The Times (UK) reports that research councils in the United Kingdom will now take into account the economic impact of proposed research in order to make funding decisions. While the councils say they have a broad definition of “economic impact,” many researchers are worried that potentially useful and ground-breaking research will go unfunded because it cannot demonstrate an “immediate or obvious” impact. Read the full story.
On this side of the Atlantic, the Association of University Research Parks will reveal the economic impact of North American research parks at its annual conference on October 24-26 in St. Louis. Read the press release.