Government scraps plans for Web Science Institute

BIS will not support the creation of a Web Science Institute

The government has cut funding for a proposed Web Science Institute at Southampton University which was to be headed up by Sir Tim Berners-Lee.

Former prime minister Gordon Brown announced the institute at the beginning of this year, saying that it would focus on researching "emerging web and internet technologies".

The body received £30m of funding designed to help the UK emerge as a "world leader" in the semantic web.

The Liberal Democrat and the Conservative parties both pledged to aid the UK startup industry while in opposition, but have now said that the government is under too much pressure from public finances to support the institute.

Chancellor George Osborne has already announced plans to cut £6.2bn from public sector in spending to reduce the budget deficit.

A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills claimed that the government recognises internet technologies as an important area of research, but that support would come through research councils and the Technology Strategy Board.

"The research councils are investing £117m in a Digital Economy Programme to help drive research in this area, and more than £30m is being invested in specific projects relating to the semantic web," said the spokesperson.

"In light of the current pressures on public finances, the government has decided that it cannot support the creation of a new Institute for Web Science at Southampton University at this time."