Making the most of scientists and engineers in government

The UK government employs a lot of scientists and engineers, often in positions not directly related to their professional training. In order to take advantage of possibly-underused skills and push evidence-based policy, the Government Science and Engineering (GSE) community was set up in 2008. It is open to any civil servant with a science or engineering background.

In 2012, the Government Office for Science (GO-Science) reviewed the future of the Civil Service and the implications for science and engineering professionals. The report, The future of the Civil Service: Making the most of scientists and engineers in government, is now available to download from the BIS website.

The high-level conclusions from the report are:

• The civil service is a great place for scientists and engineers to work.
• Scientists and engineers in the civil service exemplify many of the principles of the civil service reform agenda.
• Scientists and engineers need to become both more visible and better integrated in the day-to-day business of government.

There are also recommendations for how scientists and engineers can be “at the heart of excellence in government decisions and delivery”, the survey results (to which many people in the Science and Innovation Network across the world contributed) and some excellent quotes from people all over government. You may also want to check out our infographic on UK scientists and engineers, from the 2011 SETStats report.