America has already lost its global competitive edge in science, and funding cuts proposed in early 2025 may further a precipitous decline. Proposed cuts to the federal agencies that fund scientific research could undercut America’s global competitiveness, with negative impacts on the economy and the ability to attract and train the next generation of researchers. I’m an astronomer, and […] … learn more→

Attracting research funding is part of the job at most universities. As such, you need to allocate some of your working time to do that job. But how much time is needed for writing applications? In 2009, Karen Mow estimated that Australian academics spent, on average, 30–40 days per year writing research council grant applications (Mow, […] … learn more→

Despite the fact that grantseeking is an embedded part of contemporary academic life, researchers are often unpractised and insecure about asking for money. They may feel the awkwardness of asking for money, or uncertainty about the value of their ideas or track record as a researcher. We can reassure you that this feeling is common. […] … learn more→

Education Minister Jason Clare has just released a highly anticipated review into how research is funded in Australia. This is the review of the federal legislation underpinning the Australian Research Council (ARC). The ARC is the independent body that funds non-medical university research in Australia. So it has a hugely important role in the careers of academics. This review […] … learn more→

In France, although free and secular education is enshrined in the 1946 Constitution as a “duty of the State”, a growing number of exceptions allow higher education institutions to set tuition fees of several thousands of euros. They now concern a fifth of students , and should quickly expand with the drastic (+1 600%) and generalized increase in […] … learn more→