That was the week that was…and the year
TW3, for those old enough to remember, was a pioneering piece of TV satire that took a wry look at (mainly political) events of the previous week. While this blog has no such aspirations, it has often...
View ArticleAssessment, infrastructure and the Norwich Research Park
The week began with a constructive meeting with Directors and representatives of our Institutes to discuss further the mechanistic detail of how the scientific and other activities of our Institutes...
View ArticleThanet earth, ISPGs, Science and Technology Select Committee and Babraham
The first visit of last week was to the exceptionally impressive Thanet Earth, a very large glasshouse complex (the site is 55 ha) in <ahem> Thanet, i.e. south-east Kent. Energy (both light and...
View ArticleAnnouncements, speeches and animal health
I had expected to start last week by going to the Royal Society to attend the speech of, and discussion with, EU Commissioner for Research Innovation and Science Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, who we had met...
View ArticleStrategies, Fellows, technology and food
Last week included lengthy meetings assessing the proposals for quinquennial funding from the Institutes to whom we give strategic support. These proposals fell into two categories, viz National...
View ArticleInstitutes, governance and Science and Technology in Society
Many of last week’s meetings involved some of the Institutes that receive strategic funding from BBSRC. One involved a catch-up meeting with Prof John Fazakerley, the (relatively) new Director of the...
View ArticleA visit to Taiwan
Following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Taiwanese National Science Council and BBSRC last November, I was very pleased to have the opportunity to visit Taiwan last week,...
View ArticleAthena Swan, Exploiting New Ways of Working, East Malling, and The Two Cultures
Among last week’s meetings was one to discuss how we might best take forward our implementation of the Athena Swan arrangements, and in particular the development of requirements for our fundees to...
View ArticleNitrogen, the autumn statement, executive meetings and new ways of working
Last week began with attendance at part of our facilitated ‘ideas lab’ meeting, seeking to develop highly innovative thinking in how to capture dinitrogen biologically and thereby to lower (and...
View ArticleIndustrial Biotechnology, Research Advisory Panel and strategies
Last week the Research Council Chief Executives, along with Iain Gray (Head of the Technology Strategy Board) and David Parker (CEO of the UK Space Agency) had one of our periodic meetings with...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Evaluations, Gatsby and partnerships
As previously, this is the season of internal evaluations of the activities and achievements of Swindon Office Directors during the last year (though since the governance changes I provide only...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Value, impact and a misfiring laptop…
Last week was extremely busy and varied, starting in Swindon and ending in Manchester. The recurrent themes for the week were value and impact. I attended a meeting of the Foundation for Science and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Food for thought
Agriculture and food security in various forms were the main areas of focus during the past week. The agri-food chain (i.e. from farm to fork) contributes about £96Bn to the UK economy and is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A busy, festive run-up to Christmas
The last few weeks before Christmas have been very busy with meetings with Chief Executives of the other Research Councils, partnership meetings with industry, BIS and other public bodies, as well as...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Health and future wellbeing
Gastro-intestinal track research has huge importance for health and wellbeing – and is an exciting area of science. My view was reinforced last week when I paid a visit to the Institute for Food...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Basic research investment produces impact
It is always pleasing to see our investments in the research base bearing fruit whether it be in excellent publications or social and economic impact. So the announcement by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ending 2015 on a high
This is the last blog from me for 2015 but I think we have finished the year on some real highs both for BBSRC and for all Research Councils. For example last Friday we got the official notification...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Vaccinology and reproducibility
Well a bit of a shock to the system to be back at work but it certainly beats squelching around in a very wet and muddy garden. Our beagle had another fit at the weekend which continues to remind me of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Plant science, oenomics and H2020 funding
BBSRC’s investments are key to supporting plant science research in the UK. Our plant scientists lead the world in understanding the fundamentals of plant biology – knowledge that is now being applied...
View Article
