Incredibly timely work from CaSE - a set of case studies that illustrate the problems researchers face with the immigration system

Ed Davey pledges to bring US cancer researchers to the UK Research groups welcome Lib Dem proposals to lower visa costs for scientists hit by Trump cuts www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

I don’t think this should be a surprise, because (a) the # of prizewinners is small, and (b) I’d guess that almost all of them would be eligible for other Global Talent routes too. The focus on prizewinners is a politically easy thing to sell but misses the ‘team science’ & high potential ECRs

We're recruiting! We're seeking an early-career policy or research professional to support policy response & knowledge transfer activities & to enhance our capacity to respond quickly & effectively to opportunities for policy engagement & impact. 👉🏽 www.bennettschool.cam.ac.uk/about-us/vac...

New Frontier Economics report, commissioned by AMRC and @wellcometrust.bsky.social, showcases the extensive benefits of non-commercial clinical research. It reveals the ‘triple dividend’ this research brings to the UK: unlocking growth, supporting the NHS and improving lives. bit.ly/3KrW7nf

“Job security and support are fundamental to excellence, not luxuries or distractions” - a reminder of what’s a stake in discussions of how to drive improvements in research culture www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...

Calls to protect QR grow ahead of crunch budget decisions. Spending limits and high inflation weaken prospect of real-terms rise for university research funds. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

I am delighted to announce that we are recruiting to three new roles in the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk’s senior team. Take a look if you want to help us grow our impact & develop our brilliant research (details of the Academy Director role will be up next week) 👇 micro.green-park.co.uk/ifg/

Shower thoughts: is the Treasury ministers WhatsApp group called ‘Chat GDP’. And if not, what can I do to bring this about.

'Universities will be asked to explain how they spend millions of pounds received in quality-related (QR) funding from the Research Excellence Framework as part of a pilot study designed to provide greater transparency on institutional spending.' 1/2

“I strongly encourage all universities to participate in this important pilot as it will provide invaluable insights across the whole range of institutions we fund into how our transparency programme should be implemented for future years.” (Jessica Corner, Research England)

'Notwithstanding central government’s aversion to even nudging towards what it might want students to study in anything approaching a plan, having fewer universities doing less things each only works if you maintain – or even increase – the proportion of students prepared to study away from home.'

The mooted specialisation: 'you would need deep policy focus, deeper pockets, and the metaphorical political hide of a rhinoceros to pull something like that off, not least because it goes strongly against the grain of the sector and would probably cause some institutions to fall over'. 2/3

UK Science Minister Lord Vallance said: "I want the UK to be the partner of choice, to everyone involved in the programme"

‘The global partner of choice’ - will it catch on? From DSIT’s twitter feed, maybe that has now started… 🤞🏻

New Post: The UK as a Global Partner of Choice for R&D – will it catch on? www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/09/02/t...

Starmer has appointed Darren Jones as Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, tasked with delivering Starmer’s vision. James Murray will take over Jobes’ old job as Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

This shit is Branäs B-R-A-N-Ä-S

Proposed REF changes ‘a step backwards’, says Wellcome boss. John-Arne Røttingen lobbies science minister against reduced people, culture and environment element. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

Research England should not backtrack on their proposals on people, culture and environment as part of the next Research Excellence Framework, says @jarottingen.bsky.social www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

New report 🚨 Our 2025 analysis shows the mounting impacts of the UK immigration system: over £870,000 cost, challenges to recruit and delays to life-saving cancer research. Read more: bit.ly/CRUK2025visasblog

'Cancer Research UK told The Observer that several pieces of research had been affected by...immigration costs, which have risen by 126% since 2019 and are up to 17 times higher than the average of comparable countries including France, Australia, the US and South Korea.' Not only cancer research.

Plus marker pens

Arrived at 1987’s best train station (large station category)

RFK Jr cancels $500m in mRNA vaccine development in the US www.bbc.com/news/article...

Great initiative by Wiley! The publisher has started marking retracted papers in reference lists. When you click on the retraction notice, you can also see the date and reason for the retraction. All publishers should adopt this practice. But also screen references during submission.

R&D is one of the fastest-growing areas in the EU budget, rising nearly 60% in a decade. With FP10 ahead, debate shifts to what comes next. sciencebusiness.net/news/eu-budg...

science 🤝 policy

This is the tale of a little frog who could. That frog's name was Rosie the Ribeter. And she could jump over 2 metres. And the problem was, according to science, she shouldn't have. In a minor way, Rosie changed science. In a major way, she showed what science was about. 1/x

Clinical trials stopped midway, fellowships, grants and studentships cancelled, grants cut are causing irreparable harms to progress of US science 🧪

Update: Commission official confirms: ERC proposed budget - €31.5bn MSCA - €10bn EIC - €34.5bn

'The government is scrapping a programme that helps tackle antimicrobial resistance in the developing world because of cuts to the aid budget....The £265m Fleming Fund supports...surveillance of AMR in 25 countries across Africa and Asia...it emerged last week that the fund has been... shelved.'

“British boasts of being a science superpower are a bit cringe” “This week the Wellcome Trust asked Ministers to get some different Lego. ‘The UK needs to find a new way to project itself on the global stage,’ the science funder said” From @whippletom.bsky.social www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...

"A significant increase in ambition" - comments from me in Science on the proposals for the next Horizon Europe programme www.science.org/content/arti...

Next Horizon’s proposed budget boost is a milestone moment, though significant challenges remain. My leader on the Commission's €175bn plan for the R&I programme, for @resprofnews.bsky.social 's Research Europe edition this week (€) www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

Newly published research shows for the first time that eight healthy babies have been born in the UK following a pioneering IVF technique that reduces the risk of mitochondrial disease. We’re proud to have supported this work from the beginning: wellcome.org/news/mitocho...

Fantastic to see mitochondrial DNA donation working in practice www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

UK Life Sciences Sector Plan published John-Arne Røttingen: "The ambition set out in the Life Sciences Sector Plan is hugely welcome. Life sciences are a historic strength of the UK, and this strategic vision is important to cement the country’s advantage in the future" www.gov.uk/government/n...

Strength in science can help the UK find its place in a changing world. Wellcome has published a new report on how the UK can be the global partner of choice for R&D, and why investing in science supports diplomacy and security as well as economic growth.

The Commons Science Committee’s Science Diplomacy inquiry kicks off this morning, with Charlotte Watts giving evidence on behalf of Wellcome at 9.45. Perfect timing for talking about our new report on the UK’s global role in research committees.parliament.uk/event/24850/...

The world is changing fast, with new threats — and new opportunities.      The UK Government faces a choice.      Will it retreat from the global stage — or step up to help solve the world’s most pressing shared problems? [1/3] 🧵

NEW WELLCOME REPORT R&D is a driver of domestic economic growth, but there's so much more that strength in science can do for the UK and the world. Our report sets out a wider narrative for UK R&D, and why the UK needs to move on from 'science superpower' wellcome.org/reports/uk-g...

We are calling on the UK Government to not introduce a levy on higher education provider income from international students, reduce visa costs to attract global talent, and to review higher education funding to create a sustainable model www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/documents/58...

I promise this wasn’t me

Big news. @leverhulme.ac.uk are investing £100m in blue skies research and doctoral scholarships, as set out here in @timeshighered.bsky.social www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ps100-m...