Darwin Denied

University science in the UK is becoming more and more corporate, says a Comment is Free article in the Guardian. George Monbiot writes that the research councils that fund academic research added a requirement for new grant applications to explain the economic impact of their research. "But how do you demonstrate the impact of blue skies research before it has been conducted?" Monbiot asks. He then pictures what would happen to a grant application submitted to the councils by Charles Darwin and concludes that "if Darwin had been dependent on a grant from a British research council, he would never have set sail."