Disquiet in research community as science minister yet to materialise in Truss’s government

As the UK’s new prime minister Liz Truss begins appointing her first cabinet, scientific organisations are making the case for research and innovation to be at the heart of government policy. But questions remain about the new government’s plans for science, with no science minister yet appointed.

The UK’s research community has found itself in an unenviable position over the past 20 months. The country is locked out of the world’s largest multinational research fund, Horizon Europe, due to political disputes between the UK government and the European commission. The situation has seen numerous researchers lose grants, while others have sought to relocate to EU-based institutions leading to fears of a brain drain.