Lean times are ahead for research and universities around the world. Few countries in the global north have escaped growing pessimism in the science sector as university leaders talk of ‘belt tightening’ and the need to ‘make savings’. Meanwhile, funding agencies find their budgets squeezed as countries struggle to deal with stagnating economies. Ottoline Leyser, the outgoing head of UKRI, the main UK research funder, has warned that research budgets ‘will be tight’ for the foreseeable future. Reports suggest that large UK research facilities, such as the Diamond Light Source, could soon face cuts.
As one of the most expensive courses to run, chemistry is fully exposed to this financial upheaval. There’s further recent bad news for UK chemistry with Cardiff University considering merging its chemistry department with the loss of up to 10 jobs and UEA mooting cutting 22 jobs across its science faculty. One staff member tells us 11 jobs could be at risk in the chemistry department. This follows course closures at Aston and Hull shutting its chemistry department.
Across Europe, major research powers are also enacting swinging research cuts. Swiss researchers stand to lose CHF400 million (£352 million), Italian scientists €500 million (£414 million) and French investigators €930 million, including €100 million from the country’s jewel in the crown, the CNRS. Other European countries plan to cut research budgets too.
Even with the difficulties that European researchers face, I suspect many US researchers would happily trade the situation here for what they are currently dealing with. Politically-inspired mass redundancies at US research agencies – orchestrated by the Trump administration – are already causing chaos. They are particularly painful for early-career researchers who are most likely to lose their jobs, while hit by other related hardships such as the freezing of grants. US chemistry is also facing similar issues to the UK, with undergraduate enrollment down a staggering 23% since 2019, compared with just 3% across all degrees, with some universities closing their chemistry programmes.
With so much doom and gloom, it’s still important to celebrate good news. Tracking a trend seen in the US and Canada recently, UKRI has acknowledged that its stipends undervalue PhD researchers and has increased them by 8%. Another recent bright spot is the RSC’s workforce report, which finds that the job growth rate in the chemical sciences could outstrip the rest of the UK over the next decade. Money to invest in schools, universities and workers is, however, needed.
Part of the reason we’re seeing tough times for research is that many developed economies are barely growing. The solution to this is not simple, but improving productivity is one answer that R&D can help with. Research seems a tempting place to cut right now for many governments, as its benefits are only felt years after that government has gone. But this is a mistake. While short-term cuts will be painful they may have to be borne, but failing to restore budgets at a later date puts future economic growth at risk.
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