Many governments are assessing the quality of university research, much to the dismay of some researchers. Two years ago, academics at Lancaster University, UK, found themselves in the uncomfortable position of being graded. They each had to submit the four best pieces of research that they had published in the previous few years, and then […]
UK
BIS axes annual survey of industry R&D
Last one shows UK corporate spending holds up in recession. The government will no longer produce its annual R&D Scoreboard, which analyses R&D spending among the top 1,000 UK and top 1,000 global corporate investors in R&D. The latest edition, which analyses corporate R&D spending in 2009, will be the last. “While this useful tool […]
Is industry walking away from academia?
Recession-hit companies scale back university liaison offices. Universities could find it more difficult to find industry research partners as hi-tech companies look to scale back or close their academic liaison departments in the wake of the financial crisis. The defence technology company QinetiQ, spun out of the government’s Defence Evaluation and Research Agency in 2001, […]
LibDem grassroots wait and see on science
Liberal Democrat activists at the party’s conference in Liverpool have adopted a ‘wait and see’ attitude to the coalition’s science policy. “I think the jury’s still out,” Ken Cosslett, chairman of the Association of Liberal Democrat Engineers and Scientists told Research Fortnight. “But we will definitely be discussing it at our AGM on Wednesday.” After […]
Steady on, Damian!
Immigration minister Damian Green wants to crack down on foreign students who stay in the UK after graduating. Research Fortnight news editor Brian Owens wonders if that means him. A couple of weeks ago, I was surprised to find myself a subject of discussion on the BBC’s Today programme on Radio 4. Well, not me […]
What to expect from the coalition
In May, UK voters decided not to give any one political party an absolute majority in the House of Commons. The result was the country’s first coalition government in 70 years, an unlikely pairing of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. Read more in Materials Today.
The Big Cull: Where did all the scientists go?
The House of Commons is preparing for the biggest turnover of MPs since the second world war. Half of the 646 MPs will step down or lose their seats, including a majority of those with an interest, or expertise in, research. Scientists and campaign groups, not to mention science journalists, are worried. But how bad […]
Don’t panic
The speedy insertion of impact assessment into the plans for the Research Excellence Framework last month has alarmed academics. To grade work not just on its scholarly merits but on how useful it is, economically and socially, is anathema to many researchers. But the Higher Education Funding Council for England’s plans are not as bad […]