Engaging with academics is vital and can be free, says Beddington

The government’s chief scientific adviser, John Beddington, has urged policymakers to do more to engage with academics, emphasising it needn’t cost much.

Beddington’s guide for policymakers, ‘Engaging with academics’, was published on 30 January by the Government Office for Science. He writes that the upcoming Research Excellence Framework presents new incentives for academics to engage with government and that policymakers should embrace the opportunity.