Seal of the LRC
The Lovian Research Council (often shorted to LRC) is the body for funding scientific research in Lovia. It was founded in June 2015, following the passing of the Research Funding Act, which was written by Minister of Science Peter Blanch.
Purpose[]
The role of the council, as outlined by the Act, is to distribute funding provided by the federal government. It is responsible for funding both publicly owned institutions and private enterprises. The council's funding amounts to 3% of taxation revenue, which must be distributed across a range of projects.
Members[]
The law specifies that council members should, between them, have expertise in a variety of scientific fields, and in particular that the CEO should 'be a globally respected researcher in their field.' This is in accordance with the Haldane Principle, which states that decisions regarding funding should be made by researchers themselves and not by politicians. Currently, the only non-scientist member is Jonathan Kelmný, who is responsible for the accounts.
- Edward De Wit, Chief Executive Officer. Professor of Applied Mathematics, Stochastic Analysis and Biostatistics.
- Jonathan Kelmný, Chief Financial Officer.
- Brandon Culligan, Professor of Social Sciences, Head of the Blackburn Royal Center for Religious Survey.
- Rachael Steiner, Senior Researcher in biotechnology for Costello Enterprises.
- Henry Haines, trained medical doctor and current lecturer in cancer biology.
- Hannah O'Creagh, Professor of Physical Chemistry; research speciality is atmospheric chemistry.
Other potential members[]
Peter Blanch, the Minister of Science and founder of the Council, was mooted as a possible member, due to his expertise in biological research. Blanch stated that the role appealed to him, and that he would 'like to do it one day', but that he believed the Council should not be under direct political influence, as this could affect its neutrality and thus credibility.
A more controversial suggestion was Caroline Tywomeski, whose background is in electrical engineering; she is also a Trotskyist member of CPL.nm and is considered one of the most far-left politicians in Lovia. Unlike Blanch, Tywomeski expressed interest in the role. CEO De Wit stated: 'The [Tywomeski] situation is very difficult for us. A political extremist on the Council would be very bad for our image and credibility, and thus for Lovian science in general. On the other hand, to refuse a well-qualified researcher a place on the Council because of their political views would be totally unacceptable in my eyes and would wreck the reputation of Lovian science for neutrality and objectivity.' In the end, the Council decided not to appoint Tywomeski, citing a lack of research experience.