April 3, 2011

As Universities Fend Off Budget Cuts, Some Researchers See Possible Benefits

As Universities Fend Off Budget Cuts, Some Researchers See Possible Benefits 1

Lefteris Pitarakis, AP Images

Paul Davies of Arizona State U., who attended a recent science-policy forum in New York, said: "The more you spend, the less you think."

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close As Universities Fend Off Budget Cuts, Some Researchers See Possible Benefits 1

Lefteris Pitarakis, AP Images

Paul Davies of Arizona State U., who attended a recent science-policy forum in New York, said: "The more you spend, the less you think."

By Paul Basken

New York

As the federal government veers toward a possible shutdown this week, Republican lawmakers may have found some unexpected support for their quest to cut money for academic research: university researchers.

At a science-policy forum assembled last week by Arizona State University, three prominent university researchers expressed varying degrees of support for the proposition that the quality of federally financed research might improve if there was less of it.

"The more you