The OST is headed by the Chief Scientific Adviser and includes the Office of the Director-General of Research Councils. It has responsibility for the allocation of the science budget, the work of the research councils and for implementing the policies set out in the 1993 White Paper Realizing Our Potential. It produces the annual Forward Look, which sets out Government strategy for science, engineering and technology, the programmes of the research councils and each Government department. There is a Steering Group of seventeen members, led by the Chief Scientific Adviser. LINK is organised in programmes spanning a wide range of technologies and product areas.
Government funding is matched by funds from industry.
The ROPA scheme derives its name from the 1993 White Paper's title, and is intended to function both as a reward and an incentive scheme by making funds available to those researchers who have collaborated with UK industry and commerce. ROPAs are intended to fund curiosity driven, speculative research and are aimed at the development of long-term strategic partnerships between academics and industry. Since 1995 it has been operated across all the research councils. As a result of the Next Steps and Prior Options reviews, a number of departmental and research council executive agencies and institutes have been considered for privatisation. The NWML regulates weighing and measuring instruments used for trade.