Government Science & Engineering e-Newsletter
Friday, 16 December 2011
Dear Colleague
We have an early instalment for you this month - as you may be packing up for the year this week, we didn’t want you to leave without our warmest wishes for the holidays. We sincerely hope you had a fulfilling year and that you are looking forward to a well-deserved break and an even brighter and successful year ahead.
There is a lot to look forward to in 2012. Here at GO-Science, we are busy preparing for the GSE Annual Conference on 7 February. Thanks if you have already registered. If you haven't, places are still available to attend this informative and interactive conference. Please make sure you register before 6 January.
We are sure you will enjoy this newsletter which showcases the Government’s major new research and innovation strategy for the UK and exciting and important new research funded on wellbeing and the global implications of climate change. And if you are intrigued by the political and economic factors that influence policy responses to climate change, you may be interested in two seminars at the University College London in January and March 2012.
As ever, if you have any comments, questions or suggestions on our overall service, please email us on GSE@bis.gov.uk.
On behalf of everyone at the Government Office for Science, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!
The Skills & Profession Development Team at the Government Office for Science
Contents
Articles
Innovation and Research Strategy for Growth Launched
On 8 December, Secretary of State Vince Cable and Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts launched the Innovation and Research Strategy for Growth. The Strategy sets out the Government’s plans to boost economic growth through investment in research and innovation across the UK. It explains the department’s plans to exploit technology opportunities through the Technology and Innovation Centres, now branded as Catapult centres, and through initiatives such as the £180m Biomedical Catalyst Fund.
It is important to get the innovation ecosystem working closer together to ensure the UK’s excellent research can be translated into economic opportunities. The Research Councils will create a ‘Gateway to Research’, an online tool to make publicly-funded research available free of charge to the public.
A £75m package of funding for innovative SMEs includes the relaunch of the grant for R&D under the ‘Smart’ brand, Innovation Vouchers and the extension of the Technology Strategy Board's Launchpad to support SME innovation in defined geographic areas.
Government will drive innovation by being a better customer for innovative products and services. Funding for the Small Business Research Initiative has been increased to help small businesses secure public sector contracts and deliver innovative solutions for the taxpayer. With NESTA, the department will establish a series of prizes to encourage solutions to economic or societal challenges.
You can find out more at on BIS website or at a workshop session at the GSE Annual Conference on 7 February.
Met Office Climate Change Project Launched
A major Met Office Hadley Centre project on the impacts of climate change in 24 countries was launched on 5 December at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa.
The work highlighted the effects the world could face if strong action on climate change is not taken. It showed that temperatures could rise generally between three and five degrees Celsius this century, accompanied by changes in rainfall patterns which could lead, in many cases, to increased pressure on crop production, freshwater availability and flood risks.
Chris Huhne, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, commissioned the work and launched it in Durban. He said “This report highlights some of the very real dangers we face if we don’t limit emissions to combat the rise in global temperature. Life for millions of people could change forever”
The reports were well received, with ministers from Bangladesh and Mexico joining Chris Huhne for the launch. Special thanks were received from the Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency. There was wide and balanced coverage of the findings in the British press and positive media coverage by Turkey and France of the reports for their countries.
Want to be a Weather watcher?
The Met Office is helping to co-ordinate the growth of the weather observing community in the UK, by asking anyone to submit the observations they are taking to the Met Office Weather Observations Website (WOW). No specialist equipment is required to submit observations, so there are no cost restrictions, and the growing world of social networking online makes it relatively easy for anyone to get involved and share their weather observations.
Supported by the Royal Meteorological Society and Department for Education, the site has received over 12.5 million weather observations from weather enthusiasts around the world since its launch in June, averaging around 2 million observations per month. Although it was primarily developed as a tool to increase observations over the UK, there has been huge interest in WOW from around the world, with observations submitted from amateurs in over 100 countries, including New Zealand, USA, China, Brazil and Australia. Storuman in Sweden provides WOW with the most northern observation, while observations from Whitehorse in Canada are WOW's most western observations. Oamaru and Wairoa in New Zealand, provide the most southern and eastern observations submitted to the site.
The Met Office is the first National Met Service to establish such a community facility. The site is the first of Met Office applications to use cloud technology and has been recognised by Google as the most sophisticated use of its API to date.
GSE members with an interest in the weather are encouraged to visit the site and submit their own observations!
Scottish Scientists and Engineers Connect with Policy
The fourth annual Scottish Government Science and Engineering Professionals Conference, entitled ‘Science and Engineering Connections with Policy’, was held in November in Dundee. Thankfully there were no snow disruptions this year, so the attendance was excellent. The event was chaired by Professor Anne Glover for the last time before undertaking her new post as EC Chief Scientific Adviser.
The day began with presentations from Transport Scotland, Marine Scotland: Science, and Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA). The first Keynote Speaker was Bill Reeve who, following his talk ‘Linking Policy to Science and Engineering: What we do well and what could be done better’, deserves an award for comedic and informative delivery. Professor Bob Watson followed with the fascinating ‘Food Security and Resilience: Linking policy development to scientific and engineering evidence’. Anne Glover was full of admiration for a man who can “talk faster than I can think.” His presentations was followed by 3 well received ‘Hot Topics’ on 'Marine Renewables', 'Wildlife Crime Forensics' and 'Adapting Transport to Climate Change'.
Delegates had to work hard in the afternoon breakout sessions on ‘Connections’ and ‘Doing more with less’ but maintained the buzz from the morning right through to the plenary sessions at the end of the day.
If you have any queries with regard to this conference, please contact Doug Brown, Senior Policy Adviser at the Scottish Government Office of the Chief Scientist.
£1m NIHR Award to explore the link between Forests and Mental Health
For some years the Forestry Commission has been working with the Scottish Government and NHS Scotland to understand how its forests can contribute to health. Faced with a weak evidence base and insufficient funds to support a credible research programme ourselves, the Commission built research capacity through partnership with a small number of research institutes. It provided access to sites and data, funded PhDs and helped the institutes to bid for funding.
This approach is bearing fruit. Edinburgh & Glasgow universities have together won £1 million from the NHS National Institute for Health Research. They will be studying the contribution of community forestry to mental health, focusing on sites in Central Scotland.
Whilst there is a significant body of research on health and the environment, it is mostly related to the management of hazards and risks. Very little evidence has been available on how greenspace can be managed for positive health outcomes. This award is the latest in a growing body of evidence that is changing our thinking on the value of public forests. The Commission will support the research with two PhD bursaries arranged through the Scottish Government's DTC scheme.
The Principal researchers are Catharine Ward-Thompson, OPENSpace, Edinburgh University; and Richard Mitchell, Glasgow Medical School, Dept. Public Health.
If you have any questions about this project, please contact Catharine Ward-Thompson at the University of Edinburgh, or Liz O’Brien or James Ogilvie at the Forestry Commission.
Events - Policy implications of Climate Change: 24 January and 1 March 2012
GSE members are invited to two upcoming seminars on the interface between climate change science, politics and economics. Both events are free to attend and will be followed by drinks reception.
The first seminar on 24 January is entitled ‘The Green Moment? The Crises of Capitalism and the Response of Progressive Politics’ and will feature Michael Jacobs, Visiting Professor at University College London (UCL) School of Public Policy, who will offer some reflections on the nature of the current crisis and the challenges it raises for progressive political economy and political theory.
The event will be chaired by Professor Paul Ekins (UCL Energy Institute) and will take place in Sir David Davies Lecture Theatre, Roberts Building, UCL, Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7JE. For further information, full list of discussants and registration, please visit UCL website.
The second seminar on 1 March will consider the financial risks associated with climate change adaptation. Chaired by Julian O'Halloran of the BBC, the event will address potential scenarios of climate change and adaptation, and explore the degree of awareness amongst business leaders and policy makers of the risks presented by a changing climate.
It will also reflect upon the actions that businesses will need to take in order to adapt to changed circumstances brought about by climate change, and the role of policy-makers in mitigating the associated risks and establishing the appropriate policy frameworks.
This event will take place in the Gustave Tuck Lecture Theatre, Wilkins Building at the UCL, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT. For further information, full list of speakers and registration, please visit UCL website.
Invitation to Royal Academy of Engineering New Year Reception, 16 January 2012
The Royal Academy of Engineering is pleased to invite GSE members to its New Year Reception on 16 January 2012 at the Royal Society, 6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5HE.
The annual reception is normally restricted to Fellows, but this year, the Academy has decided to extend the invitation to the GSE community.
Entitled ‘Intervention and Stabilisation Operations: the role of the military engineer’, the event will focus on the ingenuity and contribution of engineers to military operations. Sir John Parker, President of the Academy will chair and General Sir Peter Wall, Chief Royal Engineer and President of Army Rugby, will present drawing on recent examples to offer a blueprint for delivering key functions on future operations where military engineers are likely to play a key role.
For further information and registration, please download a flyer from the Academy’s website.
HSO Vacancy in DECC
The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is looking for a Higher Scientific Officer (HSO) to work in its Science and Evidence Group. The team is responsible for managing the UK Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory, which is key to enabling the UK to manage and monitor its progress in reducing domestic GHG emissions and for addressing our international reporting commitments.
The HSO is required to have strong scientific and analytical skills to deliver the following objectives:
- Production of emissions projections for non-CO2 greenhouse gases (methane, nitrous dioxide and f-gases), to supplement DECC’s CO2 emissions projections;
- Support the management of the UK GHG Inventory and its scientific development;
- Manage the production of emission “conversion factors” for use in companies GHG reporting (jointly with Defra);
- Providing technical and scientific support to colleagues in DECC;
- Provide scientific support to the verification of the UK GHG Inventory based on atmospheric monitoring data;
- Oversee communications and knowledge management for the GHG inventory and statistics team.
Applications will close on 29 December 2011. Please log on to Civil Service website for full job and application details.
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The GSE e-Newsletter is produced by the Government Office for Science (GO-Science). It is circulated on a monthly basis and highlights areas of interest to the profession, including news updates, highlights of departmental activities, and details of events. The newsletter is for all civil servants with a science and/or engineering background or those with a strong interest in matters relating to the profession.
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