Young Academy demands better funding audits

Prioritisation of political and industrial research questions hampers long-term outlook in science, report warns

The current funding model in Dutch scientific research may be undermining the structure of research, according to a report from the country’s Young Academy.

The Young Academy, a branch of the KNAW royal society supporting early career researchers, said that a growing focus on solving urgent problems, some of which are chosen by politics or industry, drains resources from long-term broader research. To tackle this issue, the academy has proposed the creation of “intellectual audits” for funding programmes, as well as better guidelines for responsible research funding.