Professor of practice in research and innovation policy. Former UK govt adviser on science and tech policy. LFC. Max/MSP. Personal views.https://bsky.app/profile/ersatzben.comhttps://bsky.app/profile/ersatzben.com/post/3mhzyur7gm227National 'missions' are easy to announce (or propose). But history shows that they are extraordinarily difficult to pull off. Laura Ryan and I have pooled our thoughts about the government's 'AI for Science' missions – and what has to be true for this programme to be a success. 🔗👇 https://betterscienceproject.substack.com/p/how-not-to-waste-an-ai-for-science27 Mar 2026 11:21 +0000at://did:plc:5zk7qrckxeqagkghfdht2bfh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhzyur7gm227https://bsky.app/profile/ersatzben.com/post/3mg5phxr6ms2rMore stuff for fans of 'bucket theory' to chew over: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/135/science-innovation-and-technology-committee/news/212270/ukri-shares-first-detailed-comparisons-of-past-and-future-spending-under-new-bucket-model/03 Mar 2026 11:53 +0000at://did:plc:5zk7qrckxeqagkghfdht2bfh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mg5phxr6ms2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/ersatzben.com/post/3metodlkdsc2lI've written about the UKRI funding situation and the 'buckets' explainer, looking in detail at QR, STFC and Quantum. https://www.ersatzben.com/p/the-bucket-stops-here14 Feb 2026 18:41 +0000at://did:plc:5zk7qrckxeqagkghfdht2bfh/app.bsky.feed.post/3metodlkdsc2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/ersatzben.com/post/3medsd2fc2s2kThis is one of the absolute best things I’ve read on the potential impacts of AI on society and democracy. Forensic, principled, and sober. Bravo, @williamcb.bsky.social!! [contains quote post or other embedded content]08 Feb 2026 11:10 +0000at://did:plc:5zk7qrckxeqagkghfdht2bfh/app.bsky.feed.post/3medsd2fc2s2khttps://bsky.app/profile/ersatzben.com/post/3me6n5mgn7k2iLooking again at the UKRI funding 'buckets', I find it weird that QR has been put into 'Bucket 1' (curiosity-driven research), given that it supports a range of activity across all buckets, and REF does not only measure 'curiosity'.06 Feb 2026 09:54 +0000at://did:plc:5zk7qrckxeqagkghfdht2bfh/app.bsky.feed.post/3me6n5mgn7k2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/ersatzben.com/post/3mdt3244gh22sThis is a very good letter. [contains quote post or other embedded content]01 Feb 2026 19:31 +0000at://did:plc:5zk7qrckxeqagkghfdht2bfh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdt3244gh22shttps://bsky.app/profile/ersatzben.com/post/3ma53aopyus2cMy unpopular opinion: Erasmus+ is an elitist waste of money that only benefits young adults that have already “won” by (a) making it to university, and (b) having the plummy, ski-seasoned social capital to have heard of the scheme in the first place.16 Dec 2025 21:20 +0000at://did:plc:5zk7qrckxeqagkghfdht2bfh/app.bsky.feed.post/3ma53aopyus2chttps://bsky.app/profile/ersatzben.com/post/3m5wbym4pns2gThe government has talked about organising R&D into three 'buckets' - discovery research, research aligned to government priorities, and business support. This is a good idea that could fail in the implementation. Here are my 10 tests for success: https://www.ersatzben.com/p/the-three-bucket-problem18 Nov 2025 17:42 +0000at://did:plc:5zk7qrckxeqagkghfdht2bfh/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5wbym4pns2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/ersatzben.com/post/3m4fujlbcks2yI’ll do a detailed Substack take on the DSIT R&D allocations soon — but, on the surface read, it looks like positive news on funding levels and prioritisation. Outstanding Qs: intra-UKRI allocs (esp Dual Support); OLS-IS vfm; ARIA ramp-up readiness; AI implementation pathway30 Oct 2025 11:33 +0000at://did:plc:5zk7qrckxeqagkghfdht2bfh/app.bsky.feed.post/3m4fujlbcks2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/ersatzben.com/post/3m3rxgnv5ec2qSome quick thoughts on the UK post-16 white paper's implications for research: https://www.ersatzben.com/p/uk-post-16-white-paper-implications22 Oct 2025 13:32 +0000at://did:plc:5zk7qrckxeqagkghfdht2bfh/app.bsky.feed.post/3m3rxgnv5ec2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/ersatzben.com/post/3lxwjp5h4bc2mDelighted to be a winner in the latest round of Emergent Ventures! https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2025/09/emergent-ventures-winners-46th-cohort.html I will be pursuing R&D data analytics for policy, building on the work I've been doing on interdisciplinary metrics.03 Sep 2025 11:29 +0000at://did:plc:5zk7qrckxeqagkghfdht2bfh/app.bsky.feed.post/3lxwjp5h4bc2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/ersatzben.com/post/3lxrdcgpc722wBritish research has perfected discipline and outsourced magnificence. The fix is to practise demonstration statecraft – visible proofs of capacity that pair theatre with delivery. A new essay by me for the Better Science Project: https://betterscienceproject.substack.com/p/the-counter-reformation-of-science01 Sep 2025 09:51 +0000at://did:plc:5zk7qrckxeqagkghfdht2bfh/app.bsky.feed.post/3lxrdcgpc722whttps://bsky.app/profile/ersatzben.com/post/3lvay7uclos2w🚨🔧 NEW R&D POLICY TOOLKIT LAUNCHED 🪏🚨 Excited to launch a new @BritishProgress product: an interactive toolkit for UK R&D analysts and policymakers! 🔗 rd-toolkit.britishprogress.org Thread below🧵 https://rd-toolkit.britishprogress.org/31 Jul 2025 11:00 +0000at://did:plc:5zk7qrckxeqagkghfdht2bfh/app.bsky.feed.post/3lvay7uclos2whttps://bsky.app/profile/ersatzben.com/post/3luhtmzk3qs2z🚨 NEW REPORT 🚨 The Alan Turing Institute has visibly struggled, and is now at a critical juncture. The Secretary of State has intervened. What happens next? A new report for @britishprogress.bsky.social by me and @jujulemons.bsky.social sets out a plan: 🧵21 Jul 2025 11:01 +0000at://did:plc:5zk7qrckxeqagkghfdht2bfh/app.bsky.feed.post/3luhtmzk3qs2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/ersatzben.com/post/3ltmfvocv7c2tThis is a really interesting piece that cleverly picks apart the notion of critical technologies, and proposes a framework for A&H research that extends the concept in a way that DSIT ought to find very challenging. [contains quote post or other embedded content]10 Jul 2025 13:13 +0000at://did:plc:5zk7qrckxeqagkghfdht2bfh/app.bsky.feed.post/3ltmfvocv7c2thttps://bsky.app/profile/ersatzben.com/post/3ltkv6j4hj22xWhat counts as interdisciplinary research? And can we tell who is actually funding it, versus just talking about it? A data-driven deep-dive from me here: https://open.substack.com/pub/johnsonb/p/what-actually-counts-as-interdisciplinary?r=tv5yl&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true09 Jul 2025 22:41 +0000at://did:plc:5zk7qrckxeqagkghfdht2bfh/app.bsky.feed.post/3ltkv6j4hj22x