The global recession has led government-funded academic science to focus increasingly on 'targeted outcomes' with a clear societal or economic impact, finds a report. The State of Higher Education 2013, released on 1 December by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris, polled presidents and rectors at 34 higher-education institutions across 29 nations. Researchers are also spending a lot of time on public outreach, it finds. “If taxpayers understand the value of the research, they're more likely to agree to fund it,” says report co-author Ellen Hazelkorn, vice-president of research and enterprise at the Dublin Institute of Technology. She suggests that early-career researchers polish their communication skills and focus on interdisciplinary work.