British Academy of Management endorses AcSS response to UKRI announcement on funding research

The British Academy of Management endorses the recent response from the Academy of Social Sciences (AcSS) which strongly urges the UK government to reinstate funding for UKRI’s Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), the Newton Fund and university QR funding for GCRF. 

The response urges all the government departments involved – primarily the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the Treasury, and BEIS – to reinstate ODA funding support for grant decisions already made.

Professor Katy Mason, BAM’s Chair, said: “The withdrawal of committed funds for vital research into the problems that affect us all is a troubling development. It undermines trust within the research community, who will now find it difficult to risk their careers to engage with government strategy, and it will have a powerful impact on the UK’s global influence. It is imperative that these decisions are reversed immediately and that long-planned commitments entered into in good faith are restored.”

BAM’s President, Professor Nic Beech commented: “This is precisely the wrong time to reduce funding of research. We need to develop new knowledge and practical insight in order to recover in a more equitable, productive and inclusive way. It is a time for disciplines to work together and for us to focus on the big issues that are challenges and opportunities for the world.”

The full response can be accessed here