New universities veto JIF

* New universities appear to have steered clear of the government's new joint infrastructure fund to replace out-of-date and run-down university research equipment and infrastructure. Just 5 per cent (eight of around 140) of the first-round JIF bids received by the research councils came from new universities. The research councils are looking after the physical sciences side of JIF. Only two bids from post-1992 universities received by the Wellcome Trust, looking after the biological sciences, made it as far as the joint executive committee, where 135 of the original 180 bids were considered. No new universities were represented among the 37 successful principal applicants to the first round.