Readers' reactions

Last week in The THES...John Kingman argued that the UK science base will suffer irreparable damage if academic pay and conditions do not improve

Peter Cotgreave Director of pressure group Save British Science

Per taxpayer, this country invests Pounds 69 per year in university research. In Germany,

it is Pounds 115, in the United States Pounds 106. The long-term effects on the economy will be disastrous.

Last week a student wrote to me that "a majority of my university colleagues who wish to make a career in research would consider moving abroad at the first opportunity".

In 50 years, when the economy has to pay my pension, I do not want to live in a country that has fallen behind its competitors. The government must immediately put more resources into rewarding academic researchers, or the crisis will be irreversible.

Geoffrey Findlay Head of corporate affairs Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council

This country's competitiveness is certainly dependent on universities' ability to recruit and retain the brightest minds in science. At PPARC, our research output is still good, but if there is evidence backing John Kingman's argument, we will listen carefully.