Reductions in the UK?s science budget will have a paralysing effect on the country?s economy and job?s market according to the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).
Reductions in the UK’s science budget will have a paralysing effect on the country’s economy and job’s market according to the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). The RSC will be issuing a report that it claims supports the need for sustained, long-term basic science research, which will underpin the future UK economy.
"Research funding is not simply a tap you can turn off and then expect the same quality product to emerge when you try and turn it on again,” said RSC chief executive Dr Richard Pike. “There needs to be a sustained funding stream to plan and implement the fundamental work needed for our prosperity."
According to the RSC, the report, funded in collaboration with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), will show that chemistry-reliant industries made a £258bn value-added contribution to the UK economy in 2007, equivalent to 21% of UK GDP, and supported 6 million jobs.
"We are now 14th on the list of the world's top R&D spenders, as a proportion of gross domestic product (GDP) — just behind Belgium," added Dr Pike. "The UK is a top destination for foreign direct investment in Europe, creating jobs and a stronger science base. This position will be damaged by the lack of long-term planning for funding. Maintaining excellence requires sustained long-term capital investment.”
For more information visit www.rsc.org
Emerging Trends and Challenges in Detecting Residues and Contaminants in Food in the Exposome Era
June 18th 2025This article describes the analytical challenges of chemical exposomics in food safety. The need for high-throughput, multi-platform approaches—such as LC–HRMS and GC–HRMS with IMS—to capture the full spectrum of potential contaminants in our food supply is emphasised.
New Research Explores Role of Nucleotide Hydrophobicity in Oligonucleotide Separation
June 18th 2025Researchers from Waters and Biospring studied the contribution of nucleotide type and modifications on the retention and resolution of 22–24 nt long oligonucleotides in different chromatographic methods.
A Life Measured in Peaks: Honoring Alan George Marshall (1944–2025)
June 18th 2025A pioneer of FT-ICR Mass Spectrometry, Alan G. Marshall (1944–2025), is best known for co-inventing Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), a transformative technique that enabled ultrahigh-resolution analysis of complex mixtures. Over a career spanning more than five decades at institutions like the University of British Columbia, The Ohio State University, and Florida State University, he published over 650 peer-reviewed papers and mentored more than 150 scientists. Marshall’s work profoundly impacted fields ranging from astrobiology to petroleomics and earned him numerous prestigious awards and fellowships. Revered for his intellect, mentorship, and dedication to science, he leaves behind a legacy that continues to shape modern mass spectrometry.