New terms are being coined by those in pursuit of recognition for their research excellence. The concept of the "golden diamond" was heard last week in Manchester, where delegates were attending the annual conference of the English funding council. While The Diary is familiar with the notion of a golden triangle to describe the research elite - comprising the universities of Oxford, Cambridge and London - Manchester's inclusion, by Manchester, came as a surprise. Can it be long before we are introduced to the golden dodecagon?