robinbisson.bsky.social
UK News Editor, @resprofnews.bsky.social.
Mostly #researchpolicy, #researchfunding, #highered.
British Journalism Awards finalist.
Once likened to Tintin.
Also into rivers.
Tip? [email protected]
268 posts
601 followers
672 following
Prolific Poster
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Hard not to think that's related to what's playing out at STFC right now
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Always nice to see a national following up RPN :)
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...
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www.nao.org.uk/reports/uk-r...
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The number of applications in April 2025 was 14,800, an increase of 35 per cent on April 2024 (9,600) and 36 per cent on April 2023 (9,500)
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And yes the govt does pay via student loans which aren't fully paid back, but the reforms kicking in mean 80% will be (according to IFS)
ifs.org.uk/education-sp...
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Source post.parliament.uk/funding-of-f...
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The NIH told Sophie that the policy change, which prevents US grant holders from sharing funds with foreign collaborators, was "a top priority for the president" as part of efforts to increase research integrity
...which stretches credulity
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Yesterday, @jujulemons.bsky.social published a blueprint for how to do it
"This could be done in a way that’s fantastic and could genuinely change the trajectory of innovation in the UK"
"But, obviously, there are ways in which this could fail—it’s not something governments are used to doing"
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Meanwhile, uni groups are tearing their hair out
"It is impossible to imagine the government going out of its way to make Britain less inviting to investment in almost any other sector," says Rachel Hewitt of @millionplus.bsky.social
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“If the graduate route is curtailed or abolished, then the UK could well become less attractive to international students—and so either domestic tuition fees would need to be raised or universities would face further cutbacks, and some might even close,” says
@marleymorris.bsky.social of IPPR
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It was Alan Johnson not Milburn (completely my mistake - I mixed up my Blair era Alans). Don't think that affects your point though!
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Alan Johnson! Not Alan Milburn 🙄
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Pretty pertinent in the context of US-based researchers jumping ship because of Trump
Crickets from UK government on this. If a trade deal is in the long grass, what's stopping them?
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Westlake also said that he wants @ukri.org funding to be more open to organisations outside higher education, like the (ESRC-funded) @theifs.bsky.social
It has “always been a struggle for research organisations that aren’t universities to access and participate in the system,” he said