FST JOURNAL

Governing AI for humanity

In January we held a sold-out discussion event on ‘Governing AI for Humanity’ at The Royal Society. Our expert panel comprised of the Minister for AI and Digital Government, Feryal Clark MP, Professor Dame Wendy Hall, Dr Douglas Gurr and Adrian Joseph OBE.  Together they gave our audience a range of perspectives on the fast-moving world of Artificial Intelligence, UK regulation and global governance. As always, there was a fascinating range of questions during the discussion period, and it can all be watched again via our events page.

The Silman Fund

Some of our best events have looked at issues of equity, diversity and inclusion in STEM, but are we doing enough to support diversity and facilitate participation at our own events? We have recognised that there is more we can do, and in this spirit launched The Silman Fund.

Named after Harold Silman- one of the driving forces behind the creation of the Foundation for Science and Technology in 1977, the Silman Fund aims to help cover additional cover associated with attending our events, particularly for early career professionals with caring responsibilities and those who are disabled. You can learn more in this blog by our Chief Executive, Gavin Costigan.

Welcoming our new Foundation Future Leaders

We are delighted to welcome a new cohort of Foundation Future Leaders who come to us from across academia, government and industry. From DEFRA, The Scottish Government, The UK Space Agency, Liverpool Hope University and many more, this diverse group of early to mid-career professionals will soon be diving into a year of learning, networking, day trips and knowledge sharing. You can find out who our 2025 Foundation Future Leaders are here.

Field trip finale

CERN was the destination of a field trip finale for our 2024 Foundation Future Leaders, in January. A selection of the group headed to Switzerland with our CEO, Gavin Costigan to embark on a guided tour of the famous site, and learn about the scientific questions which CERN is able to ask, the remarkable technology which makes it possible, and how the UK benefits scientifically and industrially from participation in   the world’s biggest particle physics laboratory.

Science, Technology and the UK’s Industrial Strategy

After the UK Government published a Green Paper entitled Invest 2035: the UK’s modern industrial strategy, we hosted an evening discussion in December 2024 about the UK’s Industrial Strategy and how science and technology can contribute to it. Our expert speakers included Dr Julia Sutcliffe, Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for Business and Trade, Professor Mariana Mazzucato, Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value, University College London, Dr Peter Waggett, UK Director of Strategic Relationships, IBM Research Europe, IBM UK and Rt Hon Greg Clark, Executive Chair, Warwick Innovation District, and former Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. You can watch the event again here.

From AI to Animal Testing

New episodes of the FST podcast are available to listen to on demand on our website and across all major streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple music. Listen to some of our expert guests discuss AI and regulation to animal testing and diversity and equity in STEM.