Neutral platform for debate of policy issues, Discussions and workshops on relevant issues, Support service to Learned and Professional Societies, Foundation Future Leaders Programme for mid-career professionals, Podcast exploring links between science & technology and policy
Welcome
To The Foundation for Science and Technology website
The Foundation for Science and Technology is a UK charity, providing an impartial platform for debate of policy issues that have a science, research, technology or innovation element. Established in 1977, the Foundation brings together Parliamentarians, civil servants, industrialists, researchers, learned societies, charities and others. It convenes discussion events and round tables, publishes a journal three times per year and regular blogs, and hosts a weekly podcast. It also organises the Foundation Future Leaders Programme, supporting the next generation of professionals from universities, industry and the civil service. In addition, the Foundation provides guidance on governance issues to Professional and Learned Societies.
Future Leaders
The Foundation Future Leaders Programme brings together a cohort of mid-career professionals drawn from universities, industry and the civil service to develop links and further their understanding of how science and research are conducted, and how they feed into the policy process.
DiscoverEvents
The Foundation organises events on key topics in science, research, technology or innovation, bringing together Parliamentarians, civil servants, industrialists, researchers, learned societies, charities and others.
Events ListFST Journal
The FST Journal is published three times per year, with articles based on the main evening events held by the Foundation. The Journal is distributed to over 1500 senior influencers in Government, Parliament, industry and the research community, as well as being published online.
View FST JournalLearned & Professional Societies
The Foundation for Science and Technology provides guidance to Learned and Professional Societies in the area of administration and governance, with technical guidance notes and a regular newsletter.
Read MoreLatest Events
May 22, 2024
The shift towards citizen-centric edge technologies like AI enhances lives like never before. From personalized adviser apps on smartphones to applications in personalised medicine, these edge technologies promise transformative potential, but with those benefits come new threats and risks. Organised in collaboration with The PETRAS National Centre of Excellence, this event will explore how technologies at the edge can revolutionise citizens’ experiences, while ensuring ethical and security considerations remain at the forefront. The discussion will illuminate the benefits and risks of this technological evolution, and how to ensure a balanced perspective that prioritises the well-being of citizens. We hope that you can join us to explore the gradual migration of AI to the Edge and its profound implications for society.
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June 12, 2024
The UK has a range of national laboratories, which have a number of different roles within the national science and technology ecosystem. These include the provision of large scale research facilities and related scientific expertise, supporting regulation and standards, curation of key scientific assets, protection of national infrastructure and the natural environment, and the provision of advice to government and regulators. These different national research laboratories have different governance models, often driven by history rather than design, and are funded from a mixture of public and private funding, with public funding from both within and outside of the science budget. Recent reviews by both Sir Paul Nurse and Sir Patrick Vallance have considered the role of these facilities, and whether the UK is making the best use of them. In this event, we will explore the breadth of national laboratories within the UK, and how any incoming government can make the best uses of them in the years ahead.
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March 27, 2024
It’s a time of change for the UK fusion programme. The JET (Joint European Torus) facility in Culham, funded as part of the Euratom programme, came to an end in December 2023, after 40 years at the cutting edge of global fusion research. The Euratom partners are focussing on the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in southern France, though the start up for that is not until in the mid-2030s. Meanwhile, the UK decided not to rejoin Euratom at the same time that it rejoined Horizon Europe, in September 2023. On the commercial side, the UK is producing a number of small, high-tech fusion technology companies looking to work with fusion research facilities globally, and the UK Atomic Energy Authority has announced plans for STEP (Spherical Tokomak for Energy Production), a prototype fusion power plant to be built in Nottinghamshire. Where do these changes leave UK fusion? How can we ensure that the UK maintains its position in global fusion activities – in both research and commercialisation – in this changing environment, and outside of the Euratom programme? What are the UK’s key priorities for the coming years? These are some of the questions discussed at this event.
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You can view a full listing of our events and search the archive on our events page.