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British taxpayers’ cash splurged on bizarre foreign research from music therapy for pregnant women in Africa to Syrian harvesting songs
Music therapy programmes for expectant mothers in Africa and traditional harvesting songs from Syrian refugees are among overseas research projects that have received millions in UK Government funding.
UK Research and Innovation has allocated almost £30million to international projects since 2022, including £123,000 to Edinburgh University for documenting “harvesting songs of displaced Syrian refugees living in Middle Eastern countries”.
The funding decisions have drawn sharp criticism from taxpayer advocacy groups who question whether British citizens are seeing any return on these investments in foreign cultural preservation and social research initiatives.
Other projects receiving substantial funding include Birmingham City University’s £850,000 study examining the distribution of gay male erotica and pornography in post-war Europe.
UK Research and Innovation has allocated almost £30million of British taxpayers’ cash to international projects since 2022
PA
Oxford University secured over £350,000 to preserve Enggano, a language spoken by merely 1,500 people on an Indonesian island, whilst Durham University obtained £600,000 to assist displaced Palestinians from a single Shia village in accessing archaeological sites.
The University of Exeter received £784,000 for research into the history of child soldiers in Africa, plus an additional £307,000 for revitalising indigenous languages in Vancouver Island and New Zealand.
Warwick University was awarded nearly £800,000 to study “invisible women in Italian cinema”.
The TaxPayers’ Alliance has condemned the spending as wasteful, with investigations campaign manager Joanna Marchong stating: “Taxpayers will be livid when they see how ridiculous some of these research projects have become.”
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She added: “UKRI have a proven track record of wasting taxpayers’ cash on research projects that are no more than virtue-signalling nonsense that don’t stand to benefit the people paying for them.”
The campaign group is calling for Government intervention, with Marchong insisting: “Ministers need to remember why UKRI was created and return to investing in research that will make a difference to hard-working Britons.”
A UKRI spokesman said: “International research collaboration is vital to help us tackle global challenges in a complex and interconnected world, improving security and prosperity in the UK and internationally.
“Several of the projects highlighted were funded through Official Development Assistance, where the main benefit is required to be in the developing country involved.
Funding went to music therapy programmes for expectant mothers in Africa
GETTY
“Projects are prioritised for funding through independent expert peer review, as set out in the Higher Education and Research Act.
“UKRI supports a diverse portfolio of investments, including curiosity-driven research and strategic initiatives, which drives the creation and exploitation of new knowledge, and develops skilled and talented people for a wide range of jobs, improving lives and livelihoods across the UK.
“On average, every £1 of public R&D investment generates at least £7 of net benefit to the UK through the development of new and better goods, services and processes.”
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