Fellows at the UK’s Royal Society have raised the alarm about US research funding cuts and misinformation at an extraordinary meeting held after the national science academy faced calls to expel technology billionaire Elon Musk.
The society has vowed to look at action that will help “make the case for science”, after Monday night’s gathering in London highlighted the turmoil since Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) began to slash spending at US health and research institutions.
Musk’s Royal Society fellowship has become an increasing source of conflict due to contentious statements on his social media platform X and his close alliance with President Donald Trump. Some prominent scientists have called for his expulsion.
A Royal Society statement after the meeting did not mention Musk by name, saying matters relating to individuals and its code of conduct were “treated in strict confidence”.
More than 150 Royal Society fellows — a little less than 10 per cent of the total — attended the meeting and “agreed on the need to stand up for science and for scientists around the world in the face of the growing challenges science faces”, the academy said.
“Concern was expressed, in particular, about the fate of colleagues in the US who are reportedly facing the prospect of losing their jobs amid threats of radical cutbacks in research funding,” it said.
“Fellows . . . were united in the need for the society to step up its efforts to advocate for science and scientists at a time when these are under threat as never before and yet at the same time have never been more necessary.”
The society agreed to look at ways to counter “misinformation and ideologically motivated attacks on both science and scientists”, the statement added.
Attendees said they were told details of the meeting had to remain confidential. “We have been sworn to secrecy,” said one, adding that the situation was “quite delicate”.
In the run-up to Monday’s gathering, artificial intelligence pioneer, Nobel Prize winner and society fellow Geoffrey Hinton, said on X that Musk should be expelled from the Royal Society because of the “huge damage he is doing to scientific institutions in the US”.
Musk replied on X that only “craven, insecure fools care about awards and memberships”, adding that Hinton’s allegations were “carelessly ignorant, cruel and false”.
“That said, what specific actions require correction?” Musk added. “I will make mistakes, but endeavour to fix them fast.”
Musk, the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, was elected a Royal Society fellow in 2018. The academy’s code of conduct says fellows must “strive to uphold the reputation of the society” and heed that remarks made in a personal capacity could still affect it.
Expulsion, which has not happened for 150 years, would require an investigation by a special society committee followed by a confirmatory vote of fellows, should the person refuse to resign.
Two Royal Society fellows have resigned over Musk’s continued fellowship and an open letter to the academy about the billionaire’s conduct has attracted more than 3,000 signatures.
It criticises Musk for promoting “unfounded conspiracy theories” and also “malicious accusations” against Anthony Fauci, the former top US health official criticised by some conservatives for his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and whose prosecution Musk has advocated.