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Scientific conferences and meets, summits - global, continental and national, academic-theme based and sometimes semi-promotional - tend to held more frequently than ever. 'High flying ' scientists / professors may 'lecture ' across the globe with such frequency that questions as to when are they 'conducting ' research tend to be asked in the circuit, though serious science is now a team / group endeavour and infrequently a mono task. Teleconferencing and webinars ensure that travel time is reduced / largely eliminated. Furthermore, most countries in the modern world have liberalized issuance of visas substantially; registration fees for the meetings have risen to almost becoming prohibitive for many. Against the backdrop that many alternatives are available for actual physical participation, whether competitiveness British or otherwise will be affected carries questions and opinion differences. There can be exceptions and considerations on a case specific basis but broadly the visa systems tend to follow standard rules, with only few discretionary components.
Re: British competitiveness at risk from visa system that rejects conference delegates, warn scientists
Scientific conferences and meets, summits - global, continental and national, academic-theme based and sometimes semi-promotional - tend to held more frequently than ever. 'High flying ' scientists / professors may 'lecture ' across the globe with such frequency that questions as to when are they 'conducting ' research tend to be asked in the circuit, though serious science is now a team / group endeavour and infrequently a mono task. Teleconferencing and webinars ensure that travel time is reduced / largely eliminated. Furthermore, most countries in the modern world have liberalized issuance of visas substantially; registration fees for the meetings have risen to almost becoming prohibitive for many. Against the backdrop that many alternatives are available for actual physical participation, whether competitiveness British or otherwise will be affected carries questions and opinion differences. There can be exceptions and considerations on a case specific basis but broadly the visa systems tend to follow standard rules, with only few discretionary components.
Murar Yeolekar, Mumbai.
Competing interests: No competing interests