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The UK parliament's House of Lords Science and Technology Committee has announced an inquiry on Scientific Infrastructure.  In summary, the key questions are.../

1. What scientific infrastructure is currently available in the UK and do UK researchers have sufficient access to cutting edge infrastructure? How does this compare to other countries?
2. What role should the Government play in ensuring there is an effective long-term strategy for meeting scientific infrastructure needs?
3. Is it more important to invest in large national infrastructure or medium infrastructure?
4. How were decisions on investment made since the Comprehensive Spending Review reached? What has been the impact on these decisions?
5. What has been the impact of removing capital spend from the ring-fenced budget? Should the ring fenced science budget be redefined to include an element of capital spend?
6. Are effective and fair arrangements in place for access and charging for public and private science infrastructure?
7. To what extent do funding structures in the UK help or hinder involvement in EU and international projects?
8. What impact does publicly funded scientific infrastructure have in terms of supporting innovation and stimulating the UK’s economy?