After Brexit, if Sunak really wants a ‘science superpower’, he must fix these three things | Devi Sridhar

Science now has a cabinet seat, but Britain’s world-leading reputation is fading fast

Another day brings yet another cabinet reshuffle to a weary Britain, but to the university community, it was welcome news to see “science” getting a dedicated department and a seat at the cabinet table. It fits with Rishi Sunak’s pledge to make the UK a “science and technology superpower” and was partially in response to a cross-party House of Lords science and technology committee report on the UK’s “somewhat incoherent” international science policy.

Across the world, Britain is renowned for its universities and world-leading research. A scholarship to study at Oxford, the world’s oldest English-speaking university, is what brought me from tropical Miami to England, and then Scotland. Sadly, the past decade has seen the UK university sector losing its lustre for students and faculty. While it’s easy to talk about making science a priority, supporting world-leading research requires action and concrete steps that go beyond rhetoric. To make the UK a “science superpower” means addressing at least three crucial components.

Prof Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh

Continue reading...

Welsh universities face 1,000 jobs being lost as EU research funding ends

University leaders urge ministers to provide bridging finance to keep projects running when EU support ends this year

Universities in Wales face more than 1,000 skilled jobs being lost because of the withdrawal of EU structural funds, with leaders saying that the replacement finance promised by ministers will not match the lost support.

Since 2014 Welsh universities have received about £370m in research projects from EU structural funds but, after the UK’s withdrawal, its support for 60 ongoing projects will end this year.

Continue reading...

Paying to play – Professional academic communication should be factored into research funding

Reflecting on the ongoing professionalisation of academic communication and increased opportunities for researchers to engage, Andy Tattersall argues researchers and research funders should be mindful of the communication requirements of their projects and factor them into their bids and tenders. As recently as a decade ago, almost all research communications were at best tagged onto … Continued