The UK’s largest physical sciences funding agency has announced a big policy shakeup which will concentrate research money in areas of ‘national importance’. This new direction, which the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) describes as ‘shaping capability’, will squeeze certain chemistry sub-disciplines in favour of others and limit the role of peer review in funding decisions.
I am a freelance science writer specialising in physics, astronomy, science funding and research policy. I write for a variety of online and print journals. In my day job, I work as a Research Facilitator in the Department of Physics at the University of Oxford.
Research council to pick favourites to receive UK chemistry funding – Chemistry World
July 27th, 2011
EIT wants more cash for KICs – Euroscientist
July 8th, 2011
The current budget for The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is not enough to attract private sector partners to the Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs). The EIT is now calling for their funding to be increased dramatically to €4 billion in the 2014 – 2020 budget.
Euroscience’s response to the recent EU Green Paper for a Common Strategic Framework for Research and Innovation commented on the KIC’s lack of funding and therefore their inability to maintain industrial partners. The EIT are now asking for a big increase in their funding to support the three existing KICs, which need more investment to succeed.
LAB RANT: Science protest – Laboratory News
November 1st, 2010
The science budget has miraculously avoided drastic cuts in the recent Comprehensive Spending Review. Leila Sattary looks back at the events leading up to the announcement and the part scientists have played in saving British science.
The events of the last few weeks have really been astounding. It is not often that scientists let politicians know what really matters to them but the threats of sweeping cuts to science was enough to get them out of the lab and on to the streets.
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Scientists march on the Treasury – Physics World
October 11th, 2010
On Saturday I joined more than 2000 scientists who gathered outside the UK Treasury in Westminster to attend the Science is Vital rally to protest against the expected cuts to the UK science budget.
I was one of the thousands of lab-coat-wearing protesters cheering and chanting below UK chancellor George Osbourne’s window as he worked on the figures for the impending Comprehensive Spending Review, which is due to be published next week and set department budgets for the next four years.
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