthened so as to be capable of dealing with the development of national resources, whether they are found in Cornwall or Durham, Glamorgan or Buchan. In regard to the location of industry, Mr. Robertson is on firmer ground, and his, paper emphasizes the need for action on the lines of the Barlow Report and as foreshadowed in the White Paper on "Employment Policy".