Sir

A recent Naturejobs Prospects article (Nature 442, 841; 2006) notes that Research Councils UK (RCUK) has recognized that postdoctoral salaries are insufficient, leading to problems in attracting and retaining postdoctoral staff. It would make sense for RCUK to address the problem globally, for example by increasing the baseline salaries of postdoctoral staff, or by giving principal investigators greater flexibility to set salary levels at the time of appointment.

Rather than taking such a global course, RCUK has instead offered to consider applications from principal investigators for 'enhancements' to individual postdoctoral salaries in strategically desirable scientific disciplines. According to the Prospects article, the organization is now complaining that it has not received enough applications for these top-up funds. RCUK should realize that this is less likely to be because principal investigators are unaware of its scheme than because of the additional administration and bureaucracy involved in providing individual justifications.