Hopefully, UK readers will be aware of the publication of the results of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) just before Christmas. This is the way in which allocation of institutional block funding is carried out, based on the “excellence” of research that is being undertaken. But what actually is excellence and how is this principle…
Scientists have been changing the genetic code for many years, whether through selective breeding of favourable trait-baring organisms or controlled natural selection by isolating organisms within different environments. Advancements in science began to then allow the identification, isolation and movement of the unrelated genetic elements encoding the favourable traits within organisms to recreate new systems…
The World Health Organisation is one of the largest and most important non-governmental organisation in the world, but what is the effect of it’s policy on early career researchers ? Follow the link below to find out more! http://prezi.com/skjv0em0nmfm/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy
Antibiotics are needed in everyday life. From the old lady with the chest infection, or after surgical procedures – to use in cancer chemotherapy and organ transplantation. But antibiotics are in serious trouble! In fact, the growing resistance poses a major global health threat to public health. In the first worldwide survey of the problem: the World Health Organization (WHO)…
Open Access is defined as the unrestricted online access to published findings of research for the public. In this blog I intend to cover the topic of open access research, the benefits, the drawbacks and its implications on researchers, the government and other invested parties. Two years ago, after recommendations made in the Finch Report,…
Hello readers! If you’ve read all posts under the “Open Access” tag, it would help very much if you could spend a couple of minutes filling in the following polls, thank you!
In June 2015, the next Uppsala Health Summit, entitled “A World Without Antibiotics” will be held in Sweden on 2nd – 3rd June. Uppsala Heath Summit invites decision-makers, opinion leaders and experts to meet and discuss consequences of actions and of non-actions for people, animals and the planet. The dialogue will focus on the how we can use…
In light of yesterday’s post ”The Postdoc Problem‘, I was particularly interested to read an article by Times Higher Education on the report by the University and College Union on the future of R&D in the UK, highlighting the role of “project-based funding” vs “block funding” in determining the stability of employment for early career…
Another way you can get involved influencing WHO policy is by working with the organization to develop scientific consensus. The results of the WHO Policy Polls suggest that this is an area that you are not sure on. The development of scientific consensus is important as it helps the production of guidelines which are then…
What is a postdoc? Postdoc is short for postdoctoral researcher, a position held by many academic researchers after completion of their PhD. These positions are usually fixed term contracts of one to five years, and generally involve research-only activities, without teaching or administrative duties. 96% of ‘early career researchers’ in the UK are on these…
There have been many claims about the benefits of open access and what it can do, especially for the younger “tech-savvy” generation of researchers. Carman O’Dell in my last blog entry highlighted the fact that younger-researchers who use open access should be-able to get their papers seen by a wider audience –leading to more citations…
Science Policy in Focus 