Science Communication Is Central to the Practice of Science
Explaining and defending knowledge is as essential to the scientific enterprise as publishing research.
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Horizon Europe Is Now Truly Global. But What Comes Next?
As Australia agrees to associate, questions remain over whether the programme will be genuinely international, or EU-first.
China Is an Innovation Powerhouse - But It Should Do More Fundamental Research
Academic Collaboration with Industry is No Longer Optional - It is Now Essential
Academic Collaboration with Industry is No Longer Optional - It is Now Essential
With funding cuts hampering academic science budgets, industrial science can play a pivotal role in supporting research.
We Should Focus Less on Research Impact and More on Research Value
We Should Focus Less on Research Impact and More on Research Value
Institutional definitions of research impact align poorly with the practices and values of staff. Could a focus on research value lead to better outcomes?
The Role of Gossip in Scholarly Publishing
Let's say the quiet part out loud: gossip plays an important role in scholarly publishing. But is that a bad thing?
Research Integrity is Locked into an Arms Race with Agentic AI Slop
Research Integrity is Locked into an Arms Race with Agentic AI Slop
Advances in agentic AI combined with increasingly large reserves of openly accessibly and machine-readable data are creating a perfect storm for the mass-production of AI authored research papers.
The Problem With Promoting 'Gold Standard Science'
Branding scientific research with a simplified label risks misleading the public and harming scientific literacy.
Academic Freedom Under Pressure: What Academic Publishers Can Do
Academic Freedom Under Pressure: What Academic Publishers Can Do
This post is an urgent call to push back against global trends in academic censorship and threats to free speech in scholarly communications.
Why Are Scholars of Political Science Frequently Ignored?
Why Are Scholars of Political Science Frequently Ignored?
A major reason is the rise of anti-intellectualism in politics and society – the devaluation of expert knowledge, critical thinking and rigorous empirical analysis of the challenges we face.
Switzerland Hosts 'CERN of Semiconductor Research'
Swiss universities rely on open-source technology to design more efficient chips.
The Economic Benefits of Open Science
Executive summary of an independent study on the economic benefits of open science, showing how sharing research outputs enables reuse, improves efficiency, and supports innovation.
Universities Have Become Property Businesses. What Does That Mean for Research?
Podcast: Wissenschaft Unter Druck - Trumps Angriffe Auf US-Universitäten
Podcast: Wissenschaft Unter Druck - Trumps Angriffe Auf US-Universitäten
Seit Donald Trump wieder Präsident ist, hat sich die Lage an US-Universitäten drastisch verändert: Studierende fürchten Abschiebungen, Wissenschaftler verlieren ihre Stellen und wichtige Forschungsprojekte werden gestrichen.
The Unmaking of the American University
For decades, research universities have relied on federal funding, with no guarantee that it will last. Now their survival may depend on compliance with the government.
Public Health Needs Steady Budgets - and Federal Funding Uncertainty Causes Real Harms, Even if the Money is Later Restored
Public Health Needs Steady Budgets - and Federal Funding Uncertainty Causes Real Harms, Even if the Money is Later Restored
Public health depends on long-term planning, and when that planning is interrupted, some programs never recover.
Who Owns Our Knowledge? An African University Press Perspective
Who Owns Our Knowledge? An African University Press Perspective
Today's guest post asks readers to reckon with the idea that knowledge reflects power, and the global knowledge economy excludes the Global South.
Cracked, but Still There: the Glass Ceiling Persists for Senior Women in Science
Do Women Academics Need to Work 2.4 Times Harder to Succeed?
Do Women Academics Need to Work 2.4 Times Harder to Succeed?
Re-examining a 1997 paper claiming women academics need to work 2.4 times harder than their male counterparts, Ulf Sandström suggests what policymakers can learn from overreliance on single studies.
Reimagining STEM doctoral training
The solution is not to replace existing PhD programs, but to add a STEM innovation PhD track.
Can hackathons help foster data skills in the Global South?
In the aquamarine waters off Kenya’s eastern coast, fishing nets often accidentally ensnare endangered sea turtles. A local conservation group has spent years recording these encounters in a sprawling archive of data. Yet much of it remains unused. The authors propose a creative solution: hackathons, a competitive activity that has gained popularity across STEM fields because it challenges participants to quickly develop solutions to real-world problems.
Who Sets the Standard?
Standards expert Laurie Locascio explains how standards quietly drive innovation and why more people should be involved.
Can AI Support the Assessment of REF Research Environments?
Can AI Support the Assessment of REF Research Environments?
ChatGPT's can closely replicate expert evaluations of REF research environments. How might research managers use these tools in the run up to the next REF?
Science policy education should start on campus, say researchers
Although modern science has only been around for a few centuries, we've become quite adept at training students in the scientific method. But learning how to translate research insights into practical actions often isn't part of a budding scientist's curriculum.
New Collaborative Models of Knowledge Exchange Are Needed
The traditional commercialisation paradigm isn't the only way to approach knowledge exchange. Kim Stuart and Audrey Cumberford explain a new initiative in Scotland spanning modern and smaller universities and the college sector
Future Agenda for Science 2040: Instrumentalised Research or Germany As a Science Republic?
Future Agenda for Science 2040: Instrumentalised Research or Germany As a Science Republic?
On 30 January 2026, the German Science and Humanities Council (Wissenschaftsrat, WR) published its future agenda for Germany as a centre of science and research, entitled "Science in Germany - Perspectives until 2040". sets out a future agenda for Germany as a centre of science.
How Revolutions Can Be a Sign of Moral Progress
Lea Ypi argues that revolutions have the ability to generate enthusiasm among spectators, changing our perception of what is feasible.
What We Lose when We Outsource Scientific Writing
Writing is often said to be thinking. Based on a study of scientific writing practices, this post analyses what is lost when academic writing is outsourced.
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