Archive for February, 2008

Expertise we must not lose - Editorial, Liverpool Daily Post

Thursday, February 28th, 2008

NOW that most of the old manufacturing industries have bitten the dust, the knowledge economy has become all-important. That is as true of the north-west region as it is of any other, which is why the current savage funding cuts at the Daresbury research campus, near Warrington, are so serious. Read the ...

Daresbury cuts “mean it must close” say scientists - Liverpool Daily Post

Thursday, February 28th, 2008

The Liverpool Daily Post exposes the secret plan to close Daresbury here.

UK reinstated as full Gemini partner

Thursday, February 28th, 2008

The UK has now been restored as a full Gemini partner. See here.

Cockcroft Institute Director gives evidence to Parliament

Thursday, February 28th, 2008

Cockcroft Institute Director, Swapan Chattopadhyay gave an impassioned exposition of the science under threat at Daresbury at the Commons Select Committee hearing yesterday. Swapan said that, "STFC's peer review process was fundamentally flawed". Richard Holdaway, Director of Space Science at RAL said, "the cuts are not compatible with encouraging young ...

Science research council under fire for cuts - Guardian

Thursday, February 28th, 2008

A report on yesterday's Select Committee evidence session from the Guardian is here

Transcript of Feb 20th Select Committee Session Puiblished

Tuesday, February 26th, 2008

Transcript is now available here.

Science budget inquiry continues with input from affected institutes : Research Fortnight

Monday, February 25th, 2008

Background on the upcoming evidence session from Research Fortnight. Link courtesy Particle Physics Campaign.

Swapan Chattopadhyay, Cockcroft Institute Director, To Give Evidence to MP’s

Sunday, February 24th, 2008

The director of the Cockcroft Institute for Accelerator Science, based at Daresbury Lab, has been selected to give evidence in the latest hearing of the Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Select Committee. See here.

Are the UK’s space goals beyond its means? - New Scientist Blog

Thursday, February 21st, 2008

This article asks what planet STFC are on. "While Apollo did undoubtedly catalyse some into pursuing the sciences, it also produced a far less welcome generation of ageing fanatics who feel robbed of their holidays on the Moon. They now seem intent on usurping what remains of the UK's science funding ...

Physics Funding Furore - New Scientist

Thursday, February 21st, 2008

In this article on the RAS statement asks the following. The RAS statement came on the same day as a proposal by the UK government, the STFC and other partners to build a new space facility at Harwell, Oxfordshire, and a review into sending a British astronaut into space. Andrew Kavanagh, ...