All That Matters

It was only a few days ago that I blogged about the threats to science in an age of global austerity. The point I made is that in many countries national budgets are cut, and that as a result science, too, faces inevitable cuts. Of course, this does not mean that I favour such cuts, but if they’re coming we’re better be prepared! Not every country can afford to increase the science budget by 10 to 20% every year, as China is doing.

And indeed, today we have yet another case in point for the inevitable fallout from such cuts, sadly highlighting the pitfalls of a lack of broader strategy. The case I am describing is limited to the UK, but this example will be interesting for others, too.

As my colleague Richard Van Noorden reported today, budget cuts have been announced across the physical sciences in the UK. The situation at the funding agency, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC),  is indeed dramatic. As Richard summarises: “The agency, which has a budget of £830 million (US$1.3 billion) for 2010–11, faces cuts of some 12–15% in real terms – and a 50% cut in capital funds – over the next four years.”

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Whenever these days you talk to scientists about their funding situation, the situation is bleak. In the US whichever way you look at the issue, funding cuts are on the horizon. Japan had a national debt exceeding its gross domestic product already before the earthquake, with science budget cuts implemented already then. It’s even worse now. Most European countries are also reducing science funding. And that’s not just Portugal or Greece. The UK, the Netherlands, Italy, Ireland all are cutting back research. And what I hear from science policy makers in Germany, their relatively comfortable funding situation will not last forever either.

All in all, the situation is rather depressive, despite the fact that along with many others I strongly believe a strong scientific effort is one of the best long-term investments a country can make. Not investing in science and technology to me means a negative spiral for wealth and prosperity. But sometimes, whether you like it or not, a healthy science funding just isn’t possible. Adding to that depression is then that these deep funding cuts are not followed up with structural reforms to make sure academic research can survive those challenging circumstances.

It’s certainly time now to ask: how do you conduct science in such an environment?

There is a broader range of solutions adopted by different countries. A possibility is simply to cut back across the board, which is an option for smaller budget cuts. But that’s too simplistic and only hurts the research infrastructure indiscriminately. The question is rather how to use the available money most effectively.

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