Do any PESTs here work with the Research Councils? Noticed any changes since
the general election?
Chatting to a senior "civil servant" from one Research Council earlier this
week at a Royal Society bash - lots of nice English sparkling - I gather
than the government crackdown on spending has halted all those glossy
publications that attempt to explain to the taxpayers just what has happened
to their money, and to tell them about the results of all that research.
We have been through this before, when a DGRC could not see the point of
telling the world about research.
While my first thought was that this would further diminish the work
available for science writers, I wondered if this government edict would
also wash over into other public activities.
Another RC person, and one much nearer the chalkface in public stuff,
confirms that "non-departmental 'arms-length bodies' (including the research
councils) have a freeze on spending on marketing, advertising and
consultancy for the foreseeable future".
Do they interpret Public Engagement as marketing? I wouldn't, but I don't
have much faith in the ministerial team's ability to spot the subtle
differences.
Let's hope it is a short lived phenomenon, and that it does not spread too
far into the world of PEST. If it does, then we can kiss goodbye to many
years of the hard work that went into tearing down the barriers between
researchers and the public.
_______________________________
Michael Kenward OBE
Have words will travel
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