SPAIN'S public research body, the third largest in Europe, has seized unspent money from the institutes it funds, sparking outrage from scientists. The Madrid-based National Council for Scientific Research, which employs 6,000 scientists, said it needed the funds to keep operating until "early or mid-October," Nature reports. The council has a budget crisis, reflecting the economic woes of Spain. Some institutes funded by the council had set aside money to buy equipment or to grant contracts to young researchers.