The Welsh government's chief scientific adviser has urged universities in the country to be "predatory" in attracting star academics to boost research funding.

Professor John Harries told BBC News that he is concerned about Wales' performance in attracting research income, people seeking teaching jobs may be interested to know.

As a result, he wants universities to be more "streetwise" when bidding for a share of UK government funding, suggesting they should target "star" research teams from elsewhere.

In his new strategic agenda for science in Wales, Professor Harries said: "Universities in Wales need to target 'star' research teams complementary to their areas of research strength and, by this predatory approach, signal to the world outside Wales that we are determined to make a success of our commitment to the science base in underpinning economic growth."

Welsh universities bid for research funding against other UK institutions each year. In recent times, however, they have only secured around three per cent of the total, which falls short of the normal share of overall public funding allocated to Wales.