BGS Business Plan 2016 to 2019

The British Geological Survey (BGS) is the UK public sector research establishment with the prime function of compiling national inventories of geological resources and managing the resource environment. We provide essential research and baseline evidence to support policy on energy supply, natural resources, infrastructure planning and environmental management. This influences almost all major sectors of society, the national economy, and the private sector. Topical examples include: ▪▪ assessment of shale gas resources from hydraulic fracturing (‘fracking’) ▪▪ development of carbon capture and storage ▪▪ advice to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority on geological disposal of radioactive waste ▪▪ site selection for major projects such as the Olympic Games or the third runway at Heathrow ▪▪ natural hazards (volcanoes, earthquakes, space weather, sink holes, flooding) ▪▪ mining subsidence ▪▪ maintaining the UK as a leader in global geoscience. This requires us to map, observe and model the landmass, which is done in close association with government, private sector stakeholders and the universities. This collaboration is essential to provide robust testing of data and models through research. We must develop deeper partnerships with ecologists, sociologists, economists and the public, and our data is available to share for a multitude of uses via digital media. This business plan aims to underpin our activities for 2016/17 to 2018/19. It includes key objectives and indicators of success and provides a forward look for new markets and research directions. The BGS strategy Gateway to the Earth was published in 20131 and sets out our vision and aspirations to be a pre-eminent researchactive global geological survey, working with new technology and data to understand and predict the geological and environmental processes that matter to people’s lives and livelihoods. This will be achieved by combining new technologies with our existing expertise in geology, geochemistry, geophysics, informatics and data management so that we understand how geological processes act in real time and can predict their effects on geological resources (energy, minerals and waste), geohazards and environmental change. We will continue to operate a mixed funding model which involves public national good science, research, innovation funds and capital funds from NERC or other government sources. The model also includes competitively won non-NERC income which currently represents approximately 50 per cent of our total budget. We anticipate that during the financial years 2016/17 to 2018/19 we will change our relationship with our current parent body, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). We hope to gain greater independence with the appropriate flexibilities to evolve in line with our aspirations and the direction of travel of other nationally important bodies, such as the National Physical Laboratory, the Met Office, the Ordnance Survey, Radioactive Waste Management Ltd and the National Nuclear Laboratory. The BGS restructured its workforce between 2010 and 2014 with a reduction in headcount of 97 full-time equivalent (FTE) posts and a significant re-profiling of the staff demographic. Overall, our scientific expertise is more in tune with current demands, but to optimise our workforce, the BGS plan involves a further net reduction in headcount to 568 with a significant reshaping of our abilities in informatics and data science.