Diana Beech considers the implications for universities of a change in prime minister. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...

To properly judge research, we should value researchers’ happiness. The race for research system rewards harms academics’ wellbeing and undermines science, says Joaquín Azagra-Caro. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

UKRI has put its money where its mouth is on improving the lot of postgrad research students, hiking up the stipend multiple times in recent years But inevitably this has put pressure on how many new PhDs it can fund each year - there has been a 22% drop over a decade, even as funding has risen 🧵

‘Big changes’: Crick to stop paying for hybrid open access. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-o...

Was a pleasure to speak with @josefaschbacher.esa.int on all things European Space Agency last week!

Free-to-read opinion: "Research evaluation systems should not treat researcher wellbeing as a secondary concern," writes Joaquín Azagra-Caro www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

Opinion: Laëtitia Atlani-Duault and Matthieu Resche-Rigon call for a "collective solidarity fund, at the European scale—insurance that could pay for legal fees to help individual researchers under attack" www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

UKRI hiking spending to stem decline in newly funded PhDs. Rising stipends partly behind steady fall in annual intake of doctoral students over 10 years. #PhDsky www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

As university life gets tougher, four writers relate experiences of switching to careers outside academia www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-worl...

Europe’s emerging Arpa-style network ‘needed for new industries’. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

Time and again I think that THIS is the stat universities should shout, shout & shout again about. New education export data again show HE responsible for nearly three-quarters of a £37bn UK revenue source. Fund our universities! Source: explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statist...

A network of national agencies to support breakthrough innovation has started to emerge across Europe as an alternative to the EU‑level agency that some innovation experts have recommended www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

Research Professional News is being closed down but for now we continue to report: Europe can use its growing autonomy in space-related activities to step up its ambitions for them, European Space Agency chief Josef Aschbacher tells us: www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

Can quitting academia make you happier? As university life gets tougher, four writers relate experiences of switching to careers outside academia. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-worl...

Europe can use space ‘autonomy’ to ‘step up’ ambitions, says Esa chief. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

EU education strategy stresses importance of academic freedom. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

Regional universities ‘heartened’ by Burnham’s local growth plans. Prime minister-in-waiting’s statements on university-led regional economies hailed as a “sharpening of the argument”. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

A message from our publisher. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-o...

Over 50 UK research bodies commit to better conditions for women. Government-led charter sets out measures including at least 52 weeks’ maternity leave and safer workplaces. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

R&I commissioner: ‘It’s now or never for EU’s fifth freedom’. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

UKRI ‘vulnerable to government-directed cost-cutting’, warns analysis. Weak safeguards mean research funder is open to political interference, academics say. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

Universities welcome sign-off of restored Dutch research spending www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

UK university insolvency ‘would bring wider contagion risk’. Hepi chief says “no one knows what happens if and when a university becomes insolvent”, and ministers are burying their heads in the sand. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

Andy Burnham has set out ambitions to put universities “at the heart of local economies” and to make the UK the world’s leading “innovation nation”, in a speech making those goals central to his vision for the UK if he becomes prime minister. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

Andy Burnham set out ambitions to put universities "at the heart of local economies" and make the UK the world's leading "innovation nation", in a speech making those goals central to his vision for rolling out "Manchesterism" across the UK. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

New: Burnham: ‘UK can be world’s leading innovation nation’. PM-in-waiting wants universities “at heart of local economies”, but pledges education shift beyond “university route”. Free to read. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

Burnham on reindustrialisation: Regions to set “clear & credible” ambitions, including “cross-UK partnership between places with complimentary industrial clusters, as Cambridge and Manchester have done on life sciences”. Says he will "back our scientists, technologists, entrepreneurs & creatives".

Burnham: "growth cannot be ordered from the top down...it can only be nurtured from the bottom up". Among the sources of growth he lists: "Placing our universities at the heart of local economies, as all our mayors do, and leading the innovation economy better through start-ups and scale-ups."

Burnham on growth: “It can only be nurtured from the bottom up.…it comes from placing our universities at the heart of local economies as all the mayors do, & bringing the innovation led approach through start-ups & scale-ups.” More on Burnham & R&D: www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

Parliament ‘firm’ on €200bn FP10 budget demand, says lead MEP www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

Free to read: 17 research organisations urge EU to keep MSCA’s researcher-driven model www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

Could Andy Burnham deploy R&D ‘Manchesterism’ across the UK? Analysis, originally published last week, still trending on our site today. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

‘Loss of Vallance as minister would hit science policy stability’. Birmingham vice-chancellor Adam Tickell appeals for science minister to remain in post under an Andy Burnham government. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

Lead MEP calls for clarity on FP10 ‘major concerns’. R&I leaders and politicians have welcomed the Council of the EU member state governments agreeing its partial stance on the next EU R&I programme, but warn “major issues” remain to be resolved. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

‘Bravery’ needed to ditch grants for individual researchers. Research on Research Institute urges shift to institution-level funding and move beyond “laissez-faire” research system. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

Research leaders and politicians have welcomed the EU member states agreeing a partial stance on the union's next R&I programme, while warning that “major issues” remain to be resolved: www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

French universities’ ‘deteriorating finances need diverse solutions’ www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

Andy Burnham’s Coronation (Street). In Ivory Tower this week, a new political soap opera begins with Andy heading off to that London. Free to read. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...

Opinion: Degrees are still worth it, even in a changing job market. Graduate success is a shared responsibility, says Rosalind Gill of @ncub.bsky.social. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...

Government legislating to crack down on ‘poor quality’ degrees. Most-read on our site this week. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

EU urged to avoid ‘preference’ rule hampering openness of FP10. Next R&I programme should not include new restrictions for associated countries, university leaders say. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

Resilience of UK R&D jobs from foreign investment hailed. Job creation holding steady despite fall in foreign direct investment projects “very encouraging”, says expert. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-i...

AI will force change in research assessment. New era poses question of who or what funders are assessing, says Karen Stroobants. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...

The official statement on this from the Research Funders Policy Group was published today: wellcome.org/about-us/pos... Noteworthy that they say only "enterprise data protected" AI tools will be used in processing grant applications (i.e. not the free ones..)

Lack of adjustments for parental leave in REF draws criticism. Funding bodies say move will “significantly” reduce the burden of the 2029 Research Excellence Framework. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

Resilience of UK R&D jobs from foreign investment hailed. Job creation holding steady despite fall in foreign direct investment projects “very encouraging”, says expert. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-i...

ICYMI: The latest Research Fortnight is out! Here's a short 🧵of some highlights. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

STFC evaluation lays bare ‘huge damage’ if cuts go ahead. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

EU member states agree partial stance on next R&I programme. Governments want ERC and MSCA to focus on early-career researchers, and EIC to fund defence. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

Lack of adjustments for parental leave in REF draws criticism. Funding bodies say move will “significantly” reduce the burden of the 2029 Research Excellence Framework. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...