Research funding

Figures indicate ‘crisis point’ for spending on science and innovation, learned academy warns

Review calls for reduction in ministerial veto powers, highlights ARC’s role as ‘guardian of basic research’, but keeps applied research in the mix

Kenneth Griffin’s $300 million donation to Harvard is unusual in not being tied to pet ideological causes, says Naomi Oreskes  

While few dispute the need to increase the quantum, opinions differ over how to share the spoils

Irene Tracey warns that ‘everybody is suffering’ under the current model

Jeremy Hunt uses spring budget aiming to harness potential of R&D to boost economic growth

Postgraduate training likely to be concentrated in larger universities as EPSRC and Wellcome make cuts

Major funding pledges on AI, quantum computers and engineering technology are among 10 key actions to ‘cement science superpower status by 2030’

As Kiwi researchers celebrate ‘equal’ access, sector leader warns that winning an uphill battle for grants from the ‘baffling’ programme could exacerbate funding inequalities

New Medical Research Council funding model will undermine world-famous research centres, claim researchers

Science minister says Treasury should release Plan B funding to ensure UK science does not suffer if negotiations take months

Sector must show tangible benefits of funding or public will prioritise other things, poll finds

Stian Westlake will take helm after two-year delay in appointing a permanent executive chair

Association of Commonwealth Universities survey also highlights gender inequalities in academic appointments

Trudeau administration imposes broad halt on federal research funding agencies supporting projects involving foreign nationals with possible security risks

More details emerge of how sharp rise in quality outputs and tweak to funding formula are hitting institutions

US’ leading basic research funder says links in grant applications compromise security and fairness, but scientists call the ban antiquated

Vice-chancellors say 60 research projects will come to an end this year without bridging funding

NSF Regional Innovation Engines scheme is place-based push to secure US strength in key technologies

US is the ‘elephant in the room’ in a policy that seeks to attract overseas talent and money, says academic

Sir David MacMillan and Dame Kate Bingham join board as ‘high-risk, high-reward’ starts work

Sciences gain £145 million that would have gone to humanities and social sciences under old system

Former political advisers say frequently used figures to advocate for research funding do not sway government thinking

Funders should review how interviews, eligibility criteria and internal selection policies work against marginalised groups, says study co-funded by Wellcome and Oxford

Ban could prompt brain drain, warn experts, while university foundations are likely to be restocked with loyalists

Tweaks to assessment processes are designed to broaden assessment and mollify disciplines that felt disadvantaged

Stopgap solution will run out in April, when symbolic deadline for resolving a wider EU-UK dispute over Northern Ireland will present itself

Science minister George Freeman launches International Science Partnerships Fund at THE event in Japan, with initial funding of £119 million

Australian university representatives warn of unintended consequences from two-year limit in new workplace relations act

White paper vows to reshape science sector but also shies away from suggested creation of base operating grants for institutions

Top provider of basic research funding to US higher education hopes that a narrower set of evaluation criteria will aid black scientists and better retain expert reviewers

Critics claim victory as assessment of research benefits is handed back to the experts

Additional funding announced by Research England might not cover shortfalls faced by research powerhouses

Narrow line between success and failure in latest round of Australian competitive grant funding

Discussing growing influence of philanthropic donors, experts stress need for transparency and careful thinking

Westminster government provides £30 million for ‘talent and stabilisation fund’ and pumps extra £100 million of quality-related support into English universities

Chancellor also announces that investment zones will be refocused to centre on universities in ‘left-behind areas’ driving growth sectors

Consensus with regions and reversals by parliament’s budget committee help keep coalition promises

But lead negotiator for parliament’s research committee said refusal to plough more unspent funds back into programme ‘cannot stand’ 

Funding council reviewer signals intent to recommend ditching ERA, rewriting national interest test and circumscribing veto power

New Australian arrangement hailed as long overdue by many, but critics warn of unintended consequences

Pause of Norway’s prestigious investigator-led grants comes as EU alternatives also face the chopping block

The emphasis on bringing in money above all else is killing researchers’ passion for discovery, says Aymen Idris

Go8 questions outsiders’ commitment to research, after advisory body raises doubts over education’s contribution to productivity

A sunny outlook on student enrolments is marred by the persistent lack of money for research in the field, says association chair

Business secretary hails research as ‘critical way to turbocharge Britain’s growth’, in Sunak administration’s first major move on science

The new prime minister’s orthodoxy will prevent a repeat of the Iron Lady’s raid on the science and higher education budgets, says Terence Kealey

Biden team suggests following lead of China and Europe and putting science dollars in the hands of its diplomats to secure geopolitical benefits

Universities must tackle issues that ‘reduce enthusiasm for investment’ to defend teaching and research budgets ‘inevitably under threat’, says Iain Mansfield

Ex-minister George Freeman urges sector to ‘mobilise’ to show R&D key to growth, despite securing Treasury commitment not to cut science budget

New minister Nusrat Ghani tells MPs that research spending commitments remain ‘in place’

NSF director Sethuraman Panchanathan highlights need to exploit vast talent beyond the nation’s elite universities

‘Short horizons’ of grant-givers holding back early career researchers from disadvantaged backgrounds, says Glasgow principal

European finance ministers told to abandon ‘absurd’ plan to shift unspent Horizon funding elsewhere in their squeezed 2023 budget

Alternative to Horizon Europe should examine why ‘closed clubs’ of elite universities enjoy so much funding success, says Hepi report

Disappointment as ‘mini budget’ contains no new commitments on research funding or support for students

Top US funder of basic research warns it will tally and punish cases of yelling, threats and other abuses by scientists losing grant competitions

ARC reveals macro scale of its micro-management of funding applicants’ statements

Prime minister says researchers should be able to work ‘without looking over their shoulder’

Applications for up to £10,000 in funding that pass an initial quality test will be picked at random