Royal Society slams UK.gov science shake-up
The President of the Royal Society has criticized the UK government's decision to transfer science policy responsibilities to the new Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade. Sir Paul Nurse described the move as a significant mistake, arguing that science is too broad to be confined to business objectives and should instead be integrated with AI. Critics also expressed concerns about the potential deprioritization of basic research and the lack of a clear connection between science policy and higher education.
- ▪The UK government abolished the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and moved its science responsibilities to the new Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST).
- ▪Sir Paul Nurse, President of the Royal Society, stated that placing science under the business department is a mistake because it restricts the field's broader impact on health, defense, and the environment.
- ▪Jonathan Reynolds was named Secretary of State for the new department, while Kanishka Narayan was appointed as the Minister for Artificial Intelligence.
- ▪Alicia Greated from the Campaign for Science and Engineering warned that the restructuring could lead to the deprioritization of basic research and a lack of stability in funding and strategy.
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| Canonical URL | https://www.theregister.com/public-sector/2026/09/18/royal-society-slams-ukgov-science-shake-up/5296913 |
| Publication time | Fri, 18 Sep 2026 10:30:00 +0200 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-18T08:33:45.184Z |
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(function() { let windowUrl = window.location.href; windowUrl = windowUrl.substring(windowUrl.indexOf('?') + 1); let messageElement = document.querySelector('.shareableMessage'); if (windowUrl && windowUrl.includes('code') && windowUrl.includes('expires')) { messageElement.style.display = 'block'; } })(); public sector Royal Society slams UK.gov science shake-up Whitehall changes a 'big mistake' as anything going in with Business department gets squeezed Lindsay Clark Lindsay Clark BUSINESS SOFTWARE AND DATABASE REPORTER Published fri 18 Sep 2026 // 09:30 UTC READ MORE Scientific papers become agentic chatbots with new tool 15 hours ago SpaceX aims Starship for orbit on September 22 1 day ago Ministry of Justice apologizes after court staff accessed Southport victims' files 1 day ago…
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