Research

Universities’ intellectual property is seen as key to successful knowledge economies. But what is the best way to turn ideas into marketable products? Is it realistic to expect major commercial success? And how much of a stake should universities take in the process – and the proceeds? Jack Grove reports

Squeamish western Europe should take a more integrated approach to understanding war, says Ukrainian academic

If good collegial practice is recognised, shared and rewarded, universities will be more enjoyable places to work, says Rachel Norman

Crowds in cafeterias help, but those in hallways do not, when it comes to breaking up scientific silos, MIT analysis finds

Study finds little ‘substantive’ change between 2002 and 2019 

Worldwide survey of scientists suggests almost two-thirds are now positive about their use

Presidents of 65 top-ranked institutions embark on joint quest to create shared research culture through tenure and promotion practices

Funder admits it contacted universities over critical tweets relating to impact platform but did not factor this into grant-awarding decisions

The University of Leeds vice-chancellor discusses why UK higher education should go Dutch and the national scandal that drew her to academia

Discontent about the shortage of university posts and funding will also continue regardless of how people are judged, says Jan Palmowski

Compromise between egalitarian and competitive ideals could usher in bigger university groupings and more interdisciplinary evaluation

In developing nations deemed too rich for fee waivers, subscription journals are the only publishing option, say three Brazilian scientists

Approval of Jean-Eric Paquet’s transfer to Japan ambassador would create space for a more evangelical approach, observers say

With emphasis on research commercialisation and limited gains in aid, higher education senses lost opportunity in Liberal-NDP team

Franklin Feng Tao found guilty despite lack of evidence of payment and Biden commitment to halt Trump-era crackdown

If authors had to find the money themselves, they would have a big incentive to check their sources thoroughly, says James Stacey Taylor

Australian universities face more restrictions on their foreign collaboration, no matter who wins the coming election

Links to journals’ genuine websites should be added to the government’s database of reputable publishing outlets, says Rameez Mahesar

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

Legitimate concerns about publishers’ grip on the academy will not be addressed if open access debate remains so polarised, says Amy Brand

Cutting-edge facilities are welcome but they achieve little without people to run them, science advocates point out

As president vows to lower drug prices, academia sides with corporates against allowing waivers to legislation credited with driving US innovation

Tyler Prize winner talks about a career combating climate change scepticism and why he is skipping his award ceremony

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

Identification of new species ‘a beautiful example of the impact indigenous culture and science can have when combined’

Universities and colleges have such a range of histories, missions and demographics that proposing single solutions is misguided, says Harvey Graff

Members lack expertise and groupthink is a constant peril. Better to entrust scrutiny to expert lawyers and ethicists, says Adrian Furnham

Culture change becomes a numbers game as agreement drafters try to pin down progress without spooking major players

Turbulence caused by pandemic may have reduced appetite for radical reform of research assessment and rewards, suggests study

With new divisions at NIH and NSF, federal government making long-promised structural changes to get universities and their scientists beyond their silos

Emilia Şercan has exposed a vast array of senior public officials for plagiarising their theses, writes Július Kravjar

Standard mentoring is not enough if we want a resilient, compassionate and happy research workforce, says Mark Reed

Head of Cardiff University’s new social sciences centre says virtual working has not dented the case for new ‘superlab’

Platform responds to online criticism by telling researchers they would be reported to their funders

First post-Brexit figures show limited demand in Europe for bespoke visa scheme designed to bring top researchers to the UK

Blow to new UK research agency as Peter Highnam steps back for ‘personal reasons’

Thirty years after his breakout book declared democracy to be an unstoppable force, the End of History author explains to Matthew Reisz why a new defence of liberal values is urgently needed, and why scholars must share some responsibility for destabilising them

Science committee hears evidence of ‘shocking’ levels of under-representation of ethnic minority experts at research council meetings

Grant reviewers should close the circle by evaluating final reports, and recipients should spend the money as they see fit

Science minister sets up working group to examine how academics can move more freely between public and private research

Radical measures to combat bullying in UK science may backfire, warns sector bullying lead, but ex-research council head urges boldness

Sweeping sanctions suggest international collaboration could become fragmented into regional power blocs, says sector leader

‘Big-picture thinkers’ would set national priorities, sidestep electoral cycles and deal with ‘boundary issues’ involving indigenous knowledge

A joint EU-AU document places universities in the vanguard of increased intercontinental collaboration, says Jan Palmowski

‘Vast majority’ of promised research commercialisation fund falls outside spending commitments, estimates committee also hears

Funding council statistics lend weight to anecdotal accounts that academics are self-censoring scholarship on superpower

‘Seemingly small regulatory requirements readily spawn large bureaucratic responses,’ says City president

Study analysing readability and citations suggests academics may have an incentive to keep their abstracts complex

Scientists should strive for real impact, not to impress a panel of busy peers, with their agendas, biases and blind spots, says Pedro Domingos 

The grip of Silicon Valley on commerce and culture is huge and ever-growing. But as concerns mount about tech firms’ ethics, is there anything that universities – with vastly lower research and salary budgets – can do to put them on a more responsible trajectory? Four experts give their views

Ministerial intervention in research council appointment highlights growing politicisation of British science, experts warn

Despite China’s rise, even the country’s government recognises that English usage is irrevocable, say Philip Altbach and Gerard Postiglione

Establishing a peer review accreditation scheme would also help incentivise higher standards, says Arfan Ghani

Furore over political interference shows no sign of abating, as government presses ahead with research commercialisation agenda

Losses perceived for holistic views as communications modes show humanists embracing data-heavy styles of the hard sciences

Time is running out to strike a deal that will cement the continent’s scientific strength, says Jan Palmowski

Publishers need to examine their biases and universities their support mechanisms, say Avi Staiman, Marnie Jo Petray and Gaillynn Clements

With both Oxford and Cambridge seeking new vice-chancellors, Rosa Ellis examines the unique pressures of leading these prestigious universities and the qualities that successful candidates will need to do the job

Two separate studies, including one that looked at early Covid papers, suggest majority of alterations are minimal