Science and Government in the UK

Statistical Physics and Complexity Group meeting

Science and Government in the UK

  • Event time: 11:30am until 12:30pm
  • Event date: 28th June 2017
  • Speaker: Alexander Slowman (Formerly School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Edinburgh)
  • Location: Room 2511,

Event details

The Government Office for Science is the (little-known) part of the UK Government tasked with ensuring that policy* is based on the best available scientific evidence. 

In this talk, I will try to synthesise and relay some of the knowledge I've gained through my recent experience working at the Government Office for Science. I will focus on how they influence Government and the relationship between Government and scientific funding.  This might be of particular interest as the current head of the Government Office for Science, Sir Mark Walport, is transitioning to his new role as Chief Executive of UK Research and Innovation, the new umbrella-group of UK Research Councils.

(*vague words like these will be defined, but not necessarily to your satisfaction)