Royal Society Industry Fellowships - closing date 29 October 2010

Applications are invited to this scheme, which promotes knowledge exchange between academia and industry by establishing personal and corporate links.
Funding is available to enable:

1. academic scientists to work on a collaborative project with industry, or
2. someone in industry to work on a collaborative project with a university or not-for-profit, non-publicly funded research organisation

More information is available on the Royal Society website. The closing date is 29 Oct 2010.

Funding: Royal Society Industry Fellowship Scheme, c/d 14 Oct 2009

This scheme aims to enhance knowledge transfer in science and technology between those in industry and those in academia. It provides opportunities for an academic scientist to work on a collaborative project with industry, or someone employed in industry to work on a collaborative project with a university department or a not-for-profit research organisation. It is anticipated that fellows will establish personal and corporate links between the two sectors in the UK as a foundation for their long-term future development. These appointments are funded by the Royal Society, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Natural Environment Research Council, Rolls-Royce plc and Astra Zeneca.

The closing date for applications is 14 October 2009. See the Royal Society website for more details.

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: Exhibit at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2010, c/d 31 July 2009

The Royal Society is inviting proposals from commercial and academic organisiations for the 2010 Summer Science Exhibition, its most prestigious annual event. 2010 is the Royal Society’s 350th anniversary and to celebrate, the Society is holding an extended annual Summer Science Exhibition at the Southbank Centre in London from 26 June - 4 July 2010. Surrounded by a packed 9-day festival of events, the Exhibition will form the high-profile centrepiece of the Society’s anniversary year.

More information about the Exhibition, including FAQs, selection criteria, and an on-line proposal form, is available at Propose an exhibit via the Society's website. Closing date 31 July 2009.

Opportunity: Royal Society Hauksbee Awards, c/d 29 May 2009

The Royal Society is delighted to invite nominations for the Hauksbee Awards; a new set of awards developed to recognise the unsung heroes of science, as part of the Royal Society’s 350th anniversary celebrations.

These awards have been created to recognise and reward individuals who excel in their roles supporting UK science. The awards are open to any individual working to support science research or education (eg laboratory technicians) in categories including universities, industry and the public sector.

Nominations are invited from senior colleagues and consist of a completed nomination form and a recent CV of the nominee. The winners will receive a Royal Society engraved bronze medal and a £500 gift, presented at an award ceremony in February 2010.

More information about the awards, including the nomination form and selection criteria can be found at royalsociety.org/hauksbee. The deadline for nominations is Friday 29 May 2009.

Opportunity: Exhibit at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2009, c/d 20 October 2008

The Royal Society is inviting proposals from commercial and academic organisiations for the 2009 Summer Science Exhibition, its most prestigious annual event. The Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2009 will take place from Tuesday 30 June - Saturday 4 July at the Royal Society in London. The Royal Society’s Summer Science Committee selects around 20-25 teams to share the excitement of their research with a wider audience including the public, post-16 and potential university students, scientists, policy makers, MPs, captains of industry, representatives from funding bodies and research councils, teachers and the wider scientific community. It also attracts a great deal of media interest so it is a chance to really put your institution in the scientific spotlight. Typically, over 4,000 visitors attend the exhibition each year and in 2008 there were over 14,000 visitors to the Exhibition’s website. Propose an exhibit via the Society's website by the closing date of 20 October 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

Funding: Royal Society Industry Fellowships 2008, cd 13 March 2008

The Royal Society Industry Fellowship Scheme aims to foster knowledge transfer and exchange between academia and industry. The Fellowships provide the chance for scientists with permanent positions in industry or academia (or not-for-profit research organisations) to work for up to two years (full-time) or 4 years (part-time) in the other sector. The personal and corporate links forged will provide a foundation for future collaborative development. The fellowships are jointly funded with EPSRC, BBSRC, NERC, Rolls Royce plc and Astra Zeneca Ltd. Closing Dates: 18 October 2007 and 13 March 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.

Opportunity: Exhibit at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2008, c/d 5 November 2007

The Royal Society is inviting proposals from commercial and academic organisiations for the 2008 Summer Science Exhibition, its most prestigious annual event. The exhibition attracts a great deal of media interest and is a fantastic opportunity to showcase your research to the public, post-16 and potential university students, scientists, policy makers, MPs, captains of industry, representatives from funding bodies and research councils, teachers and the wider scientific community. The 2008 Summer Science Exhibition will take place from 30 June - 3 July at the Royal Society in London. The Royal Society’s selection committee selects around 20-25 teams to share the excitement of their research with a wider audience. The Exhibition makes a significant contribution to the Society’s work in encouraging public engagement with science and promoting science education. The large number of post-16 students attending the Exhibition also gives exhibitors a unique opportunity to influence and enthuse potential university students about careers in science. Propose an exhibit via the Society's website by the closing date of 5 November 2007.

Policy input: Royal Society - Synthetic biology: call for views, cd 27 August 2007

The Royal Society is seeking views on the emerging area of synthetic biology, to shape the focus of the Royal Society's policy future work in this important area.

Synthetic biology is an emerging area of research that can broadly be described as the design and construction of novel artificial biological pathways, organisms or devices, or the redesign of existing natural biological systems. Synthetic biology has the potential to lead to a wide range of useful applications, but it also raises a number of uncertainties including its possible impact on society, regulation and ownership, sharing and innovation frameworks (including intellectual property).

To contribute to the Royal Society's study, consult the instructions on the Royal Society website.