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Health and Care Research Wales

Health and care research wales is a national, multi-faceted, virtual organisation funded and overseen by the welsh government’s division for social care and health research. .

It provides an infrastructure to support and increase capacity in research and development (R&D), and runs a number of funding schemes and manages the NHS R&D funding allocation in Wales.

It's aim is to generate and support excellent research to improve the health and care of people in Wales across a range of conditions and settings. It is doing this by:

• Providing an infrastructure to increase research capacity.
• Providing a support service at every stage of the research process.
• Running funding schemes for high-quality research projects.
• Ensuring public involvement and engagement in research.
• Collaborating with the NHS, social care, academia, industry and the third sector.

The support and delivery infrastructure across Wales includes a network of local Research and Development Offices funded by Welsh Government, including the R&D Office in Public Health Wales. Together, they provide support for the development, set-up and delivery of research. This can include helping researchers to develop research ideas and identify costs, advice and guidance on research processes and applying for research approval or providing research staff to work with healthcare teams to deliver research studies.

What is research? by Health and Care Research Wales

Research helps us stay wonderful. For more information on how you can be included in health and social care research, why not talk to your family doctor, your nurse or care provider today, or visit https://www.healthandcareresearch.gov.wales/extraordinary/?force=1

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The Learned Society of Wales

Learned society of wales showcases the transformative power of welsh university research.

The Learned Society of Wales (LSW) has today unveiled a groundbreaking report that provides a snapshot of research being undertaken at Welsh universities and the positive impact it is having on people.

LSW commissioned King’s College London to produce ‘The impacts of research from Welsh universities’ , an analysis of 280 impact case studies submitted to the Research Excellence Framework in 2021 (REF 2021). This analysis shines a light on the many ways in which research from Welsh universities enhances local communities and makes a difference across the world.

The ‘ Making an Impact’ report provides a dynamic and high-level overview of the core findings. It highlights the extraordinary achievements driven by research, offering real-life examples that demonstrate how Welsh university research continues to significantly impact lives in Wales and across the globe.

The report, funded in collaboration with the Higher Education Funding Council, Welsh Government and Wales Innovation Network, unveils a range of findings, underscoring the depth and breadth of contributions made by Welsh university research. An impressive quarter of the research impact benefitted children and young people, but it doesn’t stop there. There are a total of 25 different groups of people that benefitted from the impact of Welsh research, from families to carers, policy-makers to the elderly. A local focus is evident as 70% of the reported research has had a direct impact within Wales. Yet, the global reach is undeniable, with over 60% extending internationally to countries such as Australia, China, Norway, and Japan, emphasising the global significance and demonstrating the expansive reach of our Welsh universities.

On the economic front, a third of the case studies illustrated the tangible financial outcomes of Welsh research showing how our universities, working with industry partners, can fuel economic progression. When considering partnership working, a remarkable 94% of the case studies underlined the role of external partnerships, from international organisations to charities, and business to government, underscoring the interconnected nature of research. The report also identifies the significant drive towards improving processes and practices, with 85% of the case studies citing enhancements in key sectors, notably health, education, and public administration.

Professor Hywel Thomas, President of the Learned Society of Wales, commented on the report’s findings: “This analysis underlines the monumental role of Welsh universities in fostering research and innovation and reshaping the fabric of society. Not only does it demonstrate the commitment and expertise of our academic community, but it also reflects LSW’s steadfast belief in knowledge’s transformative power to benefit Wales and beyond. As the UK looks forward to full association with the Horizon Europe programme, we are optimistic about the increased collaborative opportunities and the potential for even greater societal advancement in the future.”

The Learned Society of Wales reaffirms its mission to champion the role of research in solving global challenges and emphasises the long-term nature of research as a dedicated journey towards real world impact.

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• NHS 111 Wales

Study finds significant reductions in cancer diagnoses in Wales during the Covid-19 pandemic

Published: 20 May 2022

The study, published in the British Journal of Cancer this month, found that over a thousand fewer new cases of three common cancers were diagnosed in Wales in 2020 compared to 2019, equivalent to a reduction of 15 percent. The largest reduction in new cases of almost a fifth occurred for breast (19 percent) and bowel (17 percent) cancers, although by the end of 2020, lung cancer cases had reduced by only 8 percent, in contrast.

To help understand what happened to cancer diagnoses in Wales during the first full year of the pandemic in 2020, a new research group: DATA-CAN Cancer Collaboration Cymru (DATA-CAN CCC) analysed NHS Wales cancer data on breast, bowel and lung cancer diagnoses.

This was the first national population-level study of its kind to use health service cancer data to quantify in detail the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on cancer diagnosis in 2020.

The largest reductions occurred for breast cancer amongst women aged 50-69 years old (24 percent), and amongst people aged 80 years and older, for whom diagnoses reduced by about a fifth in each of the three cancer types. Early stage breast cancer was particularly affected, reducing by 42 percent. Cases of early and late stages of bowel cancer all reduced by about a quarter to a third each.

The study also found that breast cancer cases diagnosed via screening decreased by 48 percent in 2020 compared to 2019. In contrast, bowel cancer cases detected through screening fell by only 13 percent.

Dr Sharon Hillier, Director of the Screening Division at Public Health Wales said: “The decrease in screen-detected breast and bowel cancer over this period was expected as the two screening programmes were paused in March 2020 in line with government recommendations to suspend non-urgent appointments. Both programmes were restarted from July 2020 with Covid-safe measures and have continued throughout the rest of the pandemic. During the pause, Breast Test Wales provided support to hospital services for women referred with symptoms of breast cancer, and Bowel Screening Wales provided testing support to prioritise suspected cases of bowel cancer referred by GP services for further investigation.”

Diagnoses after GP referral for urgent suspected cancer decreased the most for bowel cancer and lung cancer diagnosis. The  percentage of cases diagnosed through an emergency hospital attendance during 2020 remained similar to 2019 for lung cancer at around a third of cases, and for bowel cancer at around a quarter of cases each year.

The study suggested that the results were possibly due to Covid-19 infections and illness, self-isolation and deaths in the community, as well as necessary public health responses to the Covid-19 pandemic including; mandated lockdowns, strong stay-at-home messages, and changes to the way of accessing screening, GP and hospital services.

The study observed that the monthly pattern of diagnosis numbers and the healthcare route to diagnosis changed throughout 2020, particularly for cancer diagnoses after GP referrals for urgent suspected cancer, coinciding with varying changes in access to health services and lockdowns.

Study lead, Professor Dyfed Wyn Huws, Director of the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit said: “With over a thousand fewer cases diagnosed across three common cancers during 2020, the study suggests there may also be large numbers of patients with other types of undiagnosed cancer.”

Although the pandemic, along with public health and healthcare responses to it have abated somewhat, the study still suggests that extensive alterations to healthcare routes to diagnosis, increases in later-stage diagnoses and an increase in the number of undiagnosed patients with new cancers will occur.

The new DATA-CAN CCC research group is led by Public Health Wales’ Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit and includes the Population Data Science team at Swansea University and their SAIL Databank, Health Data Research UK Wales-Northern Ireland, DATA-CAN - The Health Data Research Hub for Cancer, Queens University Belfast, Swansea Bay University Health Board and the University of Oxford.

Image credit: B0006421 Breast cancer cells, Annie Cavanagh (2006). Wellcome Images (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

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Next phase of the Sêr Cymru research funding programme

Our proposals for the next phase of the Sêr Cymru research funding programme.

This file may not be fully accessible.

In this page

Background to the sêr cymru programme.

The Sêr Cymru research funding programme has existed for just under a decade and has facilitated impactful, interdisciplinary research in areas such as life sciences, environment, engineering and Coronavirus (COVID-19).

It has successfully built research capacity and capability in Wales, generating over £191 million in research income. Sêr Cymru II remains operational until the end of June 2023, when our European funding comes to an end.

Details of previous phases of Sêr Cymru

The first phase of Sêr Cymru launched in 2012 and focused on increasing capability. It included:

• Research Chairs
• National Research Networks (NRNs)

Following the success of phase 1, phase 2 focused on increasing the capacity which included:

• Rising Stars
• Fellowships
• Recapturing Talent

This phase also focused on increasing capacity of the programme. It included:

• Accelerator Infrastructure Awards
• Accelerator Strategic Partnership Awards
• National Research Network (NRNs) management costs
• Industrial Fellowships
• Accelerator Capacity Building Awards

This phase of Sêr Cymru focused on enhancing competitiveness infrastructure awards and tackling coronavirus (COVID-19).

One of the Welsh Government’s 5 priorities for research, development and innovation is to: 

“Continue to grow Wales’ capacity for excellent research by launching the next phase of Sêr Cymru”’. 

Objective of this consultation

We are now asking for views on proposals for the next phase of Sêr Cymru, which seeks to provide funding opportunities that will enhance research capability and collaboration across Wales.

Overview of proposals

The next stage of the programme is currently entitled the Sêr Cymru National Institute of Advanced Studies (SCNIAS) / Sêr Cymru IV (working titles) and, subject to consultation and approvals, we aim to launch in Autumn/Winter 2022.

This new stage of the programme is proposing 8 components with a potential to fund over 3 financial years, however, with budget restraints, it may not be possible to support all components. Evidence collated from this consultation will help prioritise and refine delivery mechanisms to ensure the continuing success of the programme.

We will be seeking opportunities to ensure all funding calls are attractive and accessible to a diverse range of applicants.

Funding for each element would be predominately from Welsh Government, however we would expect a level of co-funding from the host institution for each of the components.

A level of theming will need to be applied to the programme to prioritise limited funds and facilitate alignment to emerging priorities, however the programme overall will remain flexible and will act in response to changes in policy and other contextual challenges. The calls themselves will likely be more specific to deal with emerging priorities.

The funding available is within the region of just over £10 million over 3 financial years (2022 to 2023; 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025).

The next section outlines the proposed components and consultation questions.

Please note we are intending to launch a separate equipment call in the autumn, subject to Ministerial agreement. Further details will be published on Sêr Cymru .

Proposed themes

The proposed broad, and cross cutting, themes for the next phase of the Sêr Cymru programme are as follows:

Broad themes

• life sciences
• health and social care
• low carbon and net zero
• environment and land use
• marine and fisheries
• biodiversity
• engineering
• tourism, sports, arts

Cross-cutting themes

• social sciences
• Welsh language

Proposed components

The proposed components of the next phase of Sêr Cymru are listed below. See diagram including the components of previous and proposed phases of Sêr Cymru .

• Capacity Building Awards

A flexible strand of funding to support time-limited new researcher positions and enable the programme to build upon the capacity and capability already achieved (for example; Fellowships, ‘Rising Stars’, Research Chairs or proposals that support the development of Clusters of Excellence in strategic priority areas).

• Incoming International Fellowships

Funding for outstanding academics or business leaders linked to Universities to visit Wales for a period of up to 2 months to develop collaborations and offer opportunities for the enrichment of research life in Wales.

• Outgoing International Fellowships

Funding for researchers at all career stages to visit internationally recognised centres and academics for up to 2 months to develop collaborations and international experience.

• Industry Academia Fellowships

Financial support for National and International Fellowships that sit at the interface of academia and industry, to sharpen the focus of research towards business needs and potential collaboration.

• PhD Studentships

A dedicated funding stream to help grow research capacity and cover the costs of doctoral training at Universities in Wales.

• Returning Fellowships

A flexible funding stream designed to encourage retention and capture talent in Wales by supporting post-doctoral researchers returning from a period of absence.

• National Research Networks

Provide support to establish or support existing networks between academics and associated organisations and industries across Wales in specific themed areas of expertise.

• Funding for workshops and events

An opportunity to submit proposals to run dedicated workshops and/or symposia in an area of relevance to researchers in their institution and across Wales.

Consultation questions

Question 1: please answer the following questions for each of the 8 proposed components of the next phase of sêr cymru detailed above., question 1a: would you support inclusion of ‘capacity building awards’ in the next phase of the sêr cymru programme.

Please explain your response further if you can, including any suggestions for how this element would work best.

Question 1b: Would you support inclusion of ‘Incoming International Fellowships’ in the next phase of the Sêr Cymru programme?

Question 1c: would you support inclusion of ‘outgoing international fellowships’ in the next phase of the sêr cymru programme, question 1d: would you support inclusion of ‘industry academia fellowships’ in the next phase of the sêr cymru programme, question 1e: would you support inclusion of ‘phd studentships’ in the next phase of the sêr cymru programme, question 1f: would you support inclusion of ‘returning fellowships’ in the next phase of the sêr cymru programme, question 1g: would you support inclusion of ‘national research networks’ in the next phase of the sêr cymru programme, question 1h: would you support inclusion of ‘funding for workshops and events’ in the next phase of the sêr cymru programme, question 2: where would you rank each of the components.

Please indicate a ranking number between 1 and 8, where 1 = top priority and 8 = lowest priority.

Please give a different ranking for each element, and explain your response further if you can..

• Capacity Building Awards    
• National and International Industry Academia Fellowships
• Returning Fellowships programme    

Question 3: Do you feel there are any components missing from the proposed funding programme?

If yes please explain what you feel is missing further if you can.

Question 4: Would you find it beneficial to have the option to propose a phased project, incorporating a number of components?

Please explain your response further if you can.

Question 5: Do you agree with ‘Sêr Cymru National Institute of Advanced Studies (SCNIAS)’ or ‘Sêr Cymru IV’ as the proposed title of the next phase of the programme?

• Sêr Cymru National Institute of Advanced Studies (SCNIAS)
• Sêr Cymru IV

Question 6: Do you agree that a proposed outcome should be enhanced collaboration?

Question 7: this question is about the proposed broad themes for the new programme detailed below:.

Broad themes:

Cross-cutting themes:

Question 7a: Where would you rank each of the broad themes? Please indicate a ranking number between 1 and 9 (1 = top priority and 9 = lowest priority)

Question 7b: do you agree with the cross-cutting themes, question 7c: do you feel any themes are missing (broad or cross-cutting).

Please explain your response further if you can. 

Question 8: What mechanisms could we put in place to make Sêr Cymru funding opportunities more attractive and accessible to a diverse range of applicants? 

Question 9: is there anything else you wish to feedback about the proposed funding programme, question 10: which stakeholder group would you consider yourself to represent.

• Community group
• Private Sector
• Public Sector
• Research organisations / academic institutions
• Third Sector
• Other (please specify)

Question 11: We would like to know your views on the effects that the next phase of the Sêr Cymru research funding programme would have on the Welsh language, specifically on opportunities for people to use Welsh and on treating the Welsh language no less favourably than English. 

What effects do you think there would be how could positive effects be increased, or negative effects be mitigated , question 12: please also explain how you believe the proposed plan for the next phase of the sêr cymru research funding programme could be formulated or changed so as to have positive effects or increased positive effects on opportunities for people to use the welsh language and on treating the welsh language no less favourably than the english language, and, no adverse effects on opportunities for people to use the welsh language and on treating the welsh language no less favourably than the english language. , question 13: we have asked a number of specific questions. if you have any related issues which we have not specifically addressed, please use this space to report them., how to respond.

The closing date for responses is 19 October 2022.

This consultation is a shorter, 8 week consultation, rather than the 12 weeks usually recommended. This is deemed appropriate, timely and in public interest to move at pace with the ongoing changes relating to research funding at a UK level and because the key stakeholders form a relatively specific group.

You can respond in any of the following ways:

• complete our online form
• download our online response form and email to: [email protected]
• download and print our online response form and post to:

Sêr Cymru Consultation Welsh Government Office for Science Welsh Government Cathays Park Cardiff CF10 3NQ

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

The Welsh Government will be data controller for any personal data you provide as part of your response to the consultation. Welsh Ministers have statutory powers they will rely on to process this personal data which will enable them to make informed decisions about how they exercise their public functions. Any response you send us will be seen in full by Welsh Government staff dealing with the issues which this consultation is about or planning future consultations. Where the Welsh Government undertakes further analysis of consultation responses then this work may be commissioned to be carried out by an accredited third party (e.g. a research organisation or a consultancy company). Any such work will only be undertaken under contract. Welsh Government’s standard terms and conditions for such contracts set out strict requirements for the processing and safekeeping of personal data.

In order to show that the consultation was carried out properly, the Welsh Government intends to publish a summary of the responses to this document. We may also publish responses in full. Normally, the name and address (or part of the address) of the person or organisation who sent the response are published with the response. If you do not want your name or address published, please tell us this in writing when you send your response. We will then redact them before publishing.

You should also be aware of our responsibilities under Freedom of Information legislation.

If your details are published as part of the consultation response then these published reports will be retained indefinitely. Any of your data held otherwise by Welsh Government will be kept for no more than three years.

Your rights

Under the data protection legislation, you have the right:

• to be informed of the personal data held about you and to access it
• to require us to rectify inaccuracies in that data
• to (in certain circumstances) object to or restrict processing
• for (in certain circumstances) your data to be ‘erased’
• to (in certain circumstances) data portability
• to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) who is our independent regulator for data protection.

Responses to consultations are likely to be made public, on the internet or in a report. If you would prefer your response to remain anonymous, please  tell us . 

For further details about the information the Welsh Government holds and its use, or if you want to exercise your rights under the GDPR, please see contact details below:

Data Protection Officer

Data Protection Officer Welsh Government Cathays Park Cardiff CF10 3NQ

E-mail:  [email protected]

Information Commissioner’s Office

Information Commissioner’s Office Wycliffe House Water Lane Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF

Telephone: 01625 545 745 or 0303 123 1113

Website:  ico.org.uk

Further information and related documents

Number: WG45529

For further information:

You can view this document in alternative languages. If you need it in a different format, please  contact us .

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Going live: Rolling out the new curriculum from this September

Children’s education has been firmly in the spotlight since the start of the pandemic. It is within this context that, seven and a half years after Professor Graham Donaldson’s landmark Successful Futures review, many schools across Wales will finally begin teaching the new (age 3-16) Curriculum for Wales this September.

Successful Futures provided the blueprint for this new ‘purpose-based’ curriculum, with more emphasis on the skills needed for adult life and aiming to teach what matters.

Schools, teachers and other stakeholders were given a leading role in developing the new curriculum, which the Welsh Government hopes will complement its long-standing school standards agenda . Between 2020 and 2021, the Senedd then scrutinised and passed the Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Act 2021 to establish the new curriculum.

This article provides some background ahead of the Minister for Education and Welsh Language’s Plenary statement on Tuesday about the Curriculum for Wales roll-out.

Information can also be found in the curriculum annual report just published by the Welsh Government.

How is the new Curriculum for Wales being rolled out?

The new curriculum will be introduced in all publicly funded nursery settings and primary schools this September. Secondary schools were given a choice of whether to teach it to Year 7 in 2022/23, as originally planned, or wait a further year until it also becomes statutory for Year 8 in September 2023.

The Curriculum for Wales will then be rolled out to additional older year groups, year by year, until reaching Year 11 in 2026/27. Nearly half of secondary schools have decided to introduce the new curriculum in Year 7 this September. They’re listed in the Commencement Order . The first cohort to take qualifications associated with the new curriculum will be 2026/27’s Year 11 (children who are now about to finish Year 6).

Early Years

Primary School

Year 7 - optional for schools

What does the new Curriculum for Wales look like?

The new curriculum shifts away from a relatively prescribed content-based national curriculum at present to a purpose-based broad framework, within which schools will design their own curriculum.  

Publicly funded nurseries providing education for 3 to 5 year olds can choose whether to adopt the early years curriculum the Welsh Government has provided for them or, like schools, design their own against the national framework.

The Welsh Government has published the curriculum framework on Hwb . Unlike the current national curriculum, there will be no programmes of study setting out exactly what must be taught.

In addition to the four purposes , the Curriculum for Wales will be structured around six Areas of Learning and Experience (AOLEs) . The AoLEs are based on “statements of what matters” (i.e. what is important for children and young people to learn about), which are set out in a statutory code . “Principles of progression” and “descriptions of learning” provide high-level details of what should be covered within each AoLE.

There will be three cross-curricular skills (literacy, numeracy and digital competence) and developmentally appropriate Relationships and Sexuality Education , and Religion, Values and Ethics , will be mandatory from age 3. Welsh will be mandatory from age 3 and English from age 7. This is to enable Welsh-medium settings to immerse children fully in the Welsh language until the end of Year 2.

Four purposes:

Six areas of learning and experience:, three cross-curricular skills:, four mandatory elements:, three statutory codes:, how will learners’ progress be assessed.

The Minister emphasised in the Senedd only recently , that the purpose of assessment is to inform the way teachers support pupils, separate to school performance and accountability measures .

As required by the 2021 Act, the Welsh Government has made regulations about arrangements for assessing learners’ progress and the teaching necessary to make further progress.

The Welsh Government has also issued a Progression Code setting out how a school’s curriculum should provide for the appropriate progression of its learners.  The Progression Code sets out five principles of progression and how these apply within each of the six Areas of Learning and Experience.

Learners’ progression (how they develop and improve their skills and knowledge over time) is a key concept within the new curriculum, with “progression steps” in each AoLE setting out where a learner is expected to be, at certain ages. The Welsh Government has issued a Ministerial Direction to those working in education to promote and maintain a shared understanding of what is meant by progression in relation to the Curriculum for Wales.

The Welsh Government has also issued assessment guidance on supporting learner progression and transitioning between the national curriculum and the Curriculum for Wales .

What is happening to qualifications?

The qualifications taken by 16 year olds need to change substantially, such is the level of change to the curriculum. The regulator, Qualifications Wales, is reviewing and reforming qualifications in stages, involving several public consultations.

• The first of these took place between 2019 and 2020 and concluded that the GCSE brand should be retained but that the content and assessment of GCSE qualifications should change.
• Following a second consultation, Qualifications Wales announced its decisions over which subjects there would be at GCSE level in October 2021, with a subsequent decision about GCSE Welsh in February 2022.
• Qualifications Wales is now working with stakeholders to develop the proposed design, content and assessment for the new qualifications in each individual subject within each AoLE.
• Qualifications Wales is also looking at the wider qualifications offer for 14 to 16 year olds , notably non-GCSE qualifications.

All of this work will need to be completed, with enough preparation and lead-in time, ahead of the first cohort of 16 year olds studying for GCSEs under the new curriculum in 2026/27.

How is curriculum reform being scrutinised?

Curriculum reform has been frequently discussed and examined in Plenary. Alongside that, the Senedd’s Children, Young People and Education Committee is scrutinising implementation through a series of ‘check ins’ throughout this Senedd (up to May 2026), along with other major reforms to the way pupils with Additional Learning Needs are supported. The Committee has launched an ongoing call for evidence .

Some of the issues likely to be considered include:

• whether more school autonomy, albeit within a broad national framework, could lead to inconsistency and variation in the education children and young people receive and exacerbate existing inequalities;
• the level of professional learning needed for the education workforce: the Welsh Government has allocated around £37 million in 2022-23 to teachers’ professional learning, mainly for the new curriculum, following £43 million since 2018;
• the impact of the new curriculum on Wales’ long-standing mission to raise educational standards ;
• the associated reform of qualifications ; and
• the financial position facing schools , the impact of the pandemic and the costs of the new curriculum, examined by Audit Wales in May.

Whatever is in the Minister’s statement next week, interest in how the new curriculum will work in practice is likely to remain in the spotlight once it goes live.

How to follow the debate

The Minister is due to give his statement in Plenary at around 5:00pm on Tuesday 5 July 2022 . You can watch it on Senedd TV and read the transcript afterwards.

Article by Michael Dauncey , Senedd Research, Welsh Parliament  

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Society happy Vaughan Gething shares its interest in “partnership working”

The Learned Society of Wales has congratulated Vaughan Gething on becoming the first minister of Wales, saying he shares its interest in “partnership working”.

During his tenure as the economic minister, from 2021 to 2024, Gething invited the society to co-host and organise a roundtable discussion on the draft of the Innovation Strategy for Wales that was published last year, the society highlighted.

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PFAS 'forever chemicals' above drinking water guidelines in global source water

Photo: Getty Images.

We’re likely underestimating the future impact of PFAS in the environment, a new UNSW Sydney-led study shows.

Per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances – commonly known as PFAS – are a group of over 14,000 human-made chemicals that have been popular since the 1950s for their diverse uses in resisting heat, water, grease and stains.  

They’ve been commonly found in household products like non-stick frying pans, clothing, cosmetics, insecticides, and food packaging, as well as specialty industry products, like firefighting foam. 

But despite their broad skillset, the chemicals have a dark side: they’re known as ‘forever chemicals’ because once they’re in the environment – or our bodies – they don’t degrade further.  

PFAS have been linked to environmental and health issues, including some cancers, but a lot remains unknown about the true scale and potential impacts of the problem – including how much is in our water supply. 

A new UNSW-led international study, published today in Nature Geoscience , assessed the levels of PFAS contamination in surface and ground water around the globe.  

It found that much of our global source water exceeds PFAS safe drinking limits. 

“Many of our source waters are above PFAS regulatory limits,” says senior author of the study, UNSW Engineering Professor Denis O’Carroll. 

“We already knew that PFAS is pervasive in the environment, but I was surprised to find out the large fraction of source waters that are above drinking water advisory recommendations,” he says.

“We're talking above 5 per cent, and it goes over 50 per cent in some cases.” 

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The research team pulled together PFAS measurements from sources around the world, including government reports, databases, and peer-reviewed literature. Altogether, they collated more than 45,000 data points, which span roughly 20 years.  

It’s the first study to quantify the environmental burden of PFAS on a global scale.

The study also found high concentrations of PFAS in Australia, with many locations above recommended drinking water levels. This tended to be in areas where firefighting foams had been used in the past, such as military institutions and fire training facilities.  

Prof. O’Carroll stresses that these PFAS traces are found in source water, such as dams, and not drinking water itself – drinking water goes through treatment plants, some of which are designed to reduce the amount of chemicals such as PFAS in our water before it comes out of the tap.  

But some water providers – for example, Sydney Water – don’t routinely measure the broad range of PFAS potentially in our drinking water, says Prof. O’Carroll.

“Drinking water is largely safe, and I don't hesitate drinking it,” he says. “I also don’t suggest that bottled water is better, because it doesn’t mean that they’ve done anything differently than what comes out of the tap.

“But I certainly think that monitoring PFAS levels and making the data easily available is worthwhile.”

A contentious debate: how much PFAS is too much?

Most people in Australia – and in many places around the world – are likely to have low levels of PFAS in their bodies. 

But the potential health risks of PFAS chemicals are poorly understood and haven’t been agreed on universally. 

According to an Australian Government expert health panel, there is limited to no evidence that PFAS poses clinically significant harm to human health – although further afield, peak bodies in the US and Europe suggest that PFAS is linked to adverse health outcomes, such as lower birth weight in babies, higher levels of cholesterol, reduced kidney function, thyroid disease, altered sex hormone levels, reduced vaccine response, and liver, kidney, and testicular cancers.

In 2023, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared PFOA, a type of PFAS, a category one human carcinogen. 

While PFAS has been linked to many of these health outcomes, they haven’t necessarily been shown to cause them – but given the potential risks and ‘forever’ nature of these chemicals, many regulatory bodies have tightened PFAS use and introduced safe drinking water limits as a precaution.

“Two forms of PFAS initially raised of concerns about 20 years ago: PFOS and PFOA,” says Prof. O’Carroll. 

“These chemicals are regulated to different extents around the world. In the US, the proposed drinking water limits for PFOS and PFOA are four nanograms per litre.”

A third PFAS is also regulated in Australia, called PFHxS. Here, the sum of PFOS and PFHxS is limited to 70 nanograms per litre – well above the four nanograms per litre combined PFOS and PFOA limit in the US. 

But our acceptable levels for PFOA in drinking water is even higher. 

“PFOA, on the other hand, is regulated in Australia at 560 nanograms per litre, which is two orders of magnitude higher than in the US,” says Prof. O’Carroll. 

We’re likely underestimating the environmental burden posed by PFAS. Prof. Denis O'Carroll

While Australia’s limits seem relaxed compared to the US, both countries’ recommended drinking water guidelines pale when compared to Canada’s: here, rather than limiting only two or three forms of PFAS in drinking water, Canada tallies up the sum of all 14,000 PFAS and limits the overall number to 30 nanograms per litre.

The study found that 69 per cent of global groundwater samples with no known contamination source exceeded Health Canada’s safe drinking water criteria, while 32 per cent of the same samples exceeded the US’s proposed drinking water hazard index. 

“There’s debate about what level PFAS should be regulated to,” says Prof. O’Carroll. “Australia has much higher limits than the US, but the question is why.

“Both health bodies would have different reasoning for that, and there’s not a really strong consensus here.” 

An underestimated risk

The study suggests that actual PFAS pollution in global water resources could be higher than suspected. 

This is, in part, due to us only monitoring and regulating a limited number of the 14,000 PFAS in existence, and also because the levels of PFAS in consumer products are higher than expected.

“There’s a real unknown amount of PFAS that we’re not measuring in the environment,” says Prof. O’Carroll. “Commercial products like garments and food packaging have a lot more PFAS in them than we realise.  

“This means we’re likely underestimating the environmental burden posed by PFAS.”

Prof. O’Carroll and his team are now trying to develop their research by quantifying these levels of PFAS from commercial products in the environment.  

They’re also working to develop technologies that can degrade PFAS in drinking water systems, and looking at developing predictive models that determine where PFAS will go in the environment.

“Part of this is figuring out how PFAS will associate with different parts of the environment and our bodies – proteins, for example,” says Prof. O’Carroll. 

These studies will be in progress over the next two years and aim to be completed by 2026.

In the meantime, Prof. O’Carroll says manufacturers and consumers alike need to be careful and do our due diligence when using products containing PFAS. 

“We manufacture and distribute a lot of chemicals without having a full assessment on their potential health impacts,” he says.

“We should have judicious use of some of these chemicals. Just because they’re available, doesn't mean that we should use them.”

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Prestigious cancer research institute has retracted 7 studies amid controversy over errors

Seven studies from researchers at the prestigious Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have been retracted over the last two months after a scientist blogger alleged that images used in them had been manipulated or duplicated.

The retractions are the latest development in a monthslong controversy around research at the Boston-based institute, which is a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. 

The issue came to light after Sholto David, a microbiologist and volunteer science sleuth based in Wales, published a scathing post on his blog in January, alleging errors and manipulations of images across dozens of papers produced primarily by Dana-Farber researchers . The institute acknowledged errors and subsequently announced that it had requested six studies to be retracted and asked for corrections in 31 more papers. Dana-Farber also said, however, that a review process for errors had been underway before David’s post. 

Now, at least one more study has been retracted than Dana-Farber initially indicated, and David said he has discovered an additional 30 studies from authors affiliated with the institute that he believes contain errors or image manipulations and therefore deserve scrutiny.

The episode has imperiled the reputation of a major cancer research institute and raised questions about one high-profile researcher there, Kenneth Anderson, who is a senior author on six of the seven retracted studies. 

Anderson is a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and the director of the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center at Dana-Farber. He did not respond to multiple emails or voicemails requesting comment. 

The retractions and new allegations add to a larger, ongoing debate in science about how to protect scientific integrity and reduce the incentives that could lead to misconduct or unintentional mistakes in research. 

The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has moved relatively swiftly to seek retractions and corrections. 

“Dana-Farber is deeply committed to a culture of accountability and integrity, and as an academic research and clinical care organization we also prioritize transparency,” Dr. Barrett Rollins, the institute’s integrity research officer, said in a statement. “However, we are bound by federal regulations that apply to all academic medical centers funded by the National Institutes of Health among other federal agencies. Therefore, we cannot share details of internal review processes and will not comment on personnel issues.”

The retracted studies were originally published in two journals: One in the Journal of Immunology and six in Cancer Research. Six of the seven focused on multiple myeloma, a form of cancer that develops in plasma cells. Retraction notices indicate that Anderson agreed to the retractions of the papers he authored.

Elisabeth Bik, a microbiologist and longtime image sleuth, reviewed several of the papers’ retraction statements and scientific images for NBC News and said the errors were serious. 

“The ones I’m looking at all have duplicated elements in the photos, where the photo itself has been manipulated,” she said, adding that these elements were “signs of misconduct.” 

Dr.  John Chute, who directs the division of hematology and cellular therapy at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and has contributed to studies about multiple myeloma, said the papers were produced by pioneers in the field, including Anderson. 

“These are people I admire and respect,” he said. “Those were all high-impact papers, meaning they’re highly read and highly cited. By definition, they have had a broad impact on the field.” 

Chute said he did not know the authors personally but had followed their work for a long time.

“Those investigators are some of the leading people in the field of myeloma research and they have paved the way in terms of understanding our biology of the disease,” he said. “The papers they publish lead to all kinds of additional work in that direction. People follow those leads and industry pays attention to that stuff and drug development follows.”

The retractions offer additional evidence for what some science sleuths have been saying for years: The more you look for errors or image manipulation, the more you might find, even at the top levels of science. 

Scientific images in papers are typically used to present evidence of an experiment’s results. Commonly, they show cells or mice; other types of images show key findings like western blots — a laboratory method that identifies proteins — or bands of separated DNA molecules in gels. 

Science sleuths sometimes examine these images for irregular patterns that could indicate errors, duplications or manipulations. Some artificial intelligence companies are training computers to spot these kinds of problems, as well. 

Duplicated images could be a sign of sloppy lab work or data practices. Manipulated images — in which a researcher has modified an image heavily with photo editing tools — could indicate that images have been exaggerated, enhanced or altered in an unethical way that could change how other scientists interpret a study’s findings or scientific meaning. 

Top scientists at big research institutions often run sprawling laboratories with lots of junior scientists. Critics of science research and publishing systems allege that a lack of opportunities for young scientists, limited oversight and pressure to publish splashy papers that can advance careers could incentivize misconduct. 

These critics, along with many science sleuths, allege that errors or sloppiness are too common , that research organizations and authors often ignore concerns when they’re identified, and that the path from complaint to correction is sluggish. 

“When you look at the amount of retractions and poor peer review in research today, the question is, what has happened to the quality standards we used to think existed in research?” said Nick Steneck, an emeritus professor at the University of Michigan and an expert on science integrity.

David told NBC News that he had shared some, but not all, of his concerns about additional image issues with Dana-Farber. He added that he had not identified any problems in four of the seven studies that have been retracted. 

“It’s good they’ve picked up stuff that wasn’t in the list,” he said. 

NBC News requested an updated tally of retractions and corrections, but Ellen Berlin, a spokeswoman for Dana-Farber, declined to provide a new list. She said that the numbers could shift and that the institute did not have control over the form, format or timing of corrections. 

“Any tally we give you today might be different tomorrow and will likely be different a week from now or a month from now,” Berlin said. “The point of sharing numbers with the public weeks ago was to make clear to the public that Dana-Farber had taken swift and decisive action with regard to the articles for which a Dana-Farber faculty member was primary author.” 

She added that Dana-Farber was encouraging journals to correct the scientific record as promptly as possible. 

Bik said it was unusual to see a highly regarded U.S. institution have multiple papers retracted. 

“I don’t think I’ve seen many of those,” she said. “In this case, there was a lot of public attention to it and it seems like they’re responding very quickly. It’s unusual, but how it should be.”

Evan Bush is a science reporter for NBC News. He can be reached at [email protected].

Wales’ highly efficient research sector “punches above its weight” – new report

Sector ymchwil hynod effeithlon cymru yn “rhagori ar ei faint” – adroddiad newydd.

Wales’ research institutions achieve results beyond their scale, according to a report published today (Monday, August 2)

Today sees the publication of ‘A Performance-based Assessment of the Welsh Research Base’, which looks at the research produced by Welsh universities, partnerships and other institutions between 2010 and 2018.

The review was commissioned by Professor Peter Halligan, the Chief Scientific Adviser for Wales, and carried out by Elsevier, an international information analytics company.

The report shows that over the last 20 years, Wales has boosted the volume, quality, and international reach of its research base to become one of the most efficient UK nations at converting relatively small levels of funding into highly-regarded and innovative research.

Despite Wales comprising 0.1% of the world’s researchers and securing only 0.05% of global R&D funding, it succeeds in producing 0.3% of the world’s research articles; 0.5% of citations and 0.5% of the most highly-cited articles.

Some of the other key findings in the report include:

• Wales’ share of the top 5% of most highly-cited publications is twice the global average;
• Wales’s citation impact is 80% above the global average and 13% above UK average;
• Despite a comparatively small research base, Wales is highly efficient in terms of output vs spending;
• Collaboration between corporations and academic institutions in Wales grew by a fifth between 2010 and 2018;
• Wales has 3.4% of all of the UK’s researchers, but they produce 4% of its output.
• More than half of Wales‘s research output was produced in international collaboration.

Recent examples of ground-breaking Welsh research work include the establishment of a UK-wide network to test for Covid-19 in wastewater by Bangor University.

Backed by Welsh Government funding, the new epidemiology network helped to inform public health decisions during the pandemic; built up future pandemic preparedness and highlighted the important role played by the wastewater industry in public health.

Another example is Swansea University’s Active Building Centre Research Programme (ABC-RP), which brings together 10 leading universities across the UK to crack a number of decarbonisation challenges – including improving energy networks and thermal storage technology, and collecting useful data from more than a thousand “green” homes.

Minister for Education and the Welsh Language, Jeremy Miles, said:

“This is yet another example of how a sector in Wales punches above its weight category, with our research institutions, universities and partnerships producing internationally significant research. “During the pandemic, we’ve seen just how valuable good scientific research can be – and it’s especially encouraging to note that natural science and medical and health science are our most prolific subject areas, accounting for 54% and 39% of all of Wales’ research output. “While the efficient approach our research sector has taken and the successes they’ve achieved deserve praise, the sector continues to face challenges following our leaving the EU, with a tightening and more competitive UK funding scene.”

Minister for Economy, Vaughan Gething, who has Cabinet-level responsibility for science and research in the Welsh Government, said:

“I very much welcome this report, which shows our researchers are some of the most efficient and effective, among small countries, at translating relatively low levels of research income into highly-regarded published research, which delivers significant economic, social, cultural and health benefits for people and communities in Wales. “This up-to-date evidence ably demonstrates Wales has strong future potential for continuing to grow innovation and research collaborations, and for developing global relationships and creating new inward investment opportunities, which will help us deliver our ambition of creating new high quality jobs in the industries of the future. “However, we need to be mindful of the uncertainly and challenges the research sector faces. While the Welsh Government invested almost £400m of EU funds in research and innovation since 2014, the UK Government’s plans for replacement funding put the sector at a considerable disadvantage in the years ahead. They need to change course urgently so that all sectors in Wales have fair access to this funding, which will enable our institutions to go on producing research that has a positive impact on the lives of people not only here in Wales, but across the globe.”

The full report is available to view here .

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April 3, 2024

SK hynix announces semiconductor advanced packaging investment in Purdue Research Park

SK hynix announced Wednesday (April 3) semiconductor advanced packaging investment in Purdue Research Park. From left to right: Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb; Kwak Noh-jung, SK hynix president and CEO; Woojin Choi, SK hynix executive vice president; Arati Prabhakar, director, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and assistant to the president for science and technology; Mung Chiang, Purdue University president (speaking); Arun Venkataraman, U.S. Department of Commerce assistant secretary; U.S. Sen. Todd Young; Hyundong Cho, ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the United States; David Rosenberg, Indiana secretary of commerce; Mitch Daniels, Purdue Research Foundation chairman. (Purdue University/Kelsey Lefever)

The company's facility for AI memory chips marks the largest single economic development in the history of the state

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — SK hynix Inc. announced Wednesday (April 3) that it plans to invest close to $4 billion to build an advanced packaging fabrication and R&D facility for AI products in the Purdue Research Park. The development of a critical link in the U.S. semiconductor supply chain in West Lafayette marks a giant leap forward in the industry and the state. 

“We are excited to build a state-of-the-art advanced packaging facility in Indiana,” said SK hynix CEO Kwak Noh-Jung. “We believe this project will lay the foundation for a new Silicon Heartland, a semiconductor ecosystem centered in the Midwest Triangle. This facility will create local, high-paying jobs and produce AI memory chips with unmatched capabilities, so that America can onshore more of its critical chip supply chain. We are grateful for the support of Gov. Holcomb and the state of Indiana, of President Chiang at Purdue University, and of the broader community involved, and we look forward to expanding our partnership in the long run.”

SK hynix joins Bayer, imec, MediaTek, Rolls-Royce, Saab and many more national and international companies bringing innovation to America's heartland. The new facility — home to an advanced semiconductor packaging production line that will mass-produce next-generation high-bandwidth memory, or HBM, chips, the critical component of graphic processing units that train AI systems such as ChatGPT — is expected to provide more than a thousand new employment opportunities in the Greater Lafayette community. The company plans to begin mass production in the second half of 2028.

The project marks SK hynix’s intention for long-term investment and partnership in Greater Lafayette. The company’s decision-making framework prioritizes both profit and social responsibility while promoting ethical actions and accountability. From infrastructure developments that make accessing amenities easier to community empowerment projects such as skill development and mentorship, the SK hynix advanced packaging fabrication marks a new era of collaborative growth.

“Indiana is a global leader in innovating and producing the products that will power our future economy, and today’s news is proof positive of that fact,” said Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb. “I’m so proud to officially welcome SK hynix to Indiana, and we’re confident this new partnership will enhance the Lafayette-West Lafayette region, Purdue University and the state of Indiana for the long term. This new semiconductor innovation and packaging plant not only reaffirms the state’s role in the hard-tech sector, but is also another tremendous step forward in advancing U.S. innovation and national security, putting Hoosiers at the forefront of national and global advancements.” 

Investment in the Midwest and Indiana was spurred by Purdue’s excellence in discovery and innovation and its track record of exceptional R&D and talent development through collaboration. Partnerships among Purdue, the corporate sector, and the state and federal government are essential to advancing the U.S. semiconductor industry and establishing the region as the Silicon Heartland.

“SK hynix is the global pioneer and dominant market leader in memory chips for AI,” Purdue President Mung Chiang said. “This transformational investment reflects our state and university’s tremendous strength in semiconductors, hardware AI and development of the Hard-Tech Corridor. It is also a monumental moment for completing the supply chain of the digital economy in our country through the advanced packaging of chips. Located at Purdue Research Park, the largest facility of its kind at a U.S. university will grow and succeed through innovation.”

In 1990 the U.S. was producing nearly 40% of the world’s semiconductors. However, as manufacturing moved to Southeast Asia and China, the U.S. global output of semiconductor manufacturing has fallen to closer to 12%.

“SK hynix will soon be a household name in Indiana,” said U.S. Sen. Todd Young. “This incredible investment demonstrates their confidence in Hoosier workers, and I’m excited to welcome them to our state. The CHIPS and Science Act opened a door that Indiana has been able to sprint through, and companies like SK hynix are helping to build our high-tech future.” 

To aid in bringing semiconductor manufacturing closer to home and shoring up global supply chains, the U.S. Congress introduced the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors for America Act, or CHIPS and Science Act, on June 11, 2020. Signed by President Joe Biden on Aug. 9, 2022, it funds holistic development of the semiconductor industry to the tune of $280 billion. It supports the nation's research and development, manufacturing, and supply chain security of semiconductors.

“When President Biden signed the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act, he put a stake in the ground and sent a signal to the world that the United States cares about semiconductor manufacturing,” said Arati Prabhakar, President Biden’s chief science and technology advisor and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. “Today’s announcement will strengthen the economy and national security, and it will create good jobs that support families. This is how we do big things in America.”

Purdue Research Park, one of the largest university-affiliated incubation complexes in the country, unites discovery and delivery with easy access to Purdue faculty experts in the semiconductor field, highly sought-after graduates prepared to work in the industry, and vast Purdue research resources. The park also offers convenient accessibility for workforce and semitruck traffic, with access to I-65 just minutes away.

This historic announcement is the next step in Purdue University’s persistent pursuit of semiconductor excellence as part of the Purdue Computes initiative. Recent announcements include these

• Purdue University Comprehensive Semiconductors and Microelectronics Program
• A strategic partnership with Dassault Systèmes to improve, accelerate and transform semiconductor workforce development
• European technology leader imec opens innovation hub at Purdue
• The nation’s first comprehensive Semiconductor Degrees Program
• Purdue continues to create unique lab-to-fab ecosystem for the state and country
• Green2Gold, a collaboration between Ivy Tech Community College and Purdue University to grow Indiana’s engineering workforce

What they’re saying

• “This decision by a world-renowned, best-in-class company represents a dramatic fulfillment of Purdue’s duty to serve the state as not only its premier academic institution but also its No. 1 economic asset. It’s also a gratifying validation of our Discovery Park District initiative to bring new opportunities to our students, faculty and Greater Lafayette neighbors. Today marks the Purdue ecosystem’s latest and greatest, but assuredly not its last, contribution to a more prosperous Indiana and a stronger America.” — Mitch Daniels, chairman of the board, Purdue Research Foundation
• “On behalf of my fellow trustees, we are pleased to welcome SK hynix Inc. to the Purdue Research Park. Their arrival will significantly strengthen Purdue University’s dual commitments to educating the next generation of workforce leaders in semiconductors and supporting the national security of our nation.” — Michael Berghoff, chair, Purdue Board of Trustees
• “The impact of SK hynix is more than the creation of high-paying careers for Hoosiers. Undergraduates will have opportunities for internships, co-op and full-time employment when they graduate. Graduate students and faculty will work closely with SK hynix researchers, not only on basic research, but also to accelerate the transition of research into pilot production and manufacturing. This is just the beginning. As other companies see what’s happening here in the heart of the heartland, they’ll come too, and a significant new cluster of semiconductor manufacturing and research will emerge.” — Mark Lundstrom, chief semiconductor officer, Purdue University
• “West Lafayette is thrilled to join our national efforts to bring the semiconductor industry to the United States through President Biden’s CHIPS and Science Act. This partnership will leverage Purdue University’s science and research expertise with SK hynix’s innovation in semiconductor technology. The impact on West Lafayette will enable us to continue to provide the high level of service our community expects and to increase our quality-of-life amenities for the region so we can attract and retain the excellent graduates of Purdue University. In addition, SK hynix’s global dedication to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, water process reduction and recycling, and zero-waste-to-landfill programs aligns with our community’s commitment to environmental stewardship. We are grateful for SK hynix’s investment and commitment to West Lafayette and for our partners Purdue University, Purdue Research Foundation, the city of Lafayette, Tippecanoe County and the Greater Lafayette region.” — Erin Easter, mayor of West Lafayette
• “The pandemic disruption has shown the reliance on semiconductors, with production concentrated in limited regions around the world. Greater Lafayette has worked continuously and cooperatively for years to position ourselves for an opportunity of this magnitude, and we look forward to the long-term economic impact this will have on our communities. The collaborative efforts between cities and county governments, Purdue University, the state of Indiana and Sen. Todd Young’s office is a testament to these efforts. Our joint investments in infrastructure, innovation, along with quality-of-life initiatives, have contributed to this venture becoming a reality. We look forward to working with and welcoming SK hynix to Greater Lafayette!” — Tony Roswarski, mayor of Lafayette
• “Ivy Tech, as Indiana’s largest postsecondary institution, is focused on building Indiana talent pipelines aligned to employers and emerging industries which strengthen Indiana’s economy. The microelectronics industry will play a key role in Indiana’s success, which is why we are pleased to work with SK hynix and Purdue to provide training, credentials and degrees designed for the semiconductor industry. SK hynix’s commitment to Indiana reinforces that we all win when we address complex issues through strong partnerships." — Sue Ellspermann, president, Ivy Tech Community College
• “Semiconductors and microelectronics are at the forefront of focus for Purdue Research Foundation. I am pleased to welcome SK hynix to Indiana and start the hard work of ensuring this is the best business decision that SK hynix has ever made.” — Brian Edelman, president, Purdue Research Foundation
• “The Alliances team is thrilled to welcome SK hynix to the Purdue ecosystem, and we look forward to empowering them to thrive here in Indiana with all the immense assets Purdue and Greater Lafayette offer. We look forward to forging a strong relationship with mutual value for SK hynix, Purdue Research Foundation and the broader Greater Lafayette community for many years to come.” — Gregory Deason, senior vice president of alliances and placemaking, Purdue Research Foundation
• “During my time at Purdue Research Foundation, we have consistently been successful in assisting our partners like Saab in developing complex builds well ahead of schedule and within budget. I look forward to building on our excellent track record with SK hynix to help them in creating a state-of-the-art facility which best meets their unique needs.” — Richard Michal, senior vice president of capital projects and facilities, Purdue Research Foundation

About SK hynix Inc.

SK hynix Inc., headquartered in Korea, is the world’s top-tier semiconductor supplier offering Dynamic Random Access Memory chips (“DRAM”), flash memory chips (“NAND   flash”)   and CMOS Image Sensors (“CIS”) for a wide range of distinguished customers globally. The Company’s shares are traded on the Korea Exchange, and the Global Depository shares are listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. Further information about SK hynix is available at   www.skhynix.com ,   news.skhynix.com .  

About Purdue Research Foundation

Purdue Research Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University. Established in 1930, the foundation accepts gifts, administers trusts, funds scholarships and grants, acquires and sells property, protects and licenses Purdue's intellectual property, and supports creating Purdue-connected startups on behalf of Purdue. The foundation operates Purdue Innovates, which includes the Office of Technology Commercialization, Incubator and Ventures. The foundation manages the Purdue Research Park, Discovery Park District, Purdue Technology Centers and Purdue for Life Foundation.

For more information on licensing a Purdue innovation, contact the Office of Technology Commercialization at [email protected] . For more information about involvement and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact Purdue Innovates at [email protected] .

About Purdue University

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New data reveals voters are shifting to this major political party ahead of heated 2024 rematch

American voters are almost equally split as either republican or democrat, new data finds.

Wall Street Journal poll shows Biden losing support from Black men

Fox News political analyst Gianno Caldwell tells 'The Story' that the Democratic Party has taken the Black community for granted.

America is split in political party affiliation heading into the 2024 presidential election , seeing one of the most evenly split electorates in the past two decades, resurfaced research reveals.

A Pew Research Center analysis examined voter identification across different ages, races, religions and education levels, comparing how voters identified in 1996 to new data from 2023.

Fifty-one percent of Americans said they identified with the Republican Party in 1994, while 47% identified as Democrats. The tables turned over the years, with 5% more of American voters identifying as Democrats over Republicans in 2020. However, the Pew results from 2023 reveal a significant shift in party affiliation this cycle, reporting that 49% of voters identify as Democrat or leaning Democrat, while 48% identify as Republican or leaning Republican.

Additionally, about 33% of respondents said they identify as being conservative or moderate in 2023, while the other side of the aisle only sees 23% identifying as liberal Democrats or leaning liberal.  

BLACK GEORGIA VOTERS ABANDONING BIDEN SAY THEY'RE SENDING MESSAGES ON GAZA: ‘DEMOCRATS SHOULD LISTEN’

Ranked choice voting comes in multiple forms and is used in a wide variety of states and localities around the U.S. (Paul Richards)

The poll found that while Democrats remain the party of choice for most Hispanic, Black and Asian voters, party support among non-Hispanic White Democratic voters has dropped 21 percentage points since 1996, falling from 77% to 56% in 2023. 

Recent polls have found that despite their advantage, Democratic support among minority voters is shrinking. A recent Gallup poll found that 19% of Black adults said they identify as lean Republican or Republican, while 66% identify as Democrat or lean Democrat, the "smallest Gallup has recorded in its polling, dating back to 1999."

UNDECIDED BATTLEGROUND VOTERS UNANIMOUSLY BLAST BIDEN ON ECONOMY: ‘ABSOLUTELY DISASTROUS’

Among different age groups, Democrats maintain their advantage among young voters, while the majority of older individuals are Republican affiliated.

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Georgia on Wednesday to host a campaign fundraising event. (Robin Rayne for Fox News Digital)

Republicans have gained ground among Hispanic voters in recent years, tripling affiliation with their base in the demographic over the past two decades from 3% to 9%.

Rural voters also appear to be shifting towards the GOP, with the new poll showing the party holds a 25-point advantage over Democrats, 60% to 35%, after the parties were evenly split among voters in 2008.

President Biden and former President Donald Trump are expected to compete in a presidential election rematch in November. While Biden won the 2020 election against Trump, Pew's analysis reveals a potential shift in the political landscape that could be echoed on the ballot this fall.

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Pew Research Center conducted the surveys via telephone for the results dating 1994 to 2018, and via online surveys from 2019 to 2023 among registered voters.

Aubrie Spady is a Production Assistant for Fox News Digital.

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6 in 10 U.S. Catholics are in favor of abortion rights, Pew Research report finds

Jason DeRose

Pope Francis remains popular among U.S. Catholics, with 75% having favorable views of him, according to a Pew Research report. But many self-identified Catholics disagree with various teachings of their church. Andrew Medichini/AP hide caption

Pope Francis remains popular among U.S. Catholics, with 75% having favorable views of him, according to a Pew Research report. But many self-identified Catholics disagree with various teachings of their church.

Catholics in the U.S., one of the country's largest single Christian groups, hold far more diverse views on abortion rights than the official teaching of their church.

While the Catholic Church itself holds that abortion is wrong and should not be legal, 6 in 10 U.S. adult Catholics say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to a newly released profile of Catholicism by Pew Research .

Catholic opinion about abortion rights, according to the report, tends to align with political leanings: Fewer Catholic Republicans favor legal abortion than Catholic Democrats. And Pew says Hispanic Catholics, who make up one-third of the U.S. church, are slightly more in favor of legal abortion than white Catholics.

Despite church prohibitions, Catholics still choose IVF to have children

Pew found that 20% of the U.S. population identifies as Catholic, but only about 3 in 10 say they attend mass regularly. Opinions about abortion rights appear to be related to how often someone worships — just 34% of Catholics who attend mass weekly say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, whereas that number jumps to 68% among those who attend mass monthly or less.

Most U.S. Catholics are white (57%), but that number has dropped by 8 percentage points since 2007, according the new report. About 33% identify as Hispanic, 4% Asian, 2% Black, and 3% describe themselves as another race.

Pew Research also found that as of February, Pope Francis remains highly popular, with 75% of U.S. Catholics rating him favorably. However, there is a partisan divide, with Catholic Democrats more strongly supporting him.

About 4 in 10 U.S. Catholics view Francis as a major agent of change, with 3 in 10 saying he is a minor agent of change.

Catholic Church works to explain what same-sex blessings are and are not

Pew reports that many U.S. Catholics would welcome more change. Some 83% say they want the church to allow the use of contraception, 69% say priests should be allowed to get married, 64% say women should be allowed to become priests, and 54% say the Catholic Church should recognize same-sex marriage.

In December 2023, the Vatican issued guidance to priests that they may bless people in same-sex relationships. But the church insists those blessings not be construed in any way to be a form of marriage or even take place as part of a worship service.

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