UK gets most science per pound

Britain gets the most "science per pound invested" among developed countries, according to an exhaustive survey of science papers published between 1981 and 1994 by researchers at the Government's Office of Science and Technology (OST). It outstrips the US and Canada, and is between three and four times more effective than Japan, Germany, France or Italy.

Despite this, Britain's position in the world science leagues has also slipped very gradually, so that the "quality" of papers produced - measured by how many other scientists referred to it in their own publications - fell 25 per cent. But the situation was confused by the rapid growth during the same period of scientific output from countries in the Far East.

The authors, writing in the journal Science, note that an analysis of prizes awarded internationally since 1900 shows that Britain has maintained a steady 10 per cent of all awards."If this total is rescaled for population size, the UK has been the leader throughout the century." Charles Arthur