At the end of last year, the Science and Technology Select Committee published its report into the funding of science and discovery centres.
Its findings confirmed what a lot of people already suspected: science centres may do a good job of engaging audiences with science, but they need some form of reliable funding to be able to do that consistently.
The report acknowledged that many science centres are struggling financially. Of the 18 that were given capital grants by the Millennium Commission, two have closed: the Earth Centre in Doncaster and the Big Idea in Ayrshire.
Others have had to cut back on their operations including At-Bristol, which was last year forced to make 45 staff redundant and close two of its three operations.
Nick Winterbotham, chairman of Ecsite-uk, a network of 50 science organisations and chief executive of Thinktank in Birmingham, said funding was a perennial problem.
"Every year, there are several science centres looking anxiously at year-end results," he said. "We have to watch cash flows like a hawk - a hot summer with fewer visitors can bring science centres near to the brink."
Recently, Satrosphere in Aberdeen and Catalyst in Widnes have come under financial pressure. Catalyst director Julie Burgess-Wilson said that up until a few months ago, the centre was in a difficult position.
"We have managed to get some private sponsorship, which has bailed us out," she said. "But it is difficult to know where we fit."
In Scotland, the running of Satrosphere has been taken over by the Sensation Science Centre in Dundee. Paul Jennings, Sensation's chief executive, said they had reduced overheads at Satrosphere by £200,000, which had led to seven redundancies, but that it was now financially stable.
The select committee report recommended that the government should step in to help out science centres facing imminent risk of closure. But if further crisis is to be averted, it is the medium- to long-term future of the centres that needs attention.
However, the report stopped short of calling for direct revenue funding. Tax breaks are proposed, such as 100 per cent business rate relief (not all science centres get this and, according to Winterbotham, it could save organisations between £10,000 and £100,000 a year).
There is also a recommendation that science centres be brought into the accreditation scheme. But this wouldn't necessarily lead to extra funding.
The committee cited a lack of hard evidence on the effectiveness of science centres as a reason for not calling for government funding. Instead, the committee suggested that independent research into their effectiveness should be commissioned.
Winterbotham agreed that this needs to be done. "We need something like the Anderson report [on museum education] for science centres that would establish their credibility," he said.
Comparisons with other funding models could also be useful. The Scottish Executive, for example, has given direct capital and revenue support to science centres for the past three years.
Stuart Monro, scientific director at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh, said it was the Big Idea in Ayrshire going bust that prompted the executive to step in.
"Ministers decided to set aside a pot of money to assist science centres to become more sustainable," he said.
Although that money is coming to an end, Monro is hopeful that fresh cash will be found. In Wales and Northern Ireland, science centres receive direct government support.
For the moment, it is not even clear which government department science centres fall under. It is most likely to be the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
Wherever they fall, science centres now need to schmooze the relevant ministers in the same way that museums have come together to press their case with the department for culture.
Sharon Heal
Science centres proposals at a glance
Adaptation of accreditation scheme and creation of new funding streams
Development of performance indicators
Independent research into science centres' effectiveness
Increased coordination and collaboration between venues
Short-term funding to avert closures
Tax breaks including VAT and business rates
Diversification of income streams
Its findings confirmed what a lot of people already suspected: science centres may do a good job of engaging audiences with science, but they need some form of reliable funding to be able to do that consistently.
The report acknowledged that many science centres are struggling financially. Of the 18 that were given capital grants by the Millennium Commission, two have closed: the Earth Centre in Doncaster and the Big Idea in Ayrshire.
Others have had to cut back on their operations including At-Bristol, which was last year forced to make 45 staff redundant and close two of its three operations.
Nick Winterbotham, chairman of Ecsite-uk, a network of 50 science organisations and chief executive of Thinktank in Birmingham, said funding was a perennial problem.
"Every year, there are several science centres looking anxiously at year-end results," he said. "We have to watch cash flows like a hawk - a hot summer with fewer visitors can bring science centres near to the brink."
Recently, Satrosphere in Aberdeen and Catalyst in Widnes have come under financial pressure. Catalyst director Julie Burgess-Wilson said that up until a few months ago, the centre was in a difficult position.
"We have managed to get some private sponsorship, which has bailed us out," she said. "But it is difficult to know where we fit."
In Scotland, the running of Satrosphere has been taken over by the Sensation Science Centre in Dundee. Paul Jennings, Sensation's chief executive, said they had reduced overheads at Satrosphere by £200,000, which had led to seven redundancies, but that it was now financially stable.
The select committee report recommended that the government should step in to help out science centres facing imminent risk of closure. But if further crisis is to be averted, it is the medium- to long-term future of the centres that needs attention.
However, the report stopped short of calling for direct revenue funding. Tax breaks are proposed, such as 100 per cent business rate relief (not all science centres get this and, according to Winterbotham, it could save organisations between £10,000 and £100,000 a year).
There is also a recommendation that science centres be brought into the accreditation scheme. But this wouldn't necessarily lead to extra funding.
The committee cited a lack of hard evidence on the effectiveness of science centres as a reason for not calling for government funding. Instead, the committee suggested that independent research into their effectiveness should be commissioned.
Winterbotham agreed that this needs to be done. "We need something like the Anderson report [on museum education] for science centres that would establish their credibility," he said.
Comparisons with other funding models could also be useful. The Scottish Executive, for example, has given direct capital and revenue support to science centres for the past three years.
Stuart Monro, scientific director at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh, said it was the Big Idea in Ayrshire going bust that prompted the executive to step in.
"Ministers decided to set aside a pot of money to assist science centres to become more sustainable," he said.
Although that money is coming to an end, Monro is hopeful that fresh cash will be found. In Wales and Northern Ireland, science centres receive direct government support.
For the moment, it is not even clear which government department science centres fall under. It is most likely to be the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
Wherever they fall, science centres now need to schmooze the relevant ministers in the same way that museums have come together to press their case with the department for culture.
Sharon Heal
Science centres proposals at a glance
Adaptation of accreditation scheme and creation of new funding streams
Development of performance indicators
Independent research into science centres' effectiveness
Increased coordination and collaboration between venues
Short-term funding to avert closures
Tax breaks including VAT and business rates
Diversification of income streams