Two years ago in this publication ("Modest revolt to save research from red tape", Letters, 12 February 2009), we wrote to express our concern with the research councils' new initiative now known as "Pathways to Impact". Following meetings with Research Councils UK in January and July 2010, we met the new minister for universities and science, David Willetts, who asked for evidence supporting our request for the initiative's termination and who also asked Alan Thorpe, chief executive of RCUK, to justify his support. Our paper, sent to Willetts on 8 September 2010, has been ignored. We have not seen Thorpe's promised justification.

We, the undersigned, believe that "Pathways to Impact" compromises UK academic research and wastes taxpayers' money. Researchers have proved time and again that they can handle financial hardship, but complete freedom is essential. Recall Ernest Rutherford's dictum: "When money is short, there is no alternative but to think." The initiative corrupts researchers' thinking, obliges them to prejudge results while planning their proposals and encourages them to aim for attainable goals.

We urge researchers invited to review "impact" submissions to make responses such as "I am not competent to assess the future potential socio-economic impact of this proposal". Indeed, we do not know of anyone who is competent in this respect. Acquiescing might offer short-term benefit, but the long-term damage could be irreversible.

Donald W. Braben, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ College London

John F Allen, Queen Mary, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of London

William Amos, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Cambridge

Michael Ashburner FRS, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Cambridge

Jonathan Ashmore FRS, UCL

Tim Birkhead FRS, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Sheffield

Mark S Bretscher FRS, Cambridge

Peter Cameron, Queen Mary, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of London

Richard S Clymo, Queen Mary, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of London

Richard Cogdell FRS, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Glasgow

David Colquhoun FRS, UCL

Adam Curtis, Glasgow 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

John Dainton FRS, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Liverpool

Felipe Fern¨¤ndez-Armesto, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Notre Dame

Pat Heslop-Harrison, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Leicester; Dudley Herschbach, Harvard 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, Nobel Laureate

51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

H Robert Horvitz FRS, MIT, Nobel Laureate

Sir Tim Hunt FRS, Cancer Research UK, Nobel Laureate

Herbert Huppert FRS, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Cambridge

Sir Alec Jeffreys FRS, US National Academy of Science, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Leicester

51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

H Jeff Kimble, Caltech, US National Academy of Sciences

Roger Kornberg FRS, Stanford 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, Nobel Laureate

Sir Harry Kroto FRS, Florida State 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, Tallahassee, Nobel Laureate

James Ladyman, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Bristol

Michael F Land FRS, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Sussex

Peter Lawrence FRS, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Cambridge

Sir Anthony Leggett FRS, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Nobel Laureate

51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

Angus MacIntyre FRS, Queen Mary, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of London

Sotiris Missailidis, Open 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

Philip Moriarty, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Nottingham

Andrew Oswald, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Warwick

Iain Pears, Oxford

Beatrice Pelloni, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Reading

Lawrence Paulson, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Cambridge

Douglas Randall, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Missouri, US National Science Board member

David Ray, BioAstral Limited

Guy P Richardson FRS, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Sussex

Sir Richard J Roberts FRS, New England Biolabs, Nobel Laureate

Ian Russell FRS, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Sussex

Ken Seddon, Queen¡¯s 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Belfast

Steve Sparks FRS, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Bristol

Sir John Sulston FRS, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Manchester, Nobel Laureate

51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

Harry Swinney, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Texas, US National Academy of Sciences

Iain Stewart, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Durham

Claudio Vita-Finzi, Natural History Museum

David Walker FRS, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Sheffield

Eric F Wieschaus, Princeton 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, Nobel Laureate

51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

Glynn Winskel, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Cambridge

Lewis Wolpert FRS, UCL

Phil Woodruff FRS, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Warwick