Science: The Royal Society, the United Kingdom's academy of science, is taking the unusual step of getting into the venture capital business. Last month, it announced the creation of an Enterprise Fund, with the aim of funneling money into start-up companies seeking to commercialize the fruits of academic research. The society says that although it does much to support science and teaching, as well as contributing to policy debates, it could be more active in applying science for public benefit--either by simply boosting the U.K. economy or tackling problems such as carbon capture, renewable energy, and water purification. "If there are difficulties getting science into the marketplace, the society has a role helping with that," says Andrew Mackintosh, a chemical physicist-turned-businessman who has been brought in to run the fund.