Nobel Laureates: Don't Put Money before Science

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New rules will stifle groundbreaking research, Government told

Thousands of scientists and academics, including six Nobel laureates and a former government chief scientist, today condemn plans to change the rules on scientific funding.

The scholars are concerned that making university research more accountable to the wider economy will stifle the sort of curiosity- driven research that has led to groundbreaking discoveries and Nobel prizes.

More than 18,000 academics have signed a petition condemning the proposed changes. They include Nobel prize winners Sir Tim Hunt, Sir John Walker, Sir Harold Kroto and Professor Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, as well as …