This will help address three key challenges:maintaining and enhancing the excellence of our research base; maximising the economic benefits of publicly funded science; and making it much easier for companies to access and use our research base in order to increase levels of research and development spending in Scottish companies, which currently lag well behind UK and international benchmarks.Further, we have committed £18 million over the next three years to the Proof of Concept Fund, administered by Scottish Enterprise.In addition, research matters will be a major element of the planned Higher Education Review.