Latest news with #sciencefunding
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Rachel Reeves to announce £86bn for science and technology in spending review
Research into drug treatments and longer-lasting batteries will receive new funding as part of an £86 billion package for science and technology set to be announced in next week's spending review. Regions will be handed up to £500 million with local leaders given powers to decide how investment is targeted in their communities, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said. The overall package, which will be announced as Chancellor Rachel Reeves sets out departmental spending plans on June 11, is expected to be worth more than £22.5 billion-a-year by the end of the decade. DSIT said 'every corner of the country' would benefit as local leaders are given a say on how the money is spent on leveraging expertise specific to their communities. In Liverpool, which has a long history in biotech, funding will be used to speed up drug discovery and in South Wales, which has Britain's largest semiconductor cluster, on designing the microchips used to power mobile phones and electric cars. The Chancellor said: 'Britain is the home of science and technology. Through the Plan for Change, we are investing in Britain's renewal to create jobs, protect our security against foreign threats and make working families better off.' Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: 'Incredible and ambitious research goes on in every corner of our country, from Liverpool to Inverness, Swansea to Belfast, which is why empowering regions to harness local expertise and skills for all of our benefit is at the heart of this new funding – helping to deliver the economic growth at the centre of our Plan for Change.' Local leaders including North East Mayor Kim McGuiness and West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker welcomed the package, but research backers warned more is needed to secure Britain's reputation for Rottingen, chief executive of Wellcome, Britain's biggest non-governmental research funder, said: 'The Government rightly acknowledges that investing in science and technology is a key way to boost the economy. 'But while it's positive under the financial circumstances, a flat real-terms science budget, along with continuing barriers such as high visa costs for talented scientists and the university funding crisis, won't be enough for the UK to make the advances it needs to secure its reputation for science in an increasingly competitive world. 'The UK should be aiming to lead the G7 in research intensity, to bring about economic growth and the advances in health, science and technology that benefit us all. We look forward to seeing the full details at the spending review.' Meanwhile, the Institute of Physics called for a longer-term strategy for science, including a plan for teachers and other members of the skilled workforce needed to deliver advances. Tony McBride, director of policy and public affairs at the institute, said: 'It's good to see the Government recognise the power of science and innovation to transform lives and grow prosperity in every part of the UK. 'But to fully harness the transformational potential of research and innovation – wherever it takes place – we need a decade-long strategic plan for science. This must include a plan for the skilled workforce we need to deliver this vision, starting with teachers and addressing every educational stage, to underpin the industrial strategy. 'We hope that the Chancellor's statement on Wednesday will set out such a vision.' Universities UK said the Government had made a 'smart investment' and academia would put its 'shoulder to the wheel' behind the plans. Vivienne Stern, chief executive of the group representing 142 higher education providers in Britain, said: 'The UK has a real opportunity to sow the seeds of long-term growth, benefiting all parts of the UK – with universities spread right across the country working with industry and public sector bodies to turn discoveries into economic success. 'They stand ready to double down with government, building stronger links with sectors of the economy where we have real room to grow. 'This creates good jobs and attracts investment everywhere from Swansea to Aberdeen, from Barrow to Plymouth.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Rachel Reeves to announce £86bn for science and technology in spending review
Research into drug treatments and longer-lasting batteries will receive new funding as part of an £86 billion package for science and technology set to be announced in next week's spending review. Regions will be handed up to £500 million with local leaders given powers to decide how investment is targeted in their communities, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said. The overall package, which will be announced as Chancellor Rachel Reeves sets out departmental spending plans on June 11, is expected to be worth more than £22.5 billion-a-year by the end of the decade. DSIT said 'every corner of the country' would benefit as local leaders are given a say on how the money is spent on leveraging expertise specific to their communities. In Liverpool, which has a long history in biotech, funding will be used to speed up drug discovery and in South Wales, which has Britain's largest semiconductor cluster, on designing the microchips used to power mobile phones and electric cars. The Chancellor said: 'Britain is the home of science and technology. Through the Plan for Change, we are investing in Britain's renewal to create jobs, protect our security against foreign threats and make working families better off.' Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: 'Incredible and ambitious research goes on in every corner of our country, from Liverpool to Inverness, Swansea to Belfast, which is why empowering regions to harness local expertise and skills for all of our benefit is at the heart of this new funding – helping to deliver the economic growth at the centre of our Plan for Change.' Local leaders including North East Mayor Kim McGuiness and West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker welcomed the package, but research backers warned more is needed to secure Britain's reputation for Rottingen, chief executive of Wellcome, Britain's biggest non-governmental research funder, said: 'The Government rightly acknowledges that investing in science and technology is a key way to boost the economy. 'But while it's positive under the financial circumstances, a flat real-terms science budget, along with continuing barriers such as high visa costs for talented scientists and the university funding crisis, won't be enough for the UK to make the advances it needs to secure its reputation for science in an increasingly competitive world. 'The UK should be aiming to lead the G7 in research intensity, to bring about economic growth and the advances in health, science and technology that benefit us all. We look forward to seeing the full details at the spending review.' Meanwhile, the Institute of Physics called for a longer-term strategy for science, including a plan for teachers and other members of the skilled workforce needed to deliver advances. Tony McBride, director of policy and public affairs at the institute, said: 'It's good to see the Government recognise the power of science and innovation to transform lives and grow prosperity in every part of the UK. 'But to fully harness the transformational potential of research and innovation – wherever it takes place – we need a decade-long strategic plan for science. This must include a plan for the skilled workforce we need to deliver this vision, starting with teachers and addressing every educational stage, to underpin the industrial strategy. 'We hope that the Chancellor's statement on Wednesday will set out such a vision.' Universities UK said the Government had made a 'smart investment' and academia would put its 'shoulder to the wheel' behind the plans. Vivienne Stern, chief executive of the group representing 142 higher education providers in Britain, said: 'The UK has a real opportunity to sow the seeds of long-term growth, benefiting all parts of the UK – with universities spread right across the country working with industry and public sector bodies to turn discoveries into economic success. 'They stand ready to double down with government, building stronger links with sectors of the economy where we have real room to grow. 'This creates good jobs and attracts investment everywhere from Swansea to Aberdeen, from Barrow to Plymouth.'
Bloomberg
5 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
The NASA Merch Phenomenon Has to Survive the Budget Cuts
President Donald Trump's budget cutters have turned their attention to the one government agency that almost everyone likes. Last week, his administration proposed a roughly 25% trim to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration budget and a whopping 47% hit to its science funding. Adjusted for inflation, that's the smallest White House allocation request for NASA since 1961, the year that the first American flew into space. The damage to US leadership in science and technology will be significant. That part is clear. But the harm to the country's image at home and abroad deserves closer attention because by chopping away at NASA, the Trump administration is marring one of America's most powerful brands and instruments of soft power.
Forbes
28-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
5 Universities Get $90 Million Gift For Science Research Amid Federal Cuts
In a time of uncertainty for federal science funding, the Leinweber Foundation has announced a landmark investment in theoretical physics. The Michigan-based foundation is endowing five leading institutions — MIT, UC Berkeley, the University of Chicago, the Institute for Advanced Study and the University of Michigan — with a total of $90 million to support curiosity-driven research and early-career scientists. The gift aims to strengthen American leadership in basic science through a coordinated network of research centers. Larry Leinweber, who grew up in rural northern Michigan and made his career in software, has had a lifelong interest in science. He wistfully recalled how deeply he felt the death of Albert Einstein during his adolescence, a moment that crystallized his fascination with physics. His foundation first supported theoretical physics at the University of Michigan in 2017. The new initiative expands that investment to the national scale, creating a unified network of leading institutions committed to advancing theoretical physics through collaboration and sustained investment. 'We wanted to have at least five research centers, including University of Michigan, to launch a broader effort,' said Leinweber, who hinted at his interest in expanding even further. Theoretical physics has long held a special place in the scientific imagination — not just for its foundational questions, but for its strangeness. It grapples with particles that tunnel through barriers, forces that bend space and constants that define the fate of the universe. It's the realm where Einstein reimagined time, Schrödinger proposed a cat both dead and alive, and today's physicists speculate about multiverses, quantum foam and dark matter. Even when its discoveries resist application, the field stirs both public fascination and scientific wonder. Its applications are typically decades away. But, from semiconductors to global positioning systems, history teaches us that today's basic discoveries become tomorrow's technological revolutions. The endowments will support early-career scientists, particularly postdoctoral fellows and graduate students, along with visiting scholars, conferences and collaborative meetings. Each center will have flexible funds to recruit talent, host events and pursue long-term theoretical work. Every two years, the centers will convene to discuss major challenges in the field — a modern echo of the early 20th-century Solvay Conferences that helped shape modern physics. Why prioritize early-career scientists? "Postdocs are the secret sauce of research," Leinweber said. "They run with ideas... they're young, energetic... they can explore... and interact with different faculty.' He emphasized the value of flexibility and independence. The model he supports enables these scholars to operate with unusual freedom, not only within their host institution but across the network. He calls the postdocs supported by his gifts "free-range chickens" who are not tied to any one faculty member, grant or deliverable. This kind of autonomy is rare in contemporary science, where early-career scientists are often structurally disincentivized from taking risks. Empirical studies indicate that flexible, long-term funding models — those that tolerate early failures and reward long-term success — can foster more innovative and impactful research, particularly when offered to scientists in the formative stages of their careers. Behind the scenes, the Science Philanthropy Alliance played a key role in shaping the initiative. Founded in response to a decade of stagnant federal budgets for science, the Alliance works with partners like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to identify research areas and institutions where their resources can have the greatest strategic impact. It advised the Leinweber Foundation throughout its multiyear planning process and helped organize campus visits that ultimately shaped the multi-institutional design. "Our mission is to advance science through visionary philanthropy," said France Córdova, the Alliance's president and former director of the National Science Foundation. 'We accompany philanthropists on that journey.' Córdova noted that theoretical physics is particularly underfunded in the current climate. 'We used to say that all of science is underfunded, and now we really mean it. Things are not going in a good direction,' she said, referencing proposed cuts to federal research agencies in the 2026 budget. In a period when public support for discovery is strained, the gift signals a long-view commitment to advancing fundamental understanding. 'We've come so far," Córdova said, again referencing the federal decline in science funding, "and then having science emerging on that path towards greatness… losing that and not being the world leader in any kind of science... it's a frightening prospect." This initiative offers a countercurrent: a bet on the future, powered by curiosity, collaboration and the enduring value of basic research. Philanthropy alone cannot fill the gap left by public retrenchment. But when done thoughtfully — grounded in long-term vision — it can provide the patient capital that fundamental research needs to pursue the kind of work that doesn't fit neatly into five-year plans. In an era of mounting pressure to produce short-term results, the new Leinweber endowments affirm the belief that the most consequential scientific advances begin with questions — not deliverables.
Irish Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Secondary schools to get extra funding to aid roll-out of controversial Leaving Cert reforms
Secondary schools will receive a multi-million euro package of funding for science equipment and laboratories to support the roll-out of controversial Leaving Cert reforms from September. The development comes as second-level teachers are being balloted by unions over whether to back a support package for senior cycle changes or vote for industrial action. The latter option could lead to disruption of schools in the autumn. The reforms will see students awarded a minimum of 40 per cent for project work or practicals across all subjects. The move is aimed at broadening assessment and easing pressure on students. Teaching unions' annual conferences at Easter heard concerns that laboratories were ill-equipped for the volume of new research projects for physics, chemistry and biology. It was also stated that the changes would benefit affluent schools with access to more resources. READ MORE In a statement, a Department of Education spokeswoman said dedicated science funding for students taking Leaving Cert physics and chemistry will rise from the current rate of €13 per student to €25 per student. From the next academic year, schools will also receive this grant for students enrolled in the subjects of biology and agricultural science. This will see approximately €3 million invested in science subjects as part of senior cycle redevelopment. An additional €5 million will also be allocated this year for the modernisation of equipment in school science labs. A spokeswoman for the Department said this means that in the year from December 2024, almost €20 million will be invested in science subjects and laboratories. This figure includes funding of between €13,000 and €24,200 for individual schools, based on the number of students studying science subjects. In the coming days, teaching unions will complete their ballot of members over a wider support package for the roll-out of Leaving Cert reforms. The package clarifies that pay increases of up to 5 per cent, due under the public sector pay deal, are contingent on co-operating with senior cycle reforms. It also offers pledges of flexibility in relation to so-called Croke Park hours and a shorter qualifying period for teachers to attain job permanency by way of a contract of indefinite duration. In the event that the package is rejected and there is support for industrial action, the possibility of strikes will loom in the autumn. The Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI), which has recommended that members back the support package, is due to announce the outcome of its ballot on Friday evening. The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI), which has not issued a recommendation to members, is expected to announce the outcome of its ballot next week. Minister for Education Helen McEntee has said the reforms are 'in the best interest of students'. Speaking recently, she said: 'It will help to reduce the pressure faced by students, while recognising a broader range of skills and ensuring that students have the skills necessary to thrive and succeed in a rapidly changing world.' A spokeswoman said Ms McEntee was 'committed to ensuring that students and teachers have the necessary resources to ensure that all students can benefit from senior cycle redevelopment'. Both the TUI and ASTI's annual conferences heard criticism of the planned changes, especially from science teachers, who are argue that the changes will threaten standards and undermine academic integrity. Many said the cheating threat posed by AI tools such as ChatGPT meant teachers would struggle to authenticate their students' work.
