10 December 2010, No. 975
CONTENTS
UK SCIENCE POLICY
FUNDING
COMMERCIAL
HEALTH POLICY
RESEARCH ETHICS
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT IN SCIENCE
AFRICA
ASIA
EUROPE
EUROPEAN UNION
NORTH AMERICA
INTERNATIONAL
UK SCIENCE POLICY
1 Ministers to set drug policy without scientific advice
Under new legislation, ministers will be given the power to change the law on controlled substances without having to consult scientific experts. The recently published Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill removes the legal requirement for at least six doctors and scientists to sit on the Government's Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.
Times LANK 6 December 2010 p.18
See also: Guardian 'G 2' 6 December 2010 p.6-9
BBC News Online 6 December 2010
THE 1977 9 December 2010 p.15
BMJ 341 11 December 2010 p.1238
2 An engineer of revival
An interview with Chi Onwurah MP, who recently became Labour's new spokesperson for science and innovation, provides her views on current challenges in science policy and funding.
THE 1977 9 December 2010 p.22
3 'We need impact and the time to deliver is right now'
In a speech to the Higher Education Policy Institute's Research Excellence conference, Wellcome Trust director Mark Walport argued that the pressure on the academic community to demonstrate research impact and contribute to economic growth would intensify in light of the flat-cash Spending Review settlement.
THE 1977 9 December 2010 p.14
4 Research councils may play matchmaker to ensure collaborations pay off, says EPSRC chief
David Delpy, Chief Executive of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), has suggested that the Research Councils may be more directive in forging collaborations between research groups to enhance efficiency of the research enterprise.
THE 1977 9 December 2010 p.14
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5 Wish granted: stifling demand brings result
While overall funding success rates have fallen at several Research Councils, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council managed to raise its funding rate to 30 per cent after implementing a number of processes to limit demand. Meanwhile, analyses of success rates across the Research Councils suggest a continuing trend towards concentration of funding in large research-intensive universities.
THE 1977 9 December 2010 p.6-7, 12-13
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6 AstraZeneca raided in EC competition investigation
The European Commission's competition watchdog has raided a number of pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca, in an attempt to uncover possible efforts to delay the introduction of generic drugs. While patent protection for AstraZeneca's ulcer and heartburn drug Nexium does not run out until 2014, "data exclusivity" ended in March. AstraZeneca is now seeking injunctions to stop other companies developing drugs based on their original research.
Independent LANK 4 December 2010 p.53
See also: Daily Telegraph 4 December 2010 p.39
Financial Times 4 December 2010 p.14
Times 4 December 2010 p.64, 65
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7 Lansley hands 80% of health budget to GPs despite Treasury fears
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley is going ahead with his plans for major reform of the NHS, with the transfer of control of £80 billion of the total £100 billion health budget to GPs. The move, which will see an end to the 152 primary care trusts, has met with concern from some government ministers.
Independent LANK 7 December 2010 p.6
See also: Daily Telegraph 8 December 2010 p.8
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8 Give up the ghosts
An editorial calls on the US National Institutes of Health to institute a ban at all its funded-institutes on ghost-writing - a practice where papers contain significant amounts of text written by industry-paid people not listed as authors. This comes in the wake of fresh allegations that authors on published papers on depression were paid by GlaxoSmithKline, the producers of the antidepressant Paxil.
Nature 468 9 December 2010 p.732
9 Self-plagiarism case prompts calls for agencies to tighten rules
A news feature calls for increased vigilance in detecting cases of self-plagiarism, despite an overall decrease in the number of cases of plagiarism detected in the US. Conversely, cases of data falsification and fabrication appear to be on the rise.
Nature 468 9 December 2010 p.745
10 Microbe gets toxic response
Research claims that a bacterial strain uses arsenic rather than phosphorus to build its DNA have been called into question only days after the announcement. Scientists have argued that the claims are premature and questioned the way that results were communicated to a non-scientific audience.
Nature 468 9 December 2010 p.741
11 Time and experience are no friends of peer review
A major new study on peer review conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco suggests that the performance of the vast majority of those undertaking peer review decreases over time, in terms of both the quality and usefulness of the reviews they provide.
THE 1977 9 December 2010 p.10-11
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12 Women scientists must speak out
A comment piece by Jennifer Rohn, a cell biologist at University College London, reflects upon the "inherently sexist" culture in science and argues that more female scientists should put themselves forward for media and public engagement work to help change the public perception of scientists.
Nature 468 9 December 2010 p.733
13 Democratic science
An opinion piece argues that more control should be given to the public over the commissioning of research and proposes that a portion of public funds should be allocated to democratic funding bodies where "we could all have a say in what research is given support".
New Scientist 208 11 December 2010 p.26
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14 Stagnant health technologies in Africa
A policy forum article discusses how a number of African research projects into infectious diseases are not delivering potential health benefits, due to a failure to commercialise the resulting technologies. The authors endorse the creation of a new Sub-Saharan venture capital fund to help resolve the problem.
Science 330 10 December 2010 p.1483-1484
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15 Singapore's salad days are over
An editorial calls on the Singapore Government to slow down the rapid pace at which it is implementing reform of the research funding environment, in response to the economic climate. Moves to direct almost one third of the research budget away from fundamental biomedical research towards industrial applications are causing some international researchers to leave Singapore.
Nature 468 9 December 2010 p.731
16 Will homebody researchers turn Japan into a scientific backwater?
A news focus article examines the falling number of young Japanese researchers who are opting to work overseas, and assesses the potential damage associated with the country's growing isolation from the global research community. The main reason for the trend is that current hiring practices in Japan mean that those returning from overseas are largely overlooked for jobs.
Science 330 10 December 2010 p.1475
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17 Germany boosts 2010 science budget with 800m-euro top-up
As part of the German Government's strategy to boost science and innovation, it will increase public funding for science by €800 million for 2011, an increase of 7.2 per cent on 2010 levels. The current administration has pledged to spend an additional €12 billion on research and education before the end of its term in 2013.
Research Europe 311 9 December 2010 p.13
18 Cultivating young academies
An editorial by Volker ter Muelen, former president of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, and Günter Stock, president of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, discusses the successes of the Junge Akademie scheme, launched by their organisations ten years ago with the purpose of nurturing young scientists. The authors contend that the scheme has provided an effective forum for scientific communication and boosted interdisciplinary cooperation.
Science 330 10 December 2010 p.1455
19 Basel Declaration defends animal research
A news article and accompanying editorial comment on the signing of the 'Basel Declaration' - a pledge by 50 top scientists in Germany and Switzerland to be more transparent and engaged with the public in relation to research which uses animals. The editorial notes a growing number of attacks on researchers in Germany and suggests that a lack of engagement by the scientific community has resulted in increasingly restrictive regulations governing animal research.
Nature 468 9 December 2010 p.742, 731-732
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20 Innovation dreams
An editorial and accompanying article discuss the European Commission's move towards an 'Innovation Union' in proposals for the next Framework Programme. The articles focuses on the Commission's commitment for the Programme to be more focussed on outcomes that will lead to innovation, while the editorial raises concerns that this move "carries hazards for the EU's existing research programmes".
Research Europe 311 9 December 2010 p.2, 6
21 Aborted ERC contest is reported to ombudsman.
One of the three short-listed candidates for the new position of European Research Council (ERC) director-general has formally complained to the European Ombudsman, following the cancellation of the appointment last month. Ramon Marimon, an economist at the European University Institute in Florence, raised concerns about irregularities in the selection process and the fact that there has been no explanation from the Commission on why the process has been cancelled.
Research Europe 311 9 December 2010 p.1
22 EU prodding helps nations move towards ERA
Figures released by the statistics agency Eurostat indicate that on average, EU nations spend 4.5 per cent of public R&D funding on joint programmes with other countries, but that most of the funding is related to EU programmes rather than directly initiated by the countries. The data is part of a larger effort to evaluate progress of the European Research Area, and suggests that funding for collaborative research is not yet reaching Commission targets.
Research Europe 311 9 December 2010 p.4
23 ESF-Eurohorcs merger to be finalised in May
The European Science Foundation (ESF) and Eurohorcs will meet in spring next year to finalise details of the merger between the two organisations. Eurohorcs, which represents the heads of European research councils, sees the merger as a means to provide a formal structure for its members, the majority of which are already members of the ESF.
Research Europe 311 9 December 2010 p.4
24 Breakaway countries look for support for patent cooperation plan
Frustration over the slow progress of a common EU patent has led to seven countries going it alone and considering an "enhanced cooperation" on the EU patent, which would allow member states to move autonomously within the EU's institutional framework. This can only take place if nine countries take part, and so the seven - Estonia, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Sweden and the UK - are looking for further allies.
Research Europe 311 9 December 2010 p.5
25 Commission launches open access research portal
OpenAIRE - the Open Access Infrastructure for Research in Europe - will be established by the European Commission to provide a single portal for all data and papers from Framework 7-funded projects.
Research Europe 311 9 December 2010 p.3
26 Medicines agency widens access to documents
In response to requests from the European Ombudsman for increased transparency on its procedures, the European Medicines Agency has published new guidelines allowing wider public access to documents it holds on medicines for human and veterinary use.
BMJ 341 11 December 2010 p.1240
See also: Research Europe 311 9 December 2010 p.3
27 Synchrotron cuts
The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, France will cut its €86.8 million budget by 6 per cent over three years by reducing operating time and cutting back on planned expansion. The cuts are in response to pressure from funder countries.
Nature 468 9 December 2010 p.736
See also: Research Europe 311 9 December 2010 p.3
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28 Debt commission offers mixed messages about US science
In its final report, the US National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform has indicated support for maintaining federal research spending, while also identifying areas of duplication that could be removed. The report was welcomed by the Association of American Universities for its recognition that investment in areas such as education and research are integral to the nation's long-term fiscal strategy.
Research Europe 311 9 December 2010 p.18
29 A Government niche for translational medicine and drug development
Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), plans to launch a new NIH centre dedicated to translational science, within the next year. The new centre would partly absorb the existing National Center for Research Resources and there are concerns over the future of existing research programmes there.
Science 330 10 December 2010 p.1462-1463
See also: Nature 468 9 December 2010 p.736
30 YouCut eyes science
The National Science Foundation will be the first government agency to be featured in the YouCut Citizen Review, a project launched by the Republican house majority leader Eric Cantor asking citizens to identify "wasteful spending that should be cut".
New Scientist 208 11 December 2010 p.7
31 US reviews human trial participant protections
In the light of recent findings that in the 1940s the US Public Health Service mistreated Guatemalan prisoners in order to study the effectiveness of penicillin for disease prevention, the US is undertaking a review to determine if federal regulations and international standards provide proper protection for human subjects.
The Lancet 376 11 December 2010 p.1975-1976
32 Klein stays on
Bob Klein has agreed to continue as the chairman of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, following the revelation that his touted successor, Canadian biologist Alan Bernstein, cannot take up the post due to US citizenship being a pre-requisite for the position.
Nature 468 9 December 2010 p.737
33 Canadian drug review group loses most of its funding
The British Columbian government has altered its drug review process by abolishing the role of the Therapeutics Initiative, an independent group of researchers that had been conducting "independent assessments of evidence" to inform policy decisions. Pharmaceutical companies will now be able to advise the government, leading to concerns that the change could create a surge in the cost of drugs.
BMJ 341 11 December 2010 p.1241
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34 More for the research dollar
A comment piece examines the need for universities and research funders to increase, encourage and facilitate open access to research resources, including proprietary data, to increase the impact of research spending.
Nature 468 9 December 2010 p.757-758
35 Lessons from Bayh-Dole
A comment piece discusses the impact of the Bayh-Dole Act which attempted to untangle out a previously confused area of US patent legislation. While the Act has been largely praised, and other countries have shown enthusiasm for adopting similar measures, the author warns that developing countries should be wary of the fact that the policy could result in restricted access to the outputs of publicly-funded research.
Nature 468 9 December 2010 p.755-756
36 Trial draws fire
Luc Montagnier, who won the Nobel prize for discovering HIV, is about to commence a controversial clinical trial testing long-term antibiotic use for the treatment of autism, to see if there is a link between the condition and infection. The trial is based in part on the controversial theory that water can retain memory.
Nature 468 9 December 2010 p.743
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