A pilot study to assess the ability of peer-review panels to judge the impact of funding proposals has described the method as "workable" and "robust," making this process a likely fundamental aspect of the Research Excellence Framework due to come into effect in 2014: UK science will be judged on impact (Nature News, 17 November 2010)

Alongside this announcement in Nature appears a column from Nobel Laureate Ahmed Zewail which argues that tightly-managed "applied" research should not be valued over curiosity-driven "blue skies" research.

Meanwhile the Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE) has registered concern over the decision to replace the current Director General of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Professor Adrian Smith, with an internal appointment from within the civil service. This ends a 25-year convention of maintaining external expertise within the post: Press release: Whitehall reorganisation may spell trouble for science.