Science audit
CSL a national centre of excellence
In September 2006 CSL underwent a full-scale independent audit, as required under the Government's Science Audit programme, to ensure it is delivering science of the highest quality. A 19 strong panel of independent science experts drawn from around the world spent two weeks at CSL looking in detail at what it is scientists do and how they do it.
The audit team produced a full report for Defra's Chief Scientific Adviser which described CSL as "a national centre of excellence whose work and facilities are valued highly both in Europe and the wider international community".
Such comments stand as testimony to the effort and time spent by all teams across CSL during the previous five years, in focusing research and services on customer needs, and improving the efficiency of delivery.
The good news for CSL's customers is that they can rest assured that the services they receive are world class and second to none. Use the links that follow for more detail on the findings of the science audit.
- Executive Summary
- Improvements and recommendations
- Science audit objectives
- The audit team
- The audit process
Science audit executive summary extract
"The overall assessment of the Science Audit Team is the Central Science Laboratory is clearly a national centre of excellence whose work and facilities are valued highly both in Europe and the wider international community. It is delivering high-quality science and working effectively with a diverse range of customers. We identified many areas of scientific excellence within the organisation. In addition to its R&D functions, CSL has a very impressive capacity to deal with emergent issues at short notice, and provides an invaluable scientific service of high quality to the UK in these activities. Overall, CSL has developed considerably since the last science audit which took place in 2001. We congratulate all within the Agency who worked hard to achieve this."
Improvement and recommendations
The audit team highlighted several improvements that had made a positive strategic contribution to CSL's development over the last five years:
- The development of a detailed Science Strategy
- The reorganisation of the science into four customer-focused Science Groups, with a reduced number of teams; the teams having a discipline-based structure, focused on core competencies
- The establishment of Science Networks to help improve cross-team collaboration
- The increased publication of peer reviewed papers that has resulted from encouraging the science staff to increase the outputs from CSL's science projects
- A focused commercial policy and the establishment of Business Development Managers in each Science Group.
In common with all audit processes, the assessors made a number of recommendations to help continue the improvement and development of science quality and efficiency. Central among these recommendations are the following:
- Continue to increase the publication rate in line with stated targets
- Develop a coherent international strategy in line with the CSL Science Strategy
- Review current Science Networks to ensure they are still appropriate, and examine whether any new networks are required to address new challenges or opportunities
- Develop further the internal and external communication strategies in line with the science strategy
Science audit objectives
In brief, the objectives of the science audit were as follows:
- To provide the Chief Scientific Adviser of Defra with an independent, external assessment of the quality, balance, scope and appropriateness of the scientific programmes carried out by CSL. Also to comment and make recommendations for the future of CSL.
- To assess CSL's future management strategy including its capacity to identify and deliver future needs of its major customers
- To evaluate progress made and actions taken in response to recommendations from the audit which took place in 2001.
- To assess whether the scientific programmes managed by CSL, including both research and other scientific services, are appropriate-to-purpose, reflect up-to-date scientific thinking and are of suitable quality.
- To consider whether mechanisms used by CSL to transfer results of publicly funded research and other scientific activity to Defra and non-Defra users (including professional publications and exploitation of intellectual property) are timely, effective and appropriate to meeting customer objectives
The audit team
The audit team is an independent panel of science experts drawn from around the world. The panel was chaired by Professor Chris Payne, an independent consultant and visiting professor at the University of Reading and was co-chaired by Professor Sheila Crispin, President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
The audit team consisted of a further 19 scientists drawn from academia, other government laboratories and industry from 9 different countries. The science auditors were split according to their expertise between four science audit teams, each focusing one of the following areas of CSL:
- Environmental Biology
- Plant Health
- Wildlife and Ecology Management
- Food Science
The audit process
Over a two week period the science audit team evaluated CSL's overall performance, looking in detail at the strategic and managerial issues and applying appraisal criteria at a team level across CSL's science groups.
The two categories against which the science audit teams audited CSL were:
- Research and Development
- Non-Research and Development (including surveillance and monitoring and science/laboratory services.)
Against each of the above categories there were nine appraisal criteria used by the audit teams in their assessment. Scoring against each of the nine criteria (listed below) was divided into the following classifications:
- Excellent
- Good
- Satisfactory
- Unsatisfactory
Appraisal criteria:
- Management and strategy
- Portfolio of services
- Collaboration
- Facilities
- Staff
- Staff development
- Quality assurance
- Reporting and publication
- Delivery and value for money