Against lofty promises, President Donald Trump’s first budget blueprint is a cramped document that sacrifices American innovation to small-bore politics, short-changing basic scientific research across the government – from NASA to the Department of Energy to the National Institutes of Health – in ways that can only stifle invention and undercut the nation’s competitiveness, writes the Editorial Board of The New York Times. More...

Across Japan, early-career researchers face an uncertain future, as universities reduce the number of permanent staff positions and shunt more faculty into short-term contracts, writes Ichiko Fuyuno for NatureIndex. More...

By Brendan O'Malley. The Australian government has unveiled its new National Science Statement, which emphasises the long-term importance of science to the nation’s economy and society, with Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science Arthur Sinodinos reassuring universities by pledging that the government will act “strategically and systematically” to support it. More...