Research councils need joined-up thinking, Wellcome says

The UK research councils spend too much time competing for government funds and not enough time collaborating, a situation that handicaps interdisciplinary research, says the Wellcome Trust.

In its submission to the Nurse review of the research councils, the trust suggests reconfiguring and empowering Research Councils UK so that it becomes a “true umbrella body” and can better support interdisciplinary research.Up to now, the report says, “cross-council research themes have had varying degrees of success and have not always catalysed successful partnerships”.

Today’s grand challenges in health rarely sit neatly within disciplinary boundaries, the trust says, which is why collaboration is so important if the UK’s research is to remain on the cutting edge.