A major new report by Universities UK, ‘The Future of Research‘, has found that the world of research is changing, and that UK researchers need to change with it.
The report, published on 5th August 2010, states that "The UK no longer sits at a unique hub between a global network in the Commonwealth, a link to European partners and a particular friend of the USA." The countries dominating future global research have changed, and understanding their research culture and using their language will be a key priority for the UK, if it is to understand and use the balance of knowledge produced by the rest of the world.
The report also found that UK researchers are often reluctant to travel, partly due to a lack of language skills: "Language training is a strategically important but vulnerable area for researchers. As a deficit, it contributes to the general reluctance of UK students and researchers to travel."
One of the report’s key recommendation is that "universities should work with schools to assert the need for competence in a foreign language as a prerequisite for a research career in any field. They should work with the Funding Councils to strengthen appropriate provision in modern languages for their own research staff."
The report is available online from the Universities UK website: www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/Publications/Pages/Thefutureofresearch.aspx, but a pdf of the report is also available here.