Manipulated research in Naples
NAPLES (nature) -- More than five years ago, Italian police began investigating allegations of research misconduct in papers by Alfredo Fusco, a prominent cancer scientist in Naples. Researchers frustrated by the case’s slow progress have now told Nature that there is strong evidence that dozens of papers may contain manipulated data — and that a commercial photography studio was called in to cut and paste images. Fusco denies these claims ... read more 02.05.2017
No university closures planned in Lithuania
RIGA (baltic course) -- Lithuania’s higher education overhaul does not envisage closing any universities, science minister Jurgita Petrauskienė said. “The reorganisation of the network is aimed at concentrating the fragmented potential to ensure more efficient management and the concentration of resources, especially in the field of scientific research, where we have many small, fragmented groups today,” she told reporters. The reform envisages four universities and several specialised academies ... read more 02.05.2017
Be it enacted: The British HE and Research Act
LONDON (wonkhe) -- “It represents the most important legislation for the sector in 25 years,” opined Viscount Younger, concluding the final sequence of debate in the upper chamber. Not with a bang, but with a quietly murmured “content”, the Higher Education and Research Act (2017), as of five minutes past two today, was confirmed in all but name ... read more 27.04.2017
Dresden’s cutting-edge research in London
LONDON (eurekalert) -- On 3 May, the DRESDEN-concept science exhibition was inaugurated at the King’s College London. Exhibits from Dresden are on display that present leading research in a way which is accessible and comprehensible to scientists and non-scientists alike ... read more 03.05.2017
Glorious Belgian students
BRUSSELS (dhnet) -- The occupation of the rectorates of the Catholic University of Louvain (UCL) and the Free University of Brussels (ULB), initiated on Friday, 21 April, in protest against a tuition fee hike for non-European students, has officially been terminated after six days at the general assembly of student representatives from various French-language Belgian universities. Among the achievements of the protesters is a fee cap at the current 4,175 euros (instead of 12,525) and the inclusion of 11 more developing countries into a subsidised scheme. One half of the measure will financed by the student social budget and one half by the university’s budget ... read more 02.05.2017
Brexit and Trump a chance for European science?
AMSTERDAM (scienceguide) -- The Dutch web magazine ScienceGuide speculates if Brexit and a science-hostile climate in the US under President Donald Trump could be an opportunity for the European Union. The magazine proudly reports that the Netherlands receive an overproportionally high rate of EU-funded research grants, and quotes ERC president Jean-Pierre Bourguignon who said, “we should focus our attention to grasp the opportunities for Europe” by making it a welcoming place for scientists from abroad and “capitalise on the possibilities to make Europe the leading player in science” ... read more 26.4.17
Switzerland stays out of Erasmus+
BERN (luzerner zeitung) -- Switzerland won’t become a full member of der European mobility programme Erasmus+ any time soon. Despite protests of politicians and youth organisations, the Swiss Federal Council sticks to the interim solution that allocates 114.5 million Swiss francs (105 million euros) to the students’ mobility until 2020 ... read more 27.04.2017
Ukraine strikes against plagiarism
KIEV (free press) -- A new law approved by the Ukrainian parliament confers more powers to the national quality assurance agency (NAOKVO). The institution has now the right to revoke academic titles from persons convicted of plagiarism. The decision has a wide resonance in Ukraine because of recent scandals involving celebrities like vice prime minister Vyacheslav Kyrylenko’s wife Catherine and her doctoral thesis. Even the scientific writings of science minister Lilya Grinevich contained, as she admitted, entire paragraphs borrowed from the works of others without attribution ... read more 27.04.2017
Press releases still matter in science PR
BERLIN (idw) -- A study conducted on a large sample of communications from German universities and science organisations shows that the good ol’ press release is still a relevant format, as it “simulates the journalistic modus operandi.” The study also shows that the PR of science institutions increase the more they are application-oriented ... read more 10.04.2017
Patent numbers don’t count
BRUSSELS (cw) -- The European Patent Office’s annual report revealed that it granted a record 95,940 patents in 2016, a 40 percent increase on the previous year after efficiency reforms at the office. Patent filings in chemistry are dominated by the behemoths of the chemical industry: BASF, Dow Chemical and the rest. Just six percent of patent applications come from universities or public research centres. Critics, however, consider the number of patents to be a very poor global indicator of innovation ... read more 26.04.2017
Horizon 2020 half-time score mainly positive
BRUSSELS (sb) -- Participants and member state governments have given their views on the European Union’s research funding programme Horizon 2020 to date. The verdict: good, but in need of several big mid-course adjustments. Low success rates, lengthy proposals and lack of feedback are common complaints ... read more 02.05.2017
Increasing public-private research in Denmark
COPENHGEN (uwn) -- A new analysis, looking on the status of Danish higher education and research, found that international papers involving public-private collaboration have on average substantially higher impact than those involving only public research ... read more 28.04.2017
Budget increase for Erasmus+ and Horizon 2020
BRUSSELS (aca) -- In its plenary meeting in Strasbourg, on 5 April 2017, the European Parliament agreed on budgetary increases of 100 million euros for Erasmus+ and 200 million euros for Horizon 2020. The final step – the formal approval of the Council of Ministers – is expected in the coming weeks ... read more 31.04.2017
Call for academic boycott in Turkey
ISTANBUL (apla) -- The Turkish referendum result of 16 April has given more power to President Recep Erdogan and brought a fresh crackdown on academics, who face intimidation, dismissal and persecution. 1,128 academics from 89 universities in Turkey, and over 355 academics and researchers from abroad have signed a petition calling on state of Turkey to end state violence and prepare negotiation conditions ... read more | and here 27.04.2017
Uber for student housing
COPENHAGEN (cph) -- Not all spheres of life have yet been seized by silicon entrepreneurs who’d like to make a buck just sitting behind a computer desk. A new one, however, is the web platform HousingAnywhere, headquartered in Rotterdam founded in 2009. The startup claims to be active in more than 530 cities and has partnerships with over 120 universities worldwide. Their goal is to reach 1000 universities by 2020 ... read more 27.05.2017