"Our goal is to fund projects of all sizes as quickly as possible, " she says.

FORBES: Energy

Another concern for Prof Richardson was a possible increase of political influence on the choice of research projects.

BBC: St Andrews University

"Every application has been carefully assessed to ensure that the highest possible proportion of the budget can be used to deliver projects in local communities rather than being spent on administrative costs, " Mr Sargeant added.

BBC: Local Government Minister Carl Sargeant