Gordon Brown has spent the past 10 years saying he wants the UK to be a world leader in science and stressing the importance of the knowledge economy to the nation's future. As he prepares to take the reins of power and is forced to concentrate on the details of policy areas he has not previously prioritised, the research community is hoping its importance does not disappear from his political radar.

Mr Brown's governmental partnership with Tony Blair has delivered much for the scientific community. The past decade has seen significant extra money for scientific research in universities, and tax credits have encouraged high-technology businesses to invest in the UK. The prime minister in particular has gone out of his way to speak in favour of new technologies such as genetically modified foods and hybrid embryos, even when doing so has been unpopular with sections of his own party and the wider electorate.