EVENTS
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. Those events focus in particular on areas where there are policy decisions needed, which in turn need to be informed by this wide range of inputs and viewpoints. Summary reports are prepared for all events, and these - along with presentation slides, videos of speakers and audio files - are available online after events.
Black Scientists - Tackling Racism in UK Science & Technology
- 2022
- Online or in person at the Royal Society
Racism is present in science and technology in the UK, as it is across many areas of society. In this event, we discussed black scientists and researchers, and explored a number of questions. What is the nature and scale of the problem? What is the lived experience of black scientists in the UK? What actions are already being taken to address the issues? What more needs to be done?
Read MoreAn Innovation Strategy for Scotland
- 2022
- Online or in person at the University of Strathclyde
The Scottish Government is shortly to publish an innovation strategy. What are the key challenges for promoting innovation in Scotland, and how will the new strategy tackle these? What are the key contributions needed from the Scottish Government, industry, higher education and others? What can Scotland learn from a similar strategy in Wales, and how does this fit in with plans of the UK Government? In this event, we explored some of these issues.
Read MoreLeadership in Tomorrow's World - Foundation Future Leaders Conference 2022
The major challenges confronting society do not have simple resolutions. They are multi-faceted and long term, requiring cross-cutting analysis with the ability to work across traditional divides and develop innovative approaches. This conference looked at how these problems, such as climate and biodiversity, can be addressed, as well as examining the skills and structures needed to deliver. Designed specifically for early- to mid-career professionals in the civil and wider public service – as well as in industry and the research community – this conference discussed these issues, with panellists drawn from senior leaders and the Future Leaders Programme of the Foundation for Science and Technology.
Read MoreScience, Climate Policy and COP27
- 2022
- Online or in person at the Royal Society
The United Nations COP27 climate conference will be held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt in November 2022. In this event, we discussed the contribution that science needs to make in COP27 and beyond.
Read MoreHealth policy implications of climate change
- 2022
- Online or in person at the Royal Society
What are the implications for health as the climate continues to change - both in the UK and elsewhere? What should the health policy response be to changes in climate, and how do we build this into our plans for a low carbon future? In this event, we will explore these issues, and how the UK Government can respond to them.
Read MoreScenarios for a Science Superpower
- 2022
- Online
The UK Government has announced in a number of recent policy documents its aim for the UK to become a “science superpower”. What does this mean in practice – and how would we get there? What are the opportunities and the challenges? In this webinar, we will explore these issues, and hear about recent work by Professors Sarah Main and Graeme Reid to develop some potential scenarios for the future.
Read MoreNew Nuclear and the UK Energy Strategy
In April 2022, the UK Government published an Energy Security Strategy, mapping out a transition to low carbon energy sources. A key element of that is a commitment to a major expansion in civil nuclear power - to 24GW by 2050, representing 25% of projected electricity demand. In this event, we will explore the challenges to achieve this target, the opportunities from both small and large nuclear reactors, and the issue of treatment and storage of radioactive waste.
Read MoreIncreasing interdisciplinarity in UK R&D
- 2022
- Online or in person at the Royal Society
There has been an increasing focus on interdisciplinary research in recent years, and many current key policy challenges (including climate change, post-covid recovery, economic security, migration, and healthcare) need evidence from interdisciplinary research. As the science budget increases over the coming years, and UKRI announce their allocations, what do we need to do to increase interdisciplinary research in the UK?
Read MoreUK-China research collaboration
- 2022
- Online and in person at the Royal Academy of Engineering
How can, and how should, the UK collaborate with China on R&D? Can research collaboration contribute to wider diplomacy between the two countries, or to tackling global issues such as climate change? When might we not want to collaborate with China on R&D, and how do we make those decisions? At this Foundation for Science and Technology event, we discussed these issues as we explored UK-China R&D collaboration.
Read MoreRebuilding the UK Electricity Grid
- 2022
- Online or in person at the Royal Society
Reaching Net Zero emissions requires a huge increase in electricity. As we move to electric vehicles, heat pumps for domestic heating, and power generation from renewable sources, what are the implications for the UK electricity grid and the way it is structured? In this event, we explored how the grid needs to change and adapt to meet a decarbonising society.
Read MoreOn this day...
Foundation held a debate: