Research

The publication of three Nature papers demonstrates that money is no substitute for good ideas, open science and collaboration, says Andrea Morello

Tardy response to UKRI request meant greenlit research projects on pandemic could not begin, investigation concludes

Kick-starting a conversation on national funding levels is useful, but collaboration on frontier-led research needs attention, says Jan Palmowski

Ex-prime minister says cancellation of funding ‘betrays government’s hostility to higher education’

As the pandemic increases public scrutiny of science, the UK Parliament is holding another inquiry into the long-running issue of reproducibility. Five of its contributors give their views on how sloppy science can be eliminated and trust be more firmly rooted 

Rigorous ‘no deal’ planning paved way for significant concessions, says library head

Researchers decry ‘ridiculous’ travel for 30-minute interviews and ask colleagues and funders to commit to flying less

In biennial assessment, NSF analysts admit US still losing ground on many metrics but remaining most likely common partner for breakthroughs

National survey of pro vice-chancellors indicates widespread shift away from humanities subjects in near future

Following conviction of Harvard’s Lieber, expected clearing of fellow Cambridge nanotechnology expert fits with broader failures of Trump-led academic prosecutions

Pushing the ARC to focus on commercialisation neglects the complex interdependency between basic and applied research, says Duncan Ivison

While many governments struggle to predict workforce needs, Australia’s new tropical alliance is giving it a crack

Legislation gives Westminster government power to block or impose conditions on acquisition of intellectual property in 17 areas

Biden administration promises simplification long sought by research universities

The Maastricht University president and rector is shifting the emphasis away from only research, despite pushback from Nobel laureate

Unequal distribution may explain ‘inequality in scholarly outcomes’ and lead to some areas becoming ‘systematically understudied’

But silence on flagship Discovery scheme leaves an estimated 3,000 applicants facing Christmas limbo

Conscripting industry players into research assessment roles will also turn the grant application process into ‘Frankenstein’s monster’

Jury takes three hours to agree nanoscience expert lied about Wuhan ties to sidestep pressure campaign against binational research partnerships

Commonwealth auditor general asked to review grant administration for the second time in three months

Universities see room for reasonable new legal restraints on foreign-funded scientists but fear overreach as final deal comes into shape

Thousands of researchers face Christmas crisis as grant announcements languish

‘Appropriate action’ taken after investigation into executive chair Fiona Watt, says UKRI

Outgoing director of top US research funder holds firm on China crackdown, regrets state of racial equity and keeps pondering more holistic approach

European research institutions want question of association to be separated from broader talks on political relationship

Ending in-person conferences during Covid tied to substantial gains in equity, sustainability and inclusiveness, US team finds in broad data analysis

New partnership with institutions in north-west should drive innovation and even recruitment

Canberra accepts advice of more than 10 reviews

Coyness, contention and competing agendas all hamper historians and sociologists of sex. Matthew Reisz speaks to those who choose, nevertheless, to probe this most sensitive and intimate of subjects

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

NIH vows shifts after years-long assessment finds top-cited scientists rarely share data and measure up poorly when they do

Cathy Foley wants to extend access to scholarly journals beyond academia

Clarivate ranking ‘reflects systemic bias’ in institutions, says citation analyst

Nick Jennings was nearly a professional footballer himself, but wants his new university to ‘broaden its profile’ beyond athletics and student experience

Both researchers and journalists should adopt a more agnostic lens when confronted with novel findings, says Anne-Laure Sellier

The counterfactual approach can open up fascinating new perspectives and give a voice to the neglected ‘losers’ of history, professors say

The UK’s whole-genome sequencing project could spark a global step change in the treatment of rare diseases, says Damian Smedley

From little things big things grow: small specialists focus on big picture

Tens of millions of dollars on offer for institutions that walk their commercialisation talk

Foreign interference concerns should not blind policymakers to the benefits of collaboration, forum hears

Research that is neither rigorous nor insightful serves no one, say Stefan Stremersch, Nuno Camacho and Russell Winer

Research at undergraduate level engages students and helps keep the academic pipeline flowing

Equity challenges loom, but solidifying evidence of value brings academic stature to science of partnering with the public

Refreshed guidelines allow universities to choose which academics face scrutiny of their overseas affiliations

Closing gap entirely will be ‘challenging’, says analyst behind annual list of Highly Cited Researchers

Shifting fields takes courage, but if a tenured professor can’t take the leap to address the ecological emergency, who can, asks Adam Aron

Paper also suggests higher performers in business schools received lower salary bump if climbing the departmental ladder

Open letter from groups representing more than 1,000 universities calls for association to be completed ‘as soon as possible’ 

Fifty-two minutes that changed the world underpinned by 30 years of basic research

Journals that are part of Cambridge University Press’ Research Directions ‘will better reflect the research lifecycle’ and interdisciplinary research

Graphic novel poses some searching questions about how we interpret the often banal objects that get dug up

Those bemoaning the decline of Classics on campus should examine how recent generations have tackled the problem, says Harvey J. Graff

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

Analysis says lack of insights from outside the sciences could hamper uptake of clean technology

Editors need to grasp how much intelligence and bravery is needed to produce innovative ideas in certain contexts, says Alfredo González-Ruibal

Governments and the public exhibited newfound appreciation for universities during the pandemic, but will institutions be able to keep building on their prestige? Ellie Bothwell reports

As refereeing requests multiply, the demands on willing academics’ time are becoming unsustainable, says Adrian Furnham

Peer review without transparency does not stave off potentially lethal misinformation, Open Access Week forum hears

Continuing delays on Horizon Europe association could strengthen hand of Westminster figures who were ‘never that enamoured’ about joining

New analysis of journal data suggests gap was largest for junior researchers and those in health disciplines