Friday, January 15, 2010

Curiosity Driven Research

The British government, in the midst of a severe budget crisis, has made major cuts in the higher education budget. In reaction, the Higher Education Funding Council has announced that they will no longer fund "curiosity-driven research": "Under plans, future research will be rated and funded according to its perceived economic and social benefits."

Paleoanthropologist John Hawkes' reaction: "well over two-thirds of grant applications give no evidence of any curiosity at all."

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