The Beckhams of science
UK universities have been invited to bid for a share of a £4m annual fund to boost the incomes of researchers. Science minister Lord Sainsbury hopes that the fund will send top researchers' salaries above £100,000 p.a.
The fund is a partnership between the Department of Trade and Industry and the Wolfson Foundation, and is expected to lead to around 35 awards every year. 'We want to see the David Beckhams and Steve Redgraves of the science world doing research in the UK,' comments science minister Lord Sainsbury. 'I expect to see the scheme used to make some very high awards and recruit new talent, but the overall emphasis is on flexibility to match individual circumstances.'
The first payouts from the fund could be as early as April, and will be called the Wolfson-Royal Society Research Merit Awards. The Royal Society will administer the scheme.