Scottish academics 'would lose billions in funding' after independence

By Severin Carrell. Science minister warns Scotland's universities that their generous share of UK research grants would end if country separates. Scientists and academics in Scotland would lose access to billions of pounds in grants and the UK's world-leading research programmes if it became independent, the Westminster government has warned. David Willetts, the UK science minister, said Scottish universities were "thriving" because of the UK's generous and highly integrated system for funding scientific research, winning far more funding per head than the UK average. Unveiling a new UK government paper on the impact of independence on scientific research, Willetts said that despite its size the UK was second only to the United States for the quality of its research. More...