This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Investment for science centres
22/06/2004
Deputy First Minister Jim Wallace today announced an
Executive investment of £5.1 million and further £1.9
million from Scottish Enterprise to help secure the future
of four of Scotland's science centres.
During a visit to the Sensation Science Centre in
Dundee, he said that the network of four centres at Dundee,
Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh are vital to Executive aims
of economic growth and innovation.
They were visited by more than half a million paying
visitors in 2003 and a further 109,000 school
children.
The £7 million investment is a major part of two year
package that is expected to include further contributions
from the Millennium Commission and local authorities.
The Executive is considering funding for the longer term
for the four centres in the current spending review. A
fifth centre, The Big Idea in Irvine, currently in
receivership, will not be part of the package.
Scottish Enterprise's £1.9 million contribution will
support the Glasgow Science Centre in the current year -
they are considering further investment to include the
other centres for next year.
Today's announcement follows a detailed study
commissioned by Scottish Ministers into the needs of the
centres and how they can best support the Executive's
science objectives.
Mr Wallace said: "Science and innovation are two of
Scotland's key strengths, vital ingredients for economic
growth and to achieve the aims of Smart Successful
Scotland.
"We are at the forefront of areas like bio-technology
and digital media and our universities continue to punch
above their weight in getting innovation out of the labs
and into the marketplace. We will continue to support and
encourage science so that it can make the best possible
contribution to economic growth.
"Science centres make science more accessible and
enjoyable for many groups of people, particularly young
people for whom a visit to a science centre could even
inspire them to take up science as a future career.
"We recognise that the centres - like those elsewhere
in the world - cannot fund themselves through visitor and
private sector revenue alone. The substantial interim
funding recognises the undoubted public benefits provided
by the centres.
Mr Wallace added :
"However, this is not a something for nothing
investment. In the long term interests of Scotland's
science centres, changes need to bemade. The funding is
therefore conditional on the centres making business
improvements, including reducing costs, more collaborative
working, sharing exhibitions and providing better links
with school education," he said.
The package was put together following the consultancy
study which showed that the four centres would not be able
to continue without public funding .
The fifth centre, the Big Idea at Irvine, was closed in
August last year and has been held in receivership by the
Millennium Commission.
The study concluded that the site at Irvine should not
be re-opened because the likely number of visitors did not
justify the level of support required. Ministers have
accepted this conclusion with regret. Scottish Enterprise
Ayrshire and North Ayrshire Council are considering future
uses of the site with the owners of the surrounding land,
with the aim of ensuring that it is put to best use for the
local economy.
During his visit to the Sensation Science Centre in
Dundee, Mr Wallace also announced the national roll-out of
the Scottish Science and Technology Network which provides
schools with e-mentoring on-line support for science and
technology from a dedicated web site.
The total funding being made available by the
Executive is a maximum of £5.1m, across the 4 centres in
Aberdeen (Satrosphere), Edinburgh (Our Dynamic Earth),
Dundee (Sensation) and Glasgow, and is based on the
consultancy study's assessment of the expected needs of
each centre. The funding will be distributed periodically
over the next 2 years, as centres prove their needs and
meet targets in relation to agreed business plans. The
centres will receive funding both to support revenue and to
help renew exhibits. Scottish Enterprise will provide
funding of up to £1.9m for the Glasgow Science Centre in
2004-05.
The Executive's £5.1 million will come from existing
budgets - £4.1 million from Enterprise, Transport and
Lifelong Learning Department and £1 million from the
Education Department. Funding requirements for the science
centres beyond the interim package will be considered
alongside the Executive's other priorities in the current
spending review.
The Executive's funding package for science centres will
only be available to the existing four main science
centres. Other centres and visitor attractions which have
science-related exhibitory, or new centres which may be
established, fall outside the scope of this package and the
funding which is being considered in the current spending
review.
The four science centres jointly attracted 584,000
ordinary paying visitors in 2003. A further 109,000
children visited these centres as part of school visits,
about 9% of all those at school.
The Scottish Science and Technology Network is supported
by BP and enables mentors to offer their professional
knowledge and expertise directly to network member
schools. The network currently involves 4 Education
Authorities - Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Falkirk and Dundee -
and hopes to extend its activities across Scotland.