Research funding

Frustration as Australian Research Council takes six months to judge applications to support urgent impact assessments

‘Highly effective’ research hub’s days are numbered, Australian estimates committee hears

White House challenges Congress and EU on priorities and rules for AI

Australian senate order could put an end to deadline clashes plaguing research grant applicants

But government says it will seek to participate in Erasmus+ only ‘on a time-limited basis’

Leading university networks in Africa and Europe say a body based on the European Research Council is needed to boost African research

Former European Commissioner for trade argues that with UK-EU trade deal in 2020 impossible, research link relies on extra time

Despite Brexit, Mauro Ferrari hopes for ‘reasonable construct’ that ‘allows scientists to do their job in the best possible way’

Opponents see campaign to ‘diminish the regard for academic inquiry’ as political manoeuvring rather than real problem

Proposals to mandate open access monographs from 2024 will make it harder to publish and will limit career chances, says professor

Overall success rate for applications to six research councils stood at 27.4 per cent

Streamlined applications for grants will be trialled on two UK Research and Innovation schemes

Rebalancing to the regions will bring a battle over ‘excellence’ and ‘place’ models, along with questions on the best mechanisms to deliver change

Australian researchers fear wasting weeks writing potentially pointless applications

Academics studying gender-based violence highlight emotional impact of their work

Nanotechnology innovator charged over alleged links to Chinese state-run academic talent programme, in expanding federal crackdown

EU and UK should negotiate ‘standalone’ research deal outside wider talks to avoid damaging science with break, Wellcome Trust recommends

Research grants that have languished in Australian politicians’ to-do trays are ‘spun’ as rapid government action

Ahead of a new law that critics fear will reduce tenure rights, French scientists have opposed CNRS chief’s full-throated support for competition

Participation in assessment likely to be a condition of receiving Research England funding from 2020-21

Just 5 per cent of funding over past two decades went on studies examining how to change human behaviour to help tackle crisis, researchers find

Scientific excellence is not the only relevant criterion – either morally or legally, says Alex Conway 

Universities have the right track record on place-making and innovation, argues Brookings Institution fellow and report co-author

Others suggest government position on joining research programme is unchanged, while Cummings’ view may balance criticism of EU on research with openness to association

Balancing Dominic Cummings’ agenda with industrial strategy approach, and deciding on geographical focus for increased investment, seen as key challenges

Oxford, Cambridge and UCL have been the big winners from changes to formula used to allocate quality-related research funding, analysis shows

Report calls on Hong Kong to speed up funding system and increase number of junior researchers

Former universities minister says applied science is neglected as researchers chase publications for research excellence framework

Importance of governance frameworks elevated, as ‘public or perish’ gives way to ‘partner or perish’

The EU’s next framework programme, Horizon Europe, is due to start in just over a year. But while its broad shape is settled, political wrangling over budget and participation rights means researchers are still unclear over their future funding prospects. David Matthews reports from Brussels

Trimming the cost of flagship research scheme – in particular, the European Research Council – would harm EU priorities, sector leaders warn

Boris Johnson pledges to double public spending on research and development to £18 billion over course of next parliament

Delays in the name of political PR ‘forcing academics overseas’

But long-awaited review does put forward suggestion for ‘flagship’ initiative similar to ERC if UK does not associate to Horizon Europe

Conservative mistrust of the existing research funding system demands a re-examination of its uneasy compromises, says John Womersley

As mistrust between the EU and UK deepens, politics could scupper British association to the next framework programme, says Jan Palmowksi

Talks unlikely to take place until referendum clarifies whether country will undergo its own ‘Brexit moment’

UK and Switzerland risk missing out on beginning of €100 billion (£86 billion) programme, alongside potential newcomers Australia and Canada

Gender equality expert says higher education sector must ‘strengthen the economic independence of researchers’ 

Tough sanctions on institutions that ignore research integrity rules in new concordat backed by Universities UK and research funders

Investment will create 2,700 new PhD places in biosciences and AI research

Chris Skidmore reiterates desire for UK to associate to Horizon Europe, but says negotiations are unlikely to begin until the second quarter of 2020

Research umbrella organisation puts off decision on whether to introduce ultimate sanction until more evidence is available

If the point of missions is to win taxpayers’ support for an increased science budget, accountability will be vital, says Harry Farmer

Coalition finally succeeds in dispatching the nest egg it initiated last decade

‘Potential paralysis of a no-deal Brexit and the current state of chaos are hurting UK science’, says Royal Society president Sir Venki Ramakrishnan

Boris Johnson’s most senior adviser appears to have big plans for the research community, but his ‘scientist-as-hero’ vision may misunderstand the nature of modern scholarship

Queen’s Speech raises question of whether Dominic Cummings would seek to reshape entire research funding system

Green Paper under consideration to explore nature and scope of ‘mission’ approach, while funding increases under discussion could range to the ‘eye-popping’

Finding illuminates US health agency’s overall avoidance of human-centred research

Some parliamentarians hope Bulgaria’s Mariya Gabriel will reshape the EU’s new research package to spread grants more evenly across the continent

Recent controversy over the future directions of both Stanford and Melbourne university presses have raised questions about the role of in-house publishing arms in a world of commercialisation, impact agendas, alternative facts – and ever-diminishing monograph sales. Anna McKie reports

Chris Skidmore tells Tory conference meeting he wants UK research funding to emulate EU’s approach

Academic also claims European Commission officials told him UK coordinators would be kicked out in event of no-deal Brexit

Commons Science and Technology Committee also calls for rebalancing of funding between disciplines and greater support for small, specialist institutions

Assessment of English universities’ commercialisation activities and industry partnerships to guide allocations ‘in the longer term’

National Institutes of Health’s reasons for pursuing scientists reflect behaviours long tolerated among domestic academics

Europe and Japan take different approach to US and China on potential risks of technology

Despite reservations over staying on in Trump administration, National Institutes of Health director is glad he did

Research leaders welcome announcements but warn of impact of no-deal departure