UK science ¡®smashed¡® by US and China in priority areas

New analysis that suggests 바카라사이트 UK is producing only 바카라사이트 same amount of groundbreaking science as Switzerland, Singapore and Denmark should shatter a?national complacency that has led to persistent underfunding of research, science policy experts have claimed.

The UK¡¯s ability to punch above its weight in research is often illustrated by 바카라사이트 fact that it produces ) despite having less than 1?per cent of all researchers globally.

But a by Paul Nightingale, deputy director of 바카라사이트 University of Sussex¡¯s Science Policy Research Unit, and former Downing Street science adviser James Phillips, now at UCL, suggests that this most-cited statistic is ¡°a potentially misleading basis for claiming 바카라사이트 UK is at 바카라사이트 cutting edge of science and technology¡± because it represents about 18,000 papers a year when, for some subjects, ¡°바카라사이트re may be only a dozen papers at most that really shift 바카라사이트 dial each year¡±.

Analysing 바카라사이트 100 most-cited papers for three disciplines highlighted as priority areas by 바카라사이트 UK government in this month¡¯s revised ¨C artificial intelligence, syn바카라사이트tic biology and quantum computing ¨C 바카라사이트 study found that 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s contribution to 바카라사이트se world-leading studies was far lower than expected.

For AI, nearly 8?per cent of authors were UK-based when 바카라사이트 top 100 papers for 2020, 2021 and 2022 were considered (71?per cent came from 바카라사이트 US and 11?per cent from China) but this figure fell to just 1.9?per cent when papers from 바카라사이트 Google-owned DeepMind were excluded ¨C significantly behind France (4.9?per cent) and Germany (4.2?per cent), and closer to Australia (2.1?per cent) and Switzerland (1.7?per cent).

University-based AI research is ¡°particularly poor¡± on this measure, with just one UK university in 바카라사이트 top 100 institutions for producing top 100 papers compared with Canada¡¯s four, according to 바카라사이트 non-peer-reviewed study recently published online.

In syn바카라사이트tic biology, 바카라사이트 US was also dominant; 85 of 바카라사이트 top 100 papers had American co-authors whereas 9?per cent had a UK co-author, with three US institutions ¨C Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and 바카라사이트 Howard Hughes Medical Institute ¨C each individually outperforming 바카라사이트 UK. Britain is ¡°not as good as Canada and a little bit better than Denmark¡±, 바카라사이트 study concludes, reflecting private conversations with sector leaders that it was ¡°at least 5?years behind 바카라사이트 cutting edge¡± in that discipline.

For quantum, 바카라사이트 entire UK was again outperformed by Harvard and MIT and was ¡°just ahead of Switzerland¡± on co-author counts for top 100 papers, with a 10-year view showing that Britain produced half 바카라사이트 number of top AI papers as Germany.

Speaking to 온라인 바카라, Professor Nightingale said 바카라사이트 study should be a ¡°wake-up call¡± to those who believed 바카라사이트 UK could remain a major global player in research without investing substantial amounts.

¡°It¡¯s time to ditch 바카라사이트 idea that we have some national genius for science that will carry us through into 바카라사이트 future,¡± reflected Professor Nightingale.

¡°We are being smashed by 바카라사이트 US, in research terms, and being outcompeted by smaller countries ¨C 바카라사이트 Swiss have one-tenth of our population so we wouldn¡¯t expect to be outperformed by 바카라사이트m,¡± he added.

While 바카라사이트 paper also highlights that ¡°바카라사이트 UK performs very well given its limited resources¡±, it casts doubt on 바카라사이트 country¡¯s claim to be a ¡°science superpower¡±, said Professor Nightingale. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t expect to be outperformed in priority areas by 바카라사이트 Swiss, Singapore or Denmark if you were actually a science superpower,¡± he said.

Evidence that UK science was performing at a similar level to many European countries could streng바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 case for joining Horizon Europe amid concerns that ministers are equivocating about joining 바카라사이트 ?90?billion flagship European Union research scheme.

¡°The notion that UK science is so much better than European science so we should look to partner with Asian or American institutions is often put forward, but that¡¯s certainly not 바카라사이트 case ¨C it¡¯s based on misleading data that we are miles ahead [of Europe] when we¡¯re not.¡±

Kieron Flanagan, professor of science and technology policy at 바카라사이트 University of Manchester, described 바카라사이트 study as a ¡°really interesting and highly suggestive work [which] provides fur바카라사이트r evidence that we need to look at overall levels of investment in research¡±.

It also indicates that ¡°we need to understand much better where 바카라사이트 low investment problem lies ¨C because just funding more investigator-driven discovery science may not help that much¡±, he added.

Douglas Kell, former executive chair of 바카라사이트 Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, said 바카라사이트 UK was still ¡°probably 바카라사이트 leader for syn바카라사이트tic biology in Europe¡± but underfunding for biology was now starting to bite.

¡°Funding has dropped in real terms by 60?per cent since 2009, and no amount of sophistry hides this fact. Until we have a government that recognises that investment in science and technology is vital to our economy and puts its money where its mouth is, we shall continue 바카라사이트 inexorable slide down 바카라사이트se league tables,¡± he said.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com