Opportunity: National Museum of Science and Industry (NMSI) Trustee, closing date 3 October 2010

The Department for Culture Media and Sport invites applications for up to 6 Trustee vacancies at the National Museum of Science and Industry (NMSI). Trustees are appointed by the Prime Minister on the recommendation of the Secretary of State.

The National Museum of Science and Industry (NMSI) is Britain’s National Museum for science, technology, medicine, transport and media and is one of the world’s great museum organisations. It operates three of the top museum ‘brands’ in the United Kingdom: the Science Museum, the National Media Museum and the National Railway Museum.

NMSI Trustees have statutory duties, under the National Heritage Act 1983, for the general management and control of NMSI and for the well being of the collections in its care. They are expected to familiarise themselves with, make regular visits to and attend meetings at each of the museums in London, Yorkshire and Co. Durham.

Time commitment: 1-2 days per month (average).
Remuneration: not remunerated, however, reasonable expenses are paid.

To find out more and apply, visit the Cabinet Office Public Appointments website. Closing date 3 October 2010.

R&D Society: Government must maintain support for all areas of UK R&D, from academia to business

In response to Vince Cable’s Science, Research and Innovation speech of 8 September 2010, Sir Richard Sykes, President of the R&D Society comments:

The Government must maintain the support of UK R&D - from academia to businesses large and small - if we are to prosper financially and socially in future. This includes maintaining investment in our world-class science base to attract investment and people from all over the world, and finding ways of encouraging businesses and academia to work together effectively.

Vince Cable asks how to encourage academics to collaborate with industry to maximise the benefit of their research. Universities cannot simply increase the commercial viability of their research by turning on a tap. They need encouragement and support to do so – but they also need businesses who are willing, able and capable of working with them. For academic-business links to succeed, businesses need encouragement too, especially now, when many are having to focus on short-term survival in place of longer-term, R&D-based investment. The commercial R&D sector has been under severe pressure in this recession, and we have seen several commercial R&D labs close or scale back in the UK over the past year.

Though Vince Cable did mention support for the Small Business Research Initiative, he omits to discuss how business might be encouraged to work with academia – for example R&D tax credits, networking support, skills transfer schemes. Businesses want to get on with their job in hand, so Government must be a supporting catalyst, not prescriptive – a midwife, not a nanny. This should not happen at the expense of support for business-business knowledge transfer - the Cinderella largely ignored by successive Governments, but one that powers much of UK innovation, especially around smaller enterprises.

The UK is an attractive place to do R&D, and Vince Cable is rightly proud that many multinational companies locate their R&D operations in the UK. But they will only do so whilst it is in their best interests to. Businesses have told the R&D Society about many different reasons why they choose the UK, and one of the most important is the high quality of UK universities. This provides local access to world-class research, and a regular supply of skilled graduates. We are very worried at the cuts to UK science hinted at in Vince Cable’s speech will have the double whammy of reducing the research and teaching capacity of UK universities and discouraging students from studying research-relevant subjects – resulting in more top performing graduates "heading straight for high finance rather than science and engineering", as Mr Cable laments. In order to maintain the flow of ideas to wealth in the long term, a broad portfolio of high-class 'basic' research must be maintained as the fruits of the future.

Opportunity: TSB announces £13m crop protection R&D competition, c/d 25 Feb 2010

The Technology Strategy Board has announced a new competition with £13m available for industry-led projects that will help growers respond to the challenge of increasing crop productivity whilst also reducing the environmental impact of crop production.

The competition opens on January 18th 2010 and aims to meet existing and new EU regulation on the approval and use of pesticides. This call is relevant to businesses and stakeholders across the agricultural supply chain, including those involved in the following sectors:

• arable crops including wheat, barley, oilseed rape, potatoes and pulse crops
• horticulture
• grasses and forage crops
• crops for biofuels, and other non-food uses
• in the field or protected cultivation

Further information is available at the Technology Strategy Board website.

The Biosciences KTN, which is free to join, can help assist by providing advice on project scope and fit to eligibility criteria; identification of potential collaborative partners; confidential review of draft proposals.

Opportunity: Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowships, c/d 6 Oct 2009

Each year the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust aims to award 100 Travelling Fellowships to British citizens. Each Fellow receives a grant to cover return and internal travel, daily living and travel insurance within the countries visited. Categories for application include Business & Finance and Science, Engineering & Enterprise. For further information and to apply, visit the Trust's website. Closing date 6 October 2009.

Policy Input: Royal Society policy study: The Fruits of Curiosity: science, innovation and future sources of wealth, c/d 11 Sep 2009

The Royal Society, the UK’s national academy of science, has opened a major policy study, The Fruits of Curiosity: science, innovation and future sources of wealth, that will review the landscape for UK science and innovation policy and explore its direction over the next 10-20 years. They are requesting views on some important questions, to ensure that their recommendations take account of the UK R&D community.

The study will measure the different forms of value created by science, engineering and medicine for the UK’s economy and society and will consider the role that science will play in equipping Britain to meet future economic, social and environmental challenges.

The Royal Society believes that it is timely to review these issues ahead of the forthcoming General Election and Spending Round, and to seek to influence debates about what lies beyond the current 10-Year Investment Framework for Science and Innovation.

The Royal Society believes that if the study is to realise its full potential, it is vital that they draw on insights, expertise and experience from a variety of settings, and have asked the R&D Society to encourage our members and contacts to submit their views.

The Society has listed a number of questions they would like answered in a Call for Evidence (PDF). In your submission, you may answer as many or as few of the questions listed in the call for evidence as you feel able to. Key questions of relevance to R&D Society members and contacts include:

• 1. What role should curiosity-driven research play in the UK science base in the next 15-25 years?
• 2. Which elements of policy for science and innovation over the past 10 years have been successful and should be maintained? Where is there room for improvement?
• 9. How can we make research careers – within academia or industry – a more attractive option for young people, both within the UK system and from abroad?
• 11. Does the standard career-track model need to be re-evaluated? Should we take more account of the movement of skilled individuals between academia, industry and business?
• 12. How can we strengthen science and innovation in all parts of the private sector in the UK, and further improve the exchange of knowledge and expertise between the public and private sectors?
• 13. How can we improve the scale and contribution of private sector R&D?
• 14. What initiatives (e.g. tax credits) have been successful or not with regards to supporting innovative businesses in the UK? How can the UK better support business?
• 17. What role should public sector R&D outside the ring-fenced science budget (e.g. departmental spending, government procurement and national laboratories) play in supporting the UK science base?

Submissions (ie, your answers to any of the above questions), can be made by email to: fruitsofcuriosity@royalsociety.org preferably by 11 September 2009. In your submission, you should state if you do not want your name or your submission to be made public, and give a contact name and telephone number.

Opportunity: I'm a Scientist, Get me out of Here!

I’m a Scientist, Get me out of Here! is an online event for GCSE and A Level students, which gets young people talking to real scientists, learning about How Science Works (HSW) and science careers.

During the event, five scientists in each group compete for prize money to publicise their work. They put up information on the I’m a Scientist website and talk to school students online – answering questions and having live chats. The young people then vote for who they think should get the money.

Following a successful pilot project, I'm a Scientist... will run again in March and June 2009. They are looking for scientists to take part, talking to school students and developing their communication skills. Scientists are welcome to register their interest on the project website, which has full details of the role and requirements of the participating scientists.

Policy input: E-Forum for Parliamentary Inquiry into Engineering, c/d 9 December 2008

The House of Commons Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee is conducting an inquiry into Engineering.

The Committee is keen to hear, via its new e-forum on engineering, directly from those who are studying engineering, are considering doing so, or who are working in engineering. The web-forum offers participants the opportunity to express their opinions on whether engineering a good career choice, what inspired them to consider a career in engineering, whether their education prepared them for a career in engineering and what they would do to improve engineering in the UK.

The House of Commons Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee is a Select Committee of Parliament, and scrutinises the work and policies relating to the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. Although its reports and recommendations are not binding, they must be responded to by the Department, and are influentual. For each inqury it undertakes, it gathers evidence (statements of fact and suggestions of recommendations), which it reviews. In this case, the Committee is specifically seeking input from engineers in the UK.

Views posted online will inform the recommendations the Committee makes to the Government in its final report. It is therefore a valuable opportunity to contribute to the formulation of policy affecting the future of UK engineering.

The forum will run from midday on 28 October 2008 to 9 December 2008.

Opportunity: Women of outstanding achievement 2009, c/d 19 September 2008

The UKRC’s Women of Outstanding Achievement awards profile outstanding women within science, engineering and technology. There are three categories: 1 - Communication of SET with, and contribution to, society; 2 - SET discovery, innovation and entrepreneurship; 3 - SET leadership and inspiration to others. Six winners will be chosen. All women in science, engineering and technology and the built environment in the UK are eligible for entry. The UKRC is particularly keen for women in industry to be nominated.

Previous winners include Rebecca George of IBM, Ijeoma Uchegbu of the London School of Pharmacy, Julia King formerly of Rolls Royce, and Sima Adhya of QinetiQ. Nominations should be made using the nomination form, with a 600 word nomination statement explaining why the candidate should receive the award, and received by UKRC by 19 September 2008.

Policy Input: Royal Society policy study: Innovation in services, the role of science, technology, engineering & maths, c/d 18 August 2008

The Royal Society, the UK’s national academy of science, has opened a study on the role of science, technology, engineering & maths (STEM) in services sector innovation and has issued a ‘call for evidence’ to solicit views on some key questions. R&D Society members and contacts are encouraged to respond.

Services account for approximately 70% of the UK economy and include some of the country’s most innovative and highest performing sectors – financial services, business support services, retail and the creative industries among them. Although there is growing recognition of the importance of innovation in services, understanding of the role of STEM and other related disciplines in services sector innovation remains poor.

This policy study will consider evidence of interactions between STEM and services organisations with a focus on the nature, extent and role of these engagements in services sector innovation processes. The Royal Society is interested in areas of success, areas of current weakness and ‘fertile areas’ of the UK services economy, in which innovative capabilities could be scaled up or accelerated with the help of STEM.

The main objective is to develop policy recommendations on ways to enhance the contribution of STEM to services sector innovation.

Separate “calls for evidence” have been produced for firms (services organisations and trade bodies (from the private, public or voluntary sector)) and academics (research and academic institutions). These request answers to specific questions by email to nicola.berkley@royalsociety.org by 18 August 2008. You are encouraged to respond. You do not need to answer all the questions – you may answer as many or as few as you are willing or able to do. Indeed, if there are other important issues not addressed by the call for evidence, the Royal Society would be grateful to have them pointed out.

For firms, the most important questions are as follows – see the “call for evidence for firms (pdf file)” for details of all of them:

3. At which point(s) in your organisation’s value chain does STEM contribute to innovation? How does the STEM input at this/these point/s impact innovation in your organisation? If possible, please describe the importance of the contribution of STEM in comparison to other factors in innovation in your organisation.

4. What mechanisms does your organisation use to support engagement with the STEM community in universities and research institutes? (For example journals, industry-university consortia, conferences, collaborative research programmes supported by the Research Councils).

• Do your organisation’s innovation needs steer research activity in academia? If yes, how is academic research changing in response to these needs?
• Has engagement with the universities helped to shape the academic curriculum?

5. Please tell us about scientifically trained people employed in your organisation. Among other things we are interested in:

• Numbers/proportions of employees who are STEM graduates or scientifically trainedT
• The kinds of roles they occupy and how this has changed in the last five to ten years
• Whether STEM graduates/postgraduates are meeting your requirements
• Whether you expect your organisation’s STEM skills needs to change (qualitatively or quantitatively) in the next five to ten years (and if so, why)

6. Please tell us about the influence of service users or customers on innovation in your organisation. Among other things we are interested in:

• Whether and how you involve users/customers in your innovation processes
• How STEM can help your organisation to understand consumer needs and their responses to service innovations
• Whether developments in STEM (e.g. ICT) are driving customer demand for, and consumption of, innovative services

7. We are interested in ‘fertile areas’ of the service economy in which the UK could develop, accelerate or scale-up innovative service capabilities. Please describe two or three important business opportunities or strategic challenges faced by your organisation that would require new or different offerings from the STEM community. If appropriate, please expand on any developments relating to innovative capabilities in the following areas (or any others):

• Data – e.g. information management, data security, data analysis, data modelling and visualisation and supply chain logistics.
• The interface between people and services – e.g. human responses and interactions with services and systems.
• People and skills – the development and supply of appropriately skilled and entrepreneurial individuals.

9. What are the main barriers to further links between your organisation and the STEM community?

• What steps could be taken by companies, universities or government to enhance the impact of STEM on innovation in the services sectors?

An electronic version of the call for evidence and more information can be found at: www.royalsociety.org/servicesinnovation The closing date for submissions is 18 August 2008 by email to nicola.berkley@royalsociety.org . The R&D Society office would welcome being copied in on submissions at rdsociety@royalsociety.org

Policy input: Higher Education at Work – High Skills: High Value, c/d 7 July 2008

The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills is consulting on its high level skills strategy, 'Higher Education at Work – High Skills: High Value'. The strategy wants to "equip the workforce with the skills required for an innovative and competitive economy." They define these as skills associated with higher education.

They are asking employers to answer questions such as

• What incentives would encourage employers to be more involved in providing careers information, advice and guidance both before, and during university?
• How can we encourage business people to be increasingly contributing directly to course content, design and teaching of university courses?
• How can we do more to increase the level of STEM skills in the existing workforce?
  

You can find out more about the consultation at the'Higher Education at Work – High Skills: High Value'. To respond, fill out the Higher Education at Work online response form. You don't need to answer all the questions - answering only one or two questions is useful too. Responses are accepted until 7 July 2008.

R&D Society in the media: Royal Society "A higher degree of concern" report published

On 31 January 2008, the Royal Society published A higher degree of concern, the second and final phase of a project examining STEM higher education in the UK. It makes recommendations regarding how UK STEM higher education can remain fit for purpose into the middle of the next decade and beyond.

To enable organisations to submit evidence to the Royal Society's study, the Research and Development Society conducted a web-based survey of our members and contacts of the current and future needs of employers in science-based industries. The survey report, Higher Education in 2015 and beyond: will it meet our needs? is available for download for free from the R&D Society website.

One of the key findings of our survey was that respondents had no clear way of communicating their needs course curriculum organisers, but wanted to be able to. The Royal Society report (page 3) notes "emphasis needs to be placed on a collaborative approach to learning provision that ensures that businesses and other employers are engaged in curriculum development, course design and delivery."

The full report. A higher degree of concern, and a short executive summary, are available to download from the Royal Society website.

Policy input: Parliament enquiry into renewable electricity generation technologies, c/d 15 January 2008

The House of Commons Innovation, Universities and Skills Committee is seeking written evidence for its enquiry on Renewable electricity generation technologies. Issues to be examined include the current state of UK research and development in, and the deployment of, renewable electricity-generation technologies; public funding, and other support, for the development of renewable electricity-generation technologies and incentives for technology transfer; the establishment and role of the Energy Technologies Institute; commercialising renewable technologies; and whether the UK has the skills base to underpin the development of renewable technology. The House of Commons Innovation, Universities and Skills Committee is a Select Committee of Parliament, and scrutinises the work and policies relating to the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. Although its reports and recommendations are not binding, but must be responded to by the Department, and are influentual. For each inqury it undertakes, it asks for written evidence (statements of fact and suggestions of recommendations), which it reviews. Anyone may submit written evidence, which should be written specially for the Committee, and should be brief. Evidence for this enquiry should be submitted by noon on Friday 15 January 2008 in the format described on the Renewable electricity generation technologies webpage.

Policy input: Government (DBERR): Simplifying Business Support c/d 14 Sep 2007

Government wants to simplify the £2.5BN business support in England from around 3000 schemes to no more than 100 by 2010. The Simplifying Business Support consultation outlines and seeks views on the business support government might fund in the future. The majority of the questions posed are of general interest to all businesses. Of specific R&D relevance is that

1. The government is proposing that all business support it offers is in one of six themes, one of which is "Product development", which includes Connection with
   knowledge institutions; Innovation collaborations; Innovation guidance and advice; and, Innovation finance.
   
2. The consultation asks several questions about whether the business support themes are the right themes, whether they adequately covers the key needs of business, and what publicly-funded business support is the highest priority?

Full details, including how to respond, are available at the Simplifying Business Support consultation website. As with all consultations, you do not need to answer all the questions listed when responding.