UK research policy

Academics urge government to strengthen legal protections for scholars undertaking studies in controversial fields

Long-running atmospheric measurement aircraft no longer offers value for money in light of rising costs, says environmental research funder

Academics’ concerns are mounting as news drips out of the research councils about cuts and freezes ahead of a major funding restructuring intended to promote interdisciplinarity and transparency. But does the buckets approach even hold water? Jack Grove reports

Interdisciplinary research hub focused on arts and humanities will shut in July amid financial sustainability issues

More focused approach to research funding difficult to achieve without richer, more integrated data, argue impact specialists

The fact that a mere few months’ hiatus imperils the futures of those without permanent posts underlines the fragility of UK biomedicine, says a researcher

Authors must put aside personal pride and seek retractions when their literature proves unreliable, says sleuth

Failure to use biological sex as ‘basic variable’ will make research ‘weaker and less reliable’, says City St George’s head Anthony Finkelstein

Three years after the launch of the UK’s big-money agency for ‘high-risk, high-reward research’, political expectations around the impact of public science funding are higher than ever. As UKRI funding streams are curtailed and redirected, how can Aria prove its worth, asks Jack Grove

National funder commits to another above-inflation increase of almost 5 per cent

York and Swansea latest to decline publisher’s offer, with latter also walking away from Springer Nature deal

Ian Chapman tells MPs that some funding streams will be back online ‘in weeks’ amid uncertainty over impact of research changes

Blaming institutional equity demands for the lack of university spin-out success is misguided, says UKRI review

Response to Sullivan Review argues recommendations could hit quality of findings and impinge on academic freedom

Further funding cuts will be announced in coming months after STFC savings and research council funding pauses, warns Ian Chapman 

‘Lack of alternatives’ blamed as majority of researchers admit they rely on journal prestige metrics to make decisions on grants and hiring

Temporary block on grant applications by MRC, BBSRC and EPSRC heightens concerns over funding cuts

Reduction in funding by Science and Technology Facilities Council would be ‘most drastic’ cut to curiosity-driven science ‘in a generation’ warn scientific leaders

Scholars criticise lack of progress on restoring repository of 600,000 PhD theses more than two years after it was felled by cyberattack

Sheffield, Lancaster and Surrey confirm they are walking away from proposed three-year deal with world’s largest academic publisher

Early enthusiasm for compulsory datasets has given way to ‘more qualified views’ on compliance, finds long-running survey

Labour’s push for more research specialisation fits south coast institution’s growing focus on pensioner health, say professors

Complaints over ‘price increases’ and open access models spur UK institutions to walk away from offer from publishing giant, despite nationally negotiated agreement

Director of Institute of Development Studies discusses stepping into the role after 25 years, impact of USAID cuts and benefits of Sussex collaboration

Government renews drive to attract international academics with more recruits coming to UK under Global Talent Fund

More people sceptical that science makes life better compared with pre-pandemic, and public also doubting contribution to economic growth

Syrian scholar stopped from seeing dying father among those affected by long waits for clearance, says MP Wendy Chamberlain

Doctoral candidates offered hybrid ‘stipend and salary’ studentships with significant teaching hours will struggle to balance competing pressures, union fears

Dramatically increasing private spending on research may be unrealistic given current economic conditions, funder warned

New technologies must be used in ways that ‘strengthen, rather than replace, human expertise’, report authors warn

Failure to stop intimidation from trans right activists during visiting lecture breached free speech rights, says sociologist Alice Sullivan

New targeted model will see funder split budget across four “buckets”, with money for curiosity-driven work remaining broadly flat

Collaboration between British and Chinese scholars has increased over the past decade in the wake of the UK’s departure from the European Union

Decision to row back reforms demonstrates difficulties of using process to engineer social change, critics say, with little clarity over how newly revised ‘people’ section will work

Without exemptions for commercial as well as academic data mining, the government’s AI for Science Strategy will fall flat, says Benjamin White

Several planned reforms to the UK’s Research Excellence Framework scrapped or partially rolled back after three-month pause, bringing exercise closer to 2021 audit

Tech reskilling and digital democracy plans no distraction from furthering government’s research ambitions, says science secretary

While new technologies seen as ‘game changer’ for national-level research assessment, study finds vehement opposition, particularly among humanities scholars

Undergraduates are choosing silence over dissent given the high price paid by scholars advancing controversial ideas, says Yashraj Garg

Science minister dismisses as ‘bizarre’ fears that government push for ‘teaching-only’ specialists will further concentrate research activity in small number of institutions

Science secretary defends decision to dedicate nearly a fifth of UKRI budget to policy priorities

Appointment of Kathleen Fisher to lead UK ‘high-risk, high-reward’ funding body will raise questions on shift towards defence research

R&D funders urged to work together to boost global standing of both countries in wake of new treaty

Decades-long freeze on London weighting is making PhD study unaffordable despite recent record stipend increase, student groups warn

Increase in projects featuring ‘progressive discourse’ likely to fuel criticism that academia is too left wing, study warns

Strong levels of ‘instinctive’ backing for UK research cannot be taken for granted given lack of personal connection, warns science campaign group

UK delegation to Beijing paves way for ‘cautious, sensible and informed international science cooperation’ says minister

The recent skills White Paper foreshadows the shuttering of some or all research in certain UK universities. But what will the effects of that be on teaching – and on research itself? How could it be enacted? And will it even happen at all? Jack Grove reports

Without bespoke research funding it is harder than ever for research universities to collaborate with those in low-income countries. Jack Grove hears from two institutions that have fought to make these partnerships work

UK told to strengthen and protect its visa offer to international scientists if it wants to achieve ambition of becoming Europe’s leading life sciences economy

Russell Group calls for long-term partnerships to be secured amid political uncertainty

Voters more likely to support pro-immigration messages for the R&D sector when they are ‘inspiring’ and don’t paint the UK as ‘passive’

New chief executive of UK Research and Innovation sets out how relationship with universities could change

Removing fees not enough to make system accessible to talented would-be applicants, says research group

Research intensive universities warn steady decline of excellence-related funding is ‘undermining’ their work and adding to financial pressures

National AI institute looks set to forge ahead with focus on defence work despite leadership changes and Cabinet reshuffle

Three-month review of Research Excellence Framework could trigger more radical rethink on institutional priorities and spending, sector figures warn

Departure of Peter Kyle as science secretary raises hopes that his successor Liz Kendall will offer a more sympathetic ear on research concerns

Research England hopes transparency pilot could lead to more accountability but critics fear bureaucracy and government control

Research England to use REF pause to consider whether institutions must meet baseline performance measures as a condition of receiving funds