John Womersley

One of the problems here is that, quite aside from the question of QR, UKRI and its predecessors have always tried to use research funding to maintain a broad UK university base, as well as to deliver innovation. In fact maintaining the base has often seemed more of a goal than the innovation

Unfortunate subtitle in the article - whenever we seem to yearn for "guardrails" to stop troublesome people saying things we don't want them to say, we lose a little bit more of the argument

UK science policy has a new priority: national survival - Research Professional News Tight funds and crazy world might force universities into some uncomfortable allegiances, says John Womersley

John Womersley on what the future holds for UK R&D

"In this new world, expect big shifts in funding towards research needed to underpin new defence capabilities, basic industrial capacity, food security, medicines manufacturing, data centres and national artificial intelligence capabilities"