Science

US-China research collaborations will continue despite politics, Harvard economist says 

Initiative hopes to drive promising performers into fundamental science and basic research

The Sainsbury Laboratory director will oversee a huge increase in R&D spending as head of UK’s main research funder

Scientists fighting for more publicly available research say changes made during Covid-19 crisis have influenced their efforts

Who will be the winners in the post-pandemic academic job market? Three experts reflect on the skills that will be prized in the ‘new normal’

Filling the gaps between disciplines and between science and technology could lead to greater progress than AI, says Jinghai Li 

Universities hardest hit by coronavirus crisis might need to accept merger or mission shift in exchange for state aid, warn sector leaders

Impact usually originates in discoveries by smart people who could not possibly have dreamed of the application, says Douglas Kell

Imperial College London epidemiologist Neil Ferguson, whose project sparked UK lockdown, resigns government role after admitting ‘error of judgement’ over lover’s home visits

Treasury’s opposition to Universities UK’s rescue package could be overcome if institutions offer extra assistance to graduates, Lord Willetts tells THE event

Pandemic crisis is chance to consider longer post-study work visas and even route to citizenship for foreign students, Chris Skidmore tells THE event

Expecting early career researchers to help with coronavirus testing is unfair if they will suffer financial hardship, says PhD candidate Katherine MacInnes

Quarantined patients, laboratories in lockdown and huge drop in charity income may cause drug trials to fail, warn research leaders

Whatever the truth around Mauro Ferrari’s resignation from the ERC, the affair raises an important issue, says Luca Magnani

The UK’s Science Media Centre director Fiona Fox says new visibility of experts will be crucial in combating doubts on official advice during troubled times

Funding bodies should reconsider case-by-case assessments to minimise bureaucracy and student distress, say researchers

Scientists call for global ‘superbody’ to coordinate coronavirus research, but some fear a centralised approach might close off potential solutions

Six months of devastating and unprecedented destruction has brought home the reality of climate change to many Australians. But with time for mitigation short and some politicians still in denial, what more can universities do to save the ‘lucky country’ – and the rest of the planet? John Ross reports

A new alliance of 40 of the world’s top climate change research universities will ensure better access to the facts, say Ian Jacobs and Matthew England

As campuses and labs close amid the coronavirus crisis, Jack Grove hears how senior scientists are managing their teams and research projects

Denying legitimate authors their fair share of credit amounts to academic misconduct, says David Sanders

Whether it is establishing new departments or working at breakneck speed, Britain’s research base is mobilising in extraordinary ways to combat Covid-19

Geoffrey Cantor praises a bold historical overview that offers useful pointers to how we can face up to the technological challenges of today

The namesake cities in the US and UK are both home to internationally renowned universities whose industry collaborations are proving highly successful. But while that is good news for national economies, where does it leave the locals priced out of their own neighbourhoods? Paul Basken and John Morgan report

Research Excellence Framework 2021 put on hold to allow universities to focus research efforts on virus battle

Western universities may soon need to operate with far fewer international students thanks to the Covid-19 contagion, says Salvatore Babones

As UK research laboratories close, research-intensive universities call for extra funds to cover cost of disruption to science

As a global pandemic is declared, public health experts in universities have never been more visible. But do they think this episode will reshape perceptions of academia after the years of Trump and Brexit?

President of research powerhouse Sigbritt Karlsson calls for realism about openness while continuing to foster culture of innovation and entrepreneurialism

Four-year deal with Wiley hailed as ‘step-change’ moment in switch to open-access publishing

Canada’s excess of directive funding programmes risks hobbling scientific imagination and progress, says Jim Woodgett

Researchers support funder’s random allocation of research grants by a two-to-one margin, study says

Journal’s decision to publish reviewer reports shows a growing consensus on transparency, publishers claim

UKRI and other funders must prevent good intentions on open access from undermining good science, says Lee Cronin 

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

German research institute aims to reshape academic incentives with cash bonuses

The hunt for a new UK research supremo continues, apparently after the shortlisted candidates failed to pass muster

A growing number of data detectives are on the hunt for sloppy science and dodgy statistics. Jack Grove examines the methods they use

In an era of anti-expert populism, it is more important than ever to stand up for scientific truth. But it is also harder, coming with a high risk of personal attack. Anna McKie speaks to those who have paid a high price for their advocacy, and draws out the lessons for those who want to take up the cause

Unprecedented recall of papers from Russian journals must also spark broader debate on academic culture, say research integrity scholars

Researcher said he had transferred the sums to help cash flow at his lab

Home Office will nearly double number of fellowships where visa applications are fast-tracked, while ‘MIT of north’ plan is also floated

Craig Poku was the only black PhD student in his department. He reflects on how black British doctoral students can navigate the challenges they face

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

Economic and Social Research Council may provide four years of PhD funding amid concerns over stress caused by three-year model

Pioneer of ‘movement ecology’ explains how the new-found ability to track individual animals is leading to fresh insights about their behaviour and societies

The dream of robot researchers is edging closer with automated laboratory producing five years of experiments in just two weeks, experts claim

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

Richard Joyner enjoys a striking collection of testimonies that should help students settle on a suitable career path

Uta Frith says limit would force academics to focus on quality over quantity

Junior scholars have always needed to curry favour with their seniors, but quantifying research impact exacerbates the problem, says Jonathan R Goodman

Italian medic Fabio Quondamatteo says EU referendum result is behind ‘difficult and painful’ decision to leave for Ireland

Most postdoctoral researchers will end up working outside universities – postdoc adviser Emma Williams has some advice on the tricky business of applying for jobs in different sectors

More Russian universities join top 100 of subject tables 

Rivka Isaacson is fascinated by an adventurous journey along the frontier between arts and science

Hepi study calls for debate on the purpose and value of the UK’s costly system of residential universities

The two-time Ig Nobel Prize winner explains the potential applications of her research on wombats’ cubed poo and why animal waste is the ‘best study topic’

Restrictions on loan access for university courses with low graduate earnings under consideration for Tory manifesto, though Augar-inspired cuts not ruled out

The apparent proliferation of libel challenges by scientists accused of research misconduct have led to fears that journals and others will be dissuaded from calling out wrongdoers. But is the observation accurate? And is the chilling effect reproducible? Jack Grove reports  

Analysis of publishing deals across Europe highlights different costs faced by country-level consortia