Chris Parr

The education secretary Bridget Phillipson visited just two universities in her first eight months in the role, Research Professional News can reveal, following a protracted freedom of information request process.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

Calls to run REF 2029 on old rules intensify - Research Professional News “Uncertainty” prompts simplification push, but critics warn against dropping research culture metrics

Calls to run REF 2029 on old rules intensify.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

Jo Johnson: ministerial ‘dereliction of duty’ behind university crisis - Research Professional News Whitehall split between universities and research has “damaged policymaking”, says architect of OfS and UKRI

Jo Johnson, architect of OfS and UKRI, says a ministerial "dereliction of duty" is behind the university funding crisis, while splitting responsibility for universities between the DfE and Dsit has "damaged policymaking". Via @chrisjparr.bsky.social www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

20 universities generated more than 1 million kWhs of renewable energy in 2023-24.

Source: www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-ana...

Jo Johnson: ministerial ‘dereliction of duty’ behind university crisis - Research Professional News Whitehall split between universities and research has “damaged policymaking”, says architect of OfS and UKRI

As university funding crisis spotlights the quality of political oversight and regulation, @chrisjparr.bsky.social interviews Jo Johnson, architect of OfS and UKRI.

Johnson blames crisis on ministers' "dereliction of duty" under "successive govts".

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

Jo Johnson: ministerial ‘dereliction of duty’ behind university crisis - Research Professional News Whitehall split between universities and research has “damaged policymaking”, says architect of OfS and UKRI

Jo Johnson: ministerial ‘dereliction of duty’ behind university crisis.

Whitehall split between universities and research has “damaged policymaking”, says architect of OfS and UKRI.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

University funding reform plan ‘could be delayed’ - Research Professional News Policy experts suggest much-anticipated skills white paper could be pushed from summer to autumn

Previous coverage (from June): www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

Topical Questions - Hansard - UK Parliament Hansard record of the item : 'Topical Questions' on Monday 21 July 2025.

Bridget Phillipson: "Later this year, we will be publishing a post-16 strategy." Not later this month.

We've long been reporting the white paper, complete with HE funding plan, won't be out until Autumn despite being promised for July.This seems to confirm it.
hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2025...

University failure now a ‘top tier’ risk for education department - Research Professional News Risk of higher education financial failure rated as “critical—very likely” in DfE annual report

Department for Education rates the risk of "higher education financial failure" as "critical—very likely".

That scenario has now been escalated to a "top tier" risk by the DfE, its annual report reveals.

By @chrisjparr.bsky.social
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

OfS seems to be stepping up its focus on finances at specific institutions. Meanwhile, DfE is acknowledging the risk of market exit, even if it looks increasingly like we won't see its HE funding plans until autumn.

Cabinet Office rows back after outcry against gagging scientists - Research Professional News Clarification after fears of “chilling effect” from guidance stopping government-employed researchers speaking at events

Cabinet Office rows back after outcry against gagging scientists.

The Cabinet Office has partially revised recent guidance stopping government scientists and staff at research agencies from speaking at events after an outcry from the sector.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

Universities urged to hasten ‘quiet retreat’ from X after Grok outcry - Research Professional News Fresh analysis shows increasing numbers of UK universities going silent on Elon Musk’s platform

Universities are facing intensified calls to leave Elon Musk’s X after its artificial intelligence chatbot praised Hitler, while fresh analysis shows a “quiet retreat” from the social media platform by institutions.

Maybe a louder retreat required?

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

Who would've thought this story would be so popular on Bluesky?

Define 'inevitable'.

Yes - indeed it does. I linked to it in the Playbook I wrote on the topic on Monday. The comments below the line are also interesting. We will be covering this more, so do drop @robinbisson.bsky.social a line if you would like to elaborate!

Universities cutting research funding bids, survey finds - Research Professional News “If you can’t pay for it, you can’t do it,” warns Arma financial sustainability expert

Universities cutting research funding bids.

Almost half of research managers and administrators say their institutions are choosing not to bid for funding opportunities amid the university financial crisis, an @armauk.bsky.social survey has found.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

UKRI to scale up ‘radical’ change to peer review - Research Professional News Metascience 2025: Expansion planned after trial run of modified process slashed review time for applications

UKRI to scale up ‘radical’ change to peer review, whereby applicants assess each other’s proposals, after a successful trial. Popular on the @resprofnews.bsky.social site. #Metascience2025

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

Universities cutting research funding bids, survey finds - Research Professional News “If you can’t pay for it, you can’t do it,” warns Arma financial sustainability expert

Universities cutting research funding bids, survey finds.

“If you can’t pay for it, you can’t do it,” warns @armauk.bsky.social financial sustainability expert.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

‘Shocking’ Turing directive creates ‘new world’ in research policy - Research Professional News Experts raise alarm after science secretary instructs Alan Turing Institute to focus on defence

"It is shocking to see a government minister grabbing the steering wheel of a supposedly autonomous research institute,” says @scurry.bsky.social.

Turing directive creates ‘new world’ in research policy:

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

‘Shocking’ Turing directive creates ‘new world’ in research policy - Research Professional News Experts raise alarm after science secretary instructs Alan Turing Institute to focus on defence

‘Shocking’ Turing directive creates ‘new world’ in research policy.

Experts raise alarm after science secretary instructs Alan Turing Institute to focus on defence.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

Big story. Free to read.

Vallance: ‘We must protect and grow basic research funding’ - Research Professional News Metascience 2025: Science minister warns against seeing curiosity-driven research as “easiest thing to cut”

🧵What a fantastic event #Metascience2025 was! A remarkable three days, with more than 800 delegates from 65 countries.

On day 1, science minister Patrick Vallance warned against seeing curiosity-driven research as the “easiest thing to cut”.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

Pleased my @resprofnews.bsky.social report from #Metascience2025, where @crsugimoto.bsky.social gave a concerning overview of the research picture in the US, being picked up in the Financial Times.

Here is the original report in full (free to read): www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-worl...

The Lunar Society is a cautionary tale for Trump’s America When political populism collides with scientific innovation, there is usually only one winner

Interesting Gillian Tett column looking at what Britain's anti-Enlightenment, anti-science movement of 1791 can tell us about Trump and US science: "no innovation network is safe".

Nice to see her piece link to one of @resprofnews.bsky.social's #Metascience2025 stories.
www.ft.com/content/4612...

Indeed. I was careful to mention that in the article. Unusual decision at a research event, I would say.

The piece acknowledges the issues you mention, and quotes Stirling too. But once he was on the bill, I think you are right that it was going to draw attention.

‘Admit research waste to build trust,’ urges iconoclastic professor - Research Professional News Metascience 2025: John Ioannidis warns of rising levels of fraud and unusable results

John Ioannidis - one of science's mavericks (however you want to interpret that) - split opinion with his talk at #Metascience2025 where references were only available on request

@chrisjparr.bsky.social talked to him afterwards about why science needs to be open about research waste

A marmite character, but never dull.

Trump’s science cuts ‘will see China overtake US this year’ - Research Professional News Metascience 2025: US immigration crackdown will also cause “massive brain drain”, says Cassidy Sugimoto

Lots of discussion about cuts to science funding in the US at #Metascience2025.

Cassidy Sugimoto, a US science policy expert, warned that the cuts could mean China overtakes the US in terms of research spending in 2025.

Via @chrisjparr.bsky.social

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-worl...

Trump’s science cuts ‘will see China overtake US this year’ - Research Professional News Metascience 2025: US immigration crackdown will also cause “massive brain drain”, says Cassidy Sugimoto

Trump’s science cuts ‘will see China overtake US this year’.

Latest from #Metascience2025.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-worl...