Science

Backed by state government, an ambitious university-led initiative is aiming to restore the Ruhr Valley’s former industrial glory. John Morgan meets academics behind the experiment in driving regional renewal by building a reputation for world-class science

The University of Northampton’s outgoing vice-chancellor reflects on how lessons from punk rock led him to survive in academia and deliver one of UK higher education’s most ambitious campus projects. Jack Grove reports

Unbounded discussions develop the critical but playful thinking that allows people to safely challenge and be challenged, says Lee Cronin

Whitehall advisor who devised alternative Horizon programme says stablisation funds should be released immediately while talks over UK membership continue

More innovative screening of grant applications that avoid full peer review could remove red tape burden on researchers, says Adam Tickell

Formula-driven funding for those hardest hit by deadlock with EU and more fellowship money unveiled under ‘Plan B’ road map

Rapid erosion of value of £9,250 is ‘stretching unit of resource to breaking point’ and will require new legislation, says Jo Johnson

‘Unclear’ status of main UK science funder has led to slow decision-making, inefficiency and limited cross-disciplinary research, finds report

Ilan Gur and Matt Clifford will lead UK’s new ‘high risk, high reward’ scientific research agency

Long-term settlement for Francis Crick Institute announced by PM ‘maintains current levels of activity’

Empty podiums, low engagement from speakers and higher costs have led events large and small to rethink combining online and physical gatherings

Companies built on university-based research twice as likely to succeed if they receive Innovate UK backing, study suggests

Large-scale study finds younger, female supervisors are more likely to produce PhD graduates who publish successfully

‘DragonBear’ alliance may force Western universities to cancel research partnerships with China, says former science minister Lord Johnson

The Canadian botanist who discovered the ‘wisdom of trees’ reflects on the growing enthusiasm for her work and why scientists should get emotional about their research

After years of resisting university managers determined to graduate students at all costs, one US professor decided it was time to quit

New citation study overturns long-held belief that science is no laughing matter

Temporary deal arrives on day of UK’s new open access policy, but raises issue of paying high price for ‘ego trip’ of Nature publication

Only a handful of UK universities maximised their public profiles during the pandemic because press officers were diverted towards internal crises or social media engagement, says Fiona Fox

Widespread withholding of potentially negative results has allowed misleading evidence reviews to gain traction, says study author

The ambitious goals of online education cannot be achieved unless universities prioritise student mentoring and pastoral support, says Chandralekha Singh

Complicity of Russian universities in the savage assault on Ukraine must lead to severe punishments, write four Ukrainian academics

Younger learners seeking to reskill and upskill brighten UK online education provider’s fortunes, says new CEO Andy Hancock

The Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology president discusses project-based learning, securing government funding and demographic decline

The pandemic has demonstrated that there are broad deficiencies in quantitative reasoning skills even within the academy, says David Sanders

A push to end the habit of assessing researchers by their publication metrics is gaining momentum. But are journal impact factors really as meaningless as is claimed? And will requiring scientists to describe their various contributions really improve fairness and rigour – or just bureaucracy? Jack Grove reports

Geoffrey Cantor has mixed feelings about a bold attempt to put a 14th-century friar at the heart of our understanding of science

The European Commission must resist the temptation to overload nascent university alliances with its own strategic priorities, says Jan Palmowski

Imperial College London president Alice Gast explains why she wants an open dialogue about the ‘complex, brilliant and sometimes flawed’ individuals who shaped the institution she leads

Spending commitments on Aria, Horizon Europe and UKRI should be welcomed – as should the Treasury’s growing scrutiny of UK and EU research structures, says John Womersley

Universities must give credit for the broadened skill sets that the pandemic has prompted academics to acquire, says John Tregoning

Environment-linked discoveries dominating Nobel Prize list demonstrate enduring need to support fundamental science, say experts

Comedian and radio presenter embarks on a 100-bookshop tour to make ‘scientific curiosity’ accessible to everyone

Australian universities make strong progress in both subjects, while Californian institutions are on the rise in computer science

One-time science superstar explains why he is happier not being famous and why the ‘hobbyist’ approach to research tools no longer works

Covid’s creation of an environment in which lessons can be debated will improve public understanding, say Deenan Pillay and David King

With academic conferences on hold, novel ways of collaborating have taken off – from preprints and digital networks to AI-backed matchmaking, writes Jack Grove

International action needed to eliminate ‘cloned journals’ that prey on early career researchers, says Indian research integrity adviser

Nobel contender David Sabatini’s future at MIT remains unclear after he was let go by Boston research institute and top US science funder

Proposed redundancies target science, engineering and IT – disciplines supposedly favoured by funding reforms

Managing climate change and pandemics alike requires immediate engagement with policy, not science-first rhetoric, argues Mike Hulme

Identifying and seed-funding scientists with ground-breaking ideas is a low-risk, high-reward alternative to traditional grant funding, says Donald Braben

Allowing access to study engagement data would provide employers with more useful insights into a graduate’s character, argues Chris Moore

New guidelines have rightly rejected publisher claims that gold is the only sustainable path for open access, say Stephen Eglen and Rupert Gatti

Tackling global warming will need the work of humanities researchers as much as scientists or engineers, says ex-universities minister Chris Skidmore

Resistance to the knowledge generated by science will only be overcome with the help of the humanities. But what can universities do to bridge C. P. Snow’s famous divide between these fields, which endures to this day?

Funding body’s impending review should recognise sector’s clear preference for immediate open access, says Steven Inchcoombe

With ‘storytelling’ CVs becoming crucial in hiring and funding decisions, Jack Grove explores how academics can craft compelling research statements

Universities must do more to help those dissatisfied with academic life as they seek a career in industry, says Mayra Ruiz Castro

Ex-research council boss Douglas Kell says sector body should take action over unsolicited emails that consume academics’ time

Bosses of private institutions that collect millions of pounds from student loans have received generous share and dividend awards

New project shines light on the discrimination and inequalities faced by precariously employed researchers at UK universities

New European Research Council president has proven record of innovation and leadership, says European Commission lead for science

Universities offer many rewarding technical careers – but local populations are often oblivious of them, says Mike Hughes

University staff are keen on hybrid working, but will it work long-term for researchers? Jack Grove examines which practices might outlast the pandemic

Shift towards studies using preregistered reports could inhibit scientific inquiry and harm researcher well-being, argue US scholars

Funder’s reduced budget for 2021-22 reflects loss of pro-science adviser and mindset of new Treasury boss, say Whitehall and research council insiders

Trailblazing initiative to transform hiring, promotion and performance review has been praised by open science advocates

Prolific cancer researcher Eric Lam has been fired after investigation found evidence of data falsification and manipulation

The computational biologist and Royal Society prizewinner on empowering neurodiversity, academic humour and why emotions are key to problem-solving