Abstract
Astronomers hoping to start new research projects in UK universities next year have had to put their plans on hold. The Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) cannot afford to pay for any new work in the latest funding round. Only research described by PPARC as “involving either essential continuity or genuine hardship” will receive funding. In a typical grant application round, approximately one third of the 50–60 new grant proposals received by PPARC are funded. “A very important aspect of the research grant system is to allow the freedom for new ideas to come forward,” says Richard Ellis, head of astronomy at Cambridge University. “The system is just not working,” he adds.
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