More money for science is always a good thing. Or is it?

This weeks issue of Nature focuses attention on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, passed by Congress in February 2009. ARRA was designed to boost the country’s economy by providing about US$787 billion of stimulus spending.

Nature news looks at where the $52.65 billion of ARRA funds for science and technology is being spent. In the Opinion section, six experts tell Nature what concerns them most about a short, sharp spending boost for science and suggest ways to ensure that it benefits research and society in the long term.

One of the main concerns is that in 2 years time when the stimulus funding ends, the entire US scientific enterprise will be plunged into the same crisis that the NIH experienced when its doubling period ended in 2003. Young researchers are the most likely to suffer. As Nature’s editorial notes “There is no mystery about the pain that will come when funding shrinks back down. The time to start planning is now.”

We’d like to hear your views. Is your research benefiting from ARRA funds? Are you a young researcher concerned about your future in an uncertain job market? Is your institution planning ahead and thinking strategically about what happens after 2011 when funds dry up? Have your say here.