A space to explore, share and shape the issues facing social and behavioral scientists
In an open letter, 63 Australian Research Council laureate fellows complain vigorously to the minister and to the chief executive of the ARC about a recent instance of political interference in the funding of basic research.
Basic research can be easy to mock as pointless and wasteful of resources. But it’s very often the foundation for future innovation – even in ways the original scientists couldn’t have imagined.
Academics in the United Kingdom and in Australia interviewed about the impact agenda show fears that the balance between applied and basic knowledge may be tilting too far in one way.
More than 250 universities and scholarly groups and the CEOs of 10 corporations have released an open letter urging American policymakers to “heed the warnings” about the nation’s waning commitment to basic research.
It can be fun to poke at oddball research, but a U.S. award rewards researchers whose peculiar efforts pay off for society.
