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The Journal of theParliamentary andScientific Committee

www.scienceinparliament.org.uk

Chemical engineering – a vital partof the 21st Century jigsaw sipSCIENCE IN PARLIAMENT

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The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council(EPSRC) is the UK’s main agency for funding research inengineering and physical sciences. EPSRC invests around£800 million a year in research and postgraduate training,to help the nation handle the next generation oftechnological change. The areas covered range frominformation technology to structural engineering, andmathematics to materials science. This research forms thebasis for future economic development in the UK andimprovements for everyone’s health, lifestyle and culture.EPSRC works alongside other Research Councils, workingcollectively on issues of common concern via ResearchCouncils UK.

The Council for the Mathematical Sciences (CMS)provides an authoritative and objective body that exists todevelop, influence and respond to UK policy issues thataffect the mathematical sciences in higher education andresearch, and therefore the UK economy and society ingeneral. Speaking with one voice for five learnedsocieties, the CMS represents the Institute ofMathematics and its Applications, the LondonMathematical Society, the Royal Statistical Society, theEdinburgh Mathematical Society and the OperationalResearch Society.

Source: Deloitte

The full report is available athttp://www.epsrc.ac.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/Publications/reports/DeloitteMeasuringTheEconomicsBenefits

OfMathematicalScienceResearchUKNov2012.pdf

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Science in Parliament Vol 70 No 1 Spring 2013 1

ROYAL SOCIETY PAIRING SCHEME 2Gisela Stuart MP and Dr Joanna Parish

FRONT OF PACK LABELLING 4Professor Judy Buttriss

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING MATTERS 6Andrew Furlong

INVESTOR IN INNOVATIONS® 8Dr Alison Todman and Professor Sa’ad Medhat

MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH 11Professor David Delpy and Professor Frank Kelly

THE ENERGY BILL 13Robert Freer

HELIUM 14Dr Mark Stokes

ENERGY – THE NEXT GENERATION 16Addresses to the P&SC by Frans van den Heuvel,Francis Egan and Dr Gordon Edge

WHAT NEXT FOR BIOSCIENCE BUSINESSINCUBATORS? 21Dr Glenn Crocker

ASH TREES – EFFECT OF CHALARA FRAXINEA 23Addresses to the P&SC by Professor Peter Freer-Smith,Martin Ward and Dr Monique Simmonds

PARLIAMENTARY AND SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEEANNUAL LUNCHEON 29Address to the P&SC by Professor John Womersley

ENERGY – HOW TO USE LESS 33Addresses to the P&SC by Gill Kelleher, Ashley Pocockand Professor Roger Kemp

SUPPORTING GOOD PRACTICE IN UNIVERSITYMATHEMATICS DEPARTMENTS 39Sean McWhinnie

METHANE: THE UNNATURAL GAS 41Dr Grant Allen

HOUSE OF LORDS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYSELECT COMMITTEE 44

SELECTED DEBATES 45

HOUSE OF COMMONS SELECT COMMITTEE ONSCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 46

HOUSE OF COMMONS LIBRARY SCIENCE ANDENVIRONMENT SECTION 48

PARLIAMENTARY OFFICE OF SCIENCE ANDTECHNOLOGY 50

SCIENCE DIRECTORY 52

SCIENCE DIARY 60

Surely nobody can have failed to notice that “Science” iseverywhere these days?

We had (Sir) Tim Berners Lee to help open theOlympics. He was closely followed by Stephen Hawking atthe Paralympics. It was also clear (at least to the French)that our cyclists had an (unfair) advantage because ourscience and engineering were superior!

But almost every day on radio or television we canenjoy Dara Ó Briain and Brian Cox as well as Jim Al-Khalili.Melvyn Bragg is not far behind with topics for hisprogrammes. When you were replete with turkey andother comestibles, there were the RI Christmas Lectures.One glimpse of the astonishment in those youthful facestold you what "engagement" really means.

The science Minister, David Willetts, has been able topersuade even the Treasury that graphene may beimportant. And then we had the astonishing talk at theOxford Farming Conference by Mark Lynas. He apologisedfor destroying GM crops, accepted that the position hetook was misguided, and admitted that he changed hismind because of science. Allelujah!

And yet there is still much to do. John of Gaunt thoughtthat “sudden storms are short” and that our nation was “aprecious stone set in a silver sea”, but in the last twelvemonths we have witnessed a hosepipe ban throughoutmuch of the country coincident with the second wettestyear on record. The Ancient Mariner could see “water,water everywhere nor any drop to drink”. My SelectCommittee has recognised both these issues and we areinvestigating both Marine Science and Water Quality during2013.

Meanwhile, the P&SC continues to lead the way,whether on High Speed Trains, Gut Health, or Energy.Always worth popping in on a Tuesday at 5.30 to catch up.I hope see you there.

Andrew Miller MPChairman, Parliamentaryand ScientificCommittee

CONTENTS

The Journal of the Parliamentary and ScientificCommittee.The Committee is an Associate ParliamentaryGroup of members of both Houses ofParliament and British members of theEuropean Parliament, representatives ofscientific and technical institutions, industrialorganisations and universities.

sipSCIENCE IN PARLIAMENT

Science in Parliament has two main objectives:1. to inform the scientific and industrial

communities of activities within Parliamentof a scientific nature and of the progress ofrelevant legislation;

2. to keep Members of Parliament abreast ofscientific affairs.

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Science in Parliament Vol 70 No 1 Spring 20132

ROYAL SOCIETY PAIRINGSCHEMEThe Royal Society runs an annual Pairing Scheme for MPs or civil servants and RoyalSociety Research scientists. It starts with the ‘Week in Westminster’ in late October, aprogramme of activities for the scientists including seminars, workshops, shadowingopportunities and a tour of Westminster. This week aims to give the scientist a taste notonly of the approach to science policy but of Parliament and the Civil Service in general.Gisela Stuart MP and Dr Joanna Parish relate their experiences.

Gisela Stuart MP

I have found the “pairing

scheme” of great benefit to me

– but not necessarily for the

reasons I’d expected. I had

hoped, and indeed did, learn

more about Birmingham

University from the view of

someone working there.

But what I had not expected

was the mirror that was

constantly held up – I had to

find answers to the simple

questions of “how” and “why”.

Politicians like to share their

certainties. Voters aren’t

interested in our doubts. They

have enough of their own.

So for us things are black or

white, good or bad, right or

wrong; but I rarely get quizzed,

nor indeed cross examined, on

how I arrived at my view.

Politics isn’t a science and

electoral politics even less so.

Local circumstances, history,

expectations, behaviour of the

opposition – all these things

come into play. But there does

need to be a factual basis. Our

policies may have unintended

consequences, but we need to

buckle down and try and

forecast how to bring them into

line with our social beliefs. This

would be fatal to a real scientist.

But they too have hunches, and

I am sure that they too on

occasions come up with good

post hoc explanations. Maybe

that is the sign of genius.

It was fun to share my world

of work with bright young

women like Jo Parish, who I am

sure will rise to the top of her

profession. I will watch her

progress with interest.

. . . Politics isn’t a science . . .

Dr Joanna ParishRoyal Society UniversityResearch Fellow; SeniorLecturer School of CancerSciences, Institute ofBiological Research, Collegeof Medical & Dental Sciences,University of Birmingham

As part of the Royal Society

MP Pairing Scheme, I spent a

week shadowing Gisela Stuart MP.

I am a Royal Society University

Research Fellow and study the

life cycle and molecular biology

of the cancer causing human

papillomavirus (HPV). Having

completed my PhD in 2002, I

moved to America to work as a

postdoctoral scientist for 5 years

before returning to the UK to

establish my own research

group. Until I gained

independence as a scientist in

2007, I was blissfully unaware of

how internal and external politics

affected my ability to carry out

cutting edge research and

deliver high-quality teaching.

Now I seem to struggle against a

wave of political decisions,

particularly in the wake of this

year’s Research Excellence

Framework assessment and

therefore wanted to discover

how these policies that so

greatly affect my ability to be

creative and individual in my

research are reached within

government.

Policies founded within

government have a huge impact

on my research. For example,

government largely influences

how my research is funded. It is

getting harder and harder simply

to follow ideas and hypotheses,

a path that many great scientists

throughout history have taken.

Now we must study questions

that fall into priority areas if we

are to attract funding from

research councils. Likewise, the

ability to utilise human tissue is

licensed through policies

. . . blissfully unaware of politics . . .

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developed with Parliament,

policies that seem to have

hindered not helped our ability

to use tissue samples to study

disease processes. For several

years I have become interested

in how policies which influence

research into human health and

disease are adopted within

Parliament and how these

shape the way academic

research is conducted within the

UK. When I was given the

opportunity to take part in the

MP Pairing Scheme I realised

that this would give me the

chance to talk to politicians and

learn about decision making

processes and how I can

influence them. I also hoped

that the politicians I met would

learn from my experiences as an

academic scientist and begin to

understand how parliamentary

decisions influence academic

research.

I was not disappointed!

Through a well-planned series of

presentations from key

individuals associated with the

Parliamentary Office of Science

and Technology (POST), the

House of Commons and Lords

Science and Technology Select

Committees, the House of

Commons Library, the

Parliamentary and Scientific

Committee, the UK Foresight

Team, the Government Office for

Science and BIS, and Professor

Sir John Beddington CMG FRS

we were talked through the

many offices and committees

that are involved in making

decisions and how the findings

of this research are used to

influence society. I was

particularly inspired by Sir John

Beddington’s presentation. He

talked us through his role in

providing scientific advice to

government with several

pertinent examples of events

that have required a rapid

response in order for the

government to react swiftly and

appropriately.

Following a day and a half of

seminars, we were given time to

shadow our MP pairs and attend

select committee meetings and

Prime Minister’s Questions.

PMQs was without doubt the

most surprising element of my

time in Westminster! I knew that

debates within the House of

Commons are hectic, but two

things really shocked me. Firstly

the Commons chamber is

remarkably small – the opposing

sides are much closer to each

other than the images on the

television would suggest.

Secondly, the volume of the

heckling and seemingly chaotic

speed at which the questions

were asked and answered was

startling. I am amazed that this is

the way our government

debates the most important

issues. Scientists are far more

civilized, but it was great fun to

watch!

Shadowing Gisela has also

been a very worthwhile

experience. She works incredibly

hard and seemingly never

switches off from parliamentary

issues. She was proactive in the

MP Pairing scheme and allowed

me to shadow her for the

majority of my free time. I

attended a briefing dinner with

the Fleet Commander and

Deputy Chief of Naval Staff,

Admiral Sir George Zambellas,

which was enjoyable and very

interesting. I also sat in on

several select committee

meetings, observed television

. . . questions that fall into

priority areas . . .

. . . events that have required

a rapid response . . .

. . . Scientists are far more civilized . . .

. . . I have learnt so much . . .

and radio interviews within the

studios at Millbank and worked

with Gisela’s intern on some

research required for a piece

Gisela was writing. Above all this,

my most valuable experiences

stem from sitting and chatting

with Gisela for lunch or coffee.

We had many insightful

conversations and discussed the

workings of Parliament and her

role as an MP. Sitting in

Portcullis House or the House of

Commons refectory allowed me

to observe life in Westminster

from a unique angle. As with

science, many of the important

interactions that occur between

politicians happen in the

cafeteria and it was great to be

able to see these interactions

play out in front of me.

The structured sessions

during the week were vital for

me to understand the role of

the various committees and

offices within government and

how these work together to

form evidence-based policies

and also to prioritise academic

research. However, it was the

time I spent shadowing my MP

that was the most valuable to

me. I am very grateful for the

amount of time and effort Gisela

afforded me. I would encourage

all MPs and Civil Servants to

consider taking part in the

pairing scheme, but only to do

so if they are prepared to

commit to it. I hope Gisela

found it as enjoyable and

educational as I did and I am

looking forward to her visiting

my research lab and teaching

her more about academic

research. I have learnt so much

about our government and will

take this knowledge away with

me, fully motivated to engage

more with Parliament in the

future. Furthermore, I have

made a friend and hope the

relationship Gisela and I have

developed continues in the long

term. Perhaps it is friendships

like this that will help develop

firm links between politicians

and scientists, links that are

important if we are to make

best use of academic research

in society.

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FRONT OF PACK LABELLING:format set to become more consistent

Professor Judith ButtrissDirector General, BritishNutrition Foundation

HISTORY

The UK has been a frontrunner in establishing access to‘at a glance’ front-of-packnutrition information as thenorm when we do our weeklysupermarket shop, tosupplement the back-of-packnutrition information commonlyfound on foods. Over the pastfew years three distinctapproaches have becomewidespread, each with theirsupporters and detractors. Oneis characterised by so-calledmultiple traffic lights via whichthe presence in a food ofsubstances of concern in the UKdiet – fat, saturated fat, sugarsand salt – is flagged using red,amber and green icons. Thehistory of the voluntary schemedates back to 2006, when theFood Standards Agency (FSA)recommended that businessesadopt additional front-of-packnutrition labelling, using trafficlight colours to interpret levels ofthese four constituents in sevencategories of food (sandwichesand similar products; readymeals (hot and cold); burgersand sausages; pies, pastries andquiches; breaded, coated orformed meat/poultry/fish; pizzasand breakfast cereals)1. Thescheme or a version of it hasbeen applied more extensivelyby a number of supermarketchains. Nutritional criteria areused to determine the colourcoding. The cut-offs forgreen/amber have been set atlevels consistent with healthclaims legislation and theamber/red (medium/high)boundaries are based onexisting advice for fat, saturatedfat, sugars and salt, using 25%of recommended intake levels

per 100g and 30% (40% forsalt) per portion 2. The schemeincludes a slightly different set ofcriteria for non-alcoholic drinks.

The second approach, widelyadopted by food manufacturersand some supermarkets, usescomparisons with guideline dailyamounts (GDAs); GDAs arederived from UK dietaryreference values and similarvalues have been established bythe European Food SafetyAuthority, known as labellingreference values (EFSA 2009).The original GDA approach didnot incorporate red/amber/green colour coding. A thirdapproach amalgamates trafficlight coding and GDAs and hasbeen growing in popularity.

No studies examining thevarious schemes have seriouslygrappled with their ability toeffect change in consumerbehaviour. In 2009, the FSAcommissioned research thatfocused on three key content-related signposting elements:traffic light colours, interpretativetext (high, medium, low) andpercent GDA information. Theaim was to establish whichfront-of pack-labelling format orwhich combination of elementsbest facilitated the accurateinterpretation of key nutritionalinformation, such thatconsumers were assisted inmaking informed choices aboutthe foods they purchase. Theresearch addressed three keyquestions. First, how well doindividual schemes (or elementsof schemes) enable consumersto correctly interpret levels ofkey nutrients? Second, how doconsumers use front of packlabels in real-life contexts in theretail environment and at home?

Third, how does the co-existence of a range of front ofpack label formats affectaccurate interpretation of front ofpack labels? 3.

The research found thatlevels of comprehension of thedifferent formats tested weregenerally high (ranging from58% to 71% when looking atsingle products), but twoformats were particularlyfavourable. One combined text(the words high, medium, low),traffic light colours and percentGDA. This achievedcomprehension of 70% andwas one of the top twopreferred formats. The other,with a comprehension of 71%,combined text and traffic lightcolours. The balance of evidencefavoured a hybrid approach thatcombined GDAs, traffic lightcolours and text, which hasbeen used by several majorretail chains for some time.Expressed preference alone fora format was not a reliableindicator of ability tocomprehend the informationprovided.

GOVERNMENTANNOUNCEMENT ONFRONT-OF-PACKLABELLING

New European legislation,the Food Information Regulation(FIR), came into force at theend of 2011 and makesmandatory (from 2016) theprovision of nutrientcomposition data ‘back-of-pack’and also includes provision foradditional voluntary declarationsof specified nutrients front-of-pack (either energy alone or acombination of energy, sugars,fat, saturated fat and salt). To

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prepare for implementation ofaspects of the Regulation in theUK, a consultation was held in2012 about the approach forfront-of-pack declarations,focusing on the lack ofconsistency of the formats incurrent use and the impact ofthis on consumer understandingand usage. The details of theconsultation, which concludedon 6 August 2012, have yet tobe made public but on 24October 2012, Health MinisterAnna Soubry and other healthministers announced that theUK governments will worktowards a consistent (stillvoluntary) front-of-pack schemebased on a hybrid approachcombining GDAs (%GDA) andcolour coding. It was stated thatthe approach already had thesupport of the 10 leadingretailers in the UK and thegovernment wished to agree thedetails of the scheme by early2013. The announcement alsolisted aspects about which therewere inconsistent responses inthe consultation, such aswhether to includehigh/medium/low text in thescheme, whether to colour codeenergy, and where the variousthresholds for colour codingfoods should be set (ie shouldthe existing FSA thresholds beadopted or was there anotherapproach that would bepreferable?). Another aspectoften highlighted is that as theFSA scheme applies the criteriaon a 100g basis, it penalises

foods consumed in smallamounts.

Although a number ofretailers already base theirschemes on the FSA criteria,there are subtle differences inthe details and the presentation.Extensive changes to labels willbe required if consistency is tobe achieved. For example, someschemes have been modified sothat they are able to differentiatewithin categories eg cheese andspreads, and/or to take intoaccount the role of the foodwithin the diet (eg main mealitem vs a snack). The newrequirements of the FIR willnecessitate numerous packagingchanges, even in relation to thefont size used. The changes tofront of pack information, whichwill affect all retailers’ own brandfood and beverage products willadd to the cost and complexityof the process and alsoinfluence the deadlines bywhich decisions are required.

NEXT STEPS

The consultation revealedthat for some food categories,eg biscuits, cheese, butter andspreads, breakfast cereal, andyogurts (for at least some of thenutrients), the existing FSAthresholds fail to differentiatehealthier options within thecategory. Does this matter? Inthe cheese category, forexample, at least 80% ofproducts carry 3 reds accordingto new research conducted

recently on behalf of theDepartment of Health (and thenutrients targeted do not takeinto account the positivenutritional attributes of cheese,particularly calcium). It is arguedthat this implies that theapproach may be ineffective innudging consumers to make anumber of small steps in ahealthier direction. This isimportant if purchase decisionsare undertaken within categoriesrather than between categories,that is biscuits vs biscuits ratherthan biscuits vs fruit.Furthermore, it has been arguedthat the thresholds chosen andthe degree of categorisation thatis implemented (ie whetherthere are separate sets ofthresholds for particular types offood as has been mooted forthe nutrient profiling element ofthe Nutrition and Health ClaimsRegulation and has beenadopted in schemes usedelsewhere) influence the natureof the impact of the labellingscheme: whether it movesconsumers towards healthieroptions within a category orwhether it simply highlightslevels of nutrients/ingredients ofpublic health concern andrequires a separate educationprogramme to effect behaviourchange. The choice of thresholdsmay also influence the extent towhich the scheme drivesreformulation in a positivedirection, ie whether it’s feasibleto modify a product such that itmoves from red to amber oramber to green for a particularnutrient. It is worth noting thatthe October announcementreferred to some adjustmentsmade to the FSA salt criteria in2009 but never published. Thisrecommended bringing the saltvalue that triggers ‘red’ downfrom 1.5g/100g to 1g/100g.Many products have beenreformulated and now showamber using the published(1.5g) criteria. But if the newvalue of 1g is adopted, many

products are likely to revert tored, hence removing the degreeof differentiation that currentlyexists that can be used to affectconsumer choice.

A window of opportunityexists to explore the pros andcons of existing schemes andfine tune them. Using thethreshold criteria developed bythe Food Standards Agency,officials at the Department ofHealth have been meeting withinterested parties and havecommissioned modelling workon the impact of the FSAthresholds on the colour codingof foods and also onapproaches to colour coding ofenergy (not currently included inthe FSA scheme). In the run upto Christmas (21 December2012), the Department ofHealth circulated a summary ofthe findings from the modellingwork.

Time constraints, linked tothe roll out of the FIR, are likelyto dictate the scope for extramodelling work and for makingchanges to the existing FSAcriteria that might provideconsumers with a tool fordecision making withincategories as well as betweencategories of foods. It can still beargued that anything thatencourages consumers to makeuse of the nutritional informationprovided on foods and as aresult improve their food choicesand eating habits is a step in theright direction.

References

EFSA (2009) Scientific opinion of thePanel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition andAllergies on a request from the EuropeanCommission on the review of labellingreference values for selected elements.EFSA Journal 1008, 1-14.

1 http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2006/mar/signpostnewsmarch

2 www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/frontofpackguidance2.pdf

3 http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/pmpreport.pdf

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CHEMICAL ENGINEERINGMATTERS

Andrew Furlong

The Institution ofChemical Engineer’sDirector of Policy &Communication,Andrew Furlong,talks about a newinitiative that willhighlight the role ofthe chemicalengineer indelivering betterquality of life.

IChemE issued a posterduring the 1980s, extolling thevirtues of chemical engineering.The narrative went somethinglike this: “If you don’t wash, or usedeodorant, shave, or wearcosmetics, eat, feed your pets,work on a farm, wear wellies,drive a car, play music, go onholiday – or stay at home, sleepon a mattress, take medicine,comb your hair, or wear a hat,go to the movies, watchtelevision, listen to the radio,buy books, or read magazines,drink water, or breathe then...chemical engineering doesn’taffect your life!”

The effectiveness of thispromotional campaign waslimited in an era when the bestengineering graduates were alltoo frequently seduced by theprospect of a brick-sized mobilephone and evenings spentwaving fifty pound notes in Cityof London wine bars.Nonetheless, the centralmessage remains true –chemical engineering matters.

TALENT PIPELINE INCRISIS

UK chemical engineering wasfacing a crisis by the mid-1990s.Applications to study the subjectat first degree level wereforecast to plummet and manydepartments were struggling tosecure students with the goodA-level grades that are aprerequisite for success on ademanding degree course.Urgent intervention was calledfor and a new campaign,dubbed whynotchemeng i, waslaunched in 2001 with

substantial backing from industryand from many UK universities.The campaign highlighted theproduct and lifestyle outcomessupported by chemicalengineering. Based on carefulmarket research,whynotchemeng was bothfocused and targeted; featuresthat are often lacking in manySTEM careers campaigns.whynotchemeng has triggeredsubstantial growth in thenumber of young peopleapplying to study chemicalengineering in the UK. UCASreported a record number ofapplications in 2011, with 2201chemical engineering studentscommencing their studies lastSeptember. This increaserepresents growth of 234%since the launch ofwhynotchemeng and animprovement that surpassesother mainstream engineeringdisciplines. New programmeshave been launched, or areunder consideration, atLancaster and Liverpool JohnMoores, adding to recentadditions at Aberdeen, Bradfordand Hull, while otherdepartments have expandedintake numbers. Meanwhile, thequality threshold for applicantshas soared and three A gradesat A level is the entryrequirement for manydepartments. At undergraduatelevel, the chemical engineeringtalent pipeline has never beenin better shape.

PUBLICUNDERSTANDING

Despite this positivebackdrop, chemical engineeringremains opaque to the wider

public, as well as amongstopinion formers and policymakers. Opinion researchcarried out for IChemE byIPSOS-MORI consistently revealsthat less than a third of thepublic claim any realunderstanding of what chemicalengineers do. Ignorance is neverbliss, however, and IChemEcontinues to work through its38,000 members worldwide toimprove public understanding ofchemical engineering andscience and technology moregenerally. Engagement withothers to promote thedevelopment and use ofchemical engineering and theappreciation of its importance isa key component of theInstitution’s plan and one that isfully aligned with its RoyalCharter obligation to act withintegrity and in the publicinterest.

WHAT DOES SOCIETYNEED?

IChemE celebrated the 50thanniversary of the granting of itsRoyal Charter in 2007. Thispresented an ideal opportunityto take stock and to scope outthe role of the discipline indelivering sustainable solutionsto the challenges confrontinghumanity. IChemE published theRoadmap for 21st CenturyChemical Engineering ii andthis report, which was widelywelcomed, addressed a simplecompelling question, “Whatdoes society need; what are thedesirable outcomes and howcan chemical engineers work inpartnership with others to makeit happen?” The report set out

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20 goals, underpinned by aseries of action plans that wouldneed IChemE support.

The report was written beforethe onset of the global financialcrisis. Iraq was still under militaryoccupation and the Arab Springlay around the corner. Theevents at Fukushima and in theGulf of Mexico were yet tounfold. The potential of shalegas was still not fully understoodand concerns around access torare earth metals and otherstrategically important resourceshad not materialised. Crystal ballgazing is a risky business, butdespite the uncertainties ofgeopolitics and its impact on theworld of chemical engineering,IChemE has made progresssince 2007 and a good deal ofthe ambition set out in thereport has been realised.

Predictably, someweaknesses were identified inthe original report. Insufficientprominence was given to wealthcreation. The essential role ofthe chemical engineer in foodproduction and industrialbiotechnology was understatedand some stakeholders viewedthe action plans as too narrow,or too vague. Further work wasneeded to build on theRoadmap for 21st CenturyChemical Engineering and fiveyears on, the time had come tore-evaluate the report, assess itsfitness for purpose and outlinenew ideas for the next period.

CHEMICALENGINEERING ANDQUALITY OF LIFE

IChemE’s review of itstechnical strategy was publishedin January 2013. ChemicalEngineering Matters iii hasmoved away from the traditionalroadmap approach in favour ofa more open-ended look atoptions for progress. The newreport, running to a very

digestible 26 pages, is anexploration of possibilities and avivid illustration of the versatilityand wide-ranging application ofchemical process solutions tohuman challenges. It positionsthe discipline as a vital piece ofthe jigsaw that is the quest forsustainable living in the 21stCentury. The work is organisedaround delivering solutions infour challenge areas: food &nutrition, health & wellbeing,water and energy (Figure 1). Atthe same time, attention isdrawn to the need to embrace a

series of essential issues andconcerns in every aspect ofchemical engineering practiceincluding: sustainability, processsafety, education & training,fundamental science,collaborative working and theneed to accelerate thetransformation to a ‘bio’economy.

The report contains four ‘vistadiagrams’ – one for eachchallenge area. The diagramsseek to capture the currentstatus and some specificchallenges under each headingand propose some options foraction by chemical engineersand others. External factors arealso addressed in the context ofthe four challenges. The vistasrepresent the beginning of a

process, rather than an end.They are intended to provokedebate and stimulate targetsetting. Science in Parliamentreaders are invited to downloadthe report, which examines anumber of contentious issues,including shale gas, carboncapture, water reuse, foodsecurity and bioengineering.

REACHING A WIDERAUDIENCE

In addition to an analysis ofthe technical contribution thatchemical engineers can make to

Figure 1: Chemical engineering and quality of life

secure, maintain and improvequality of life all over the world,the report also examines therelationship between theprofession and policymakers andthe public at large. Thewhynotchemeng campaign hasalready done much to raise thevisibility of chemical engineeringas a career choice, ChemicalEngineering Matters seeks tocontinue that work by enhancingthe reputation of the professionmore widely.

IChemE is politically neutral.However, the Institutionrecognises that politicaldecisions, including those thatimpact on funding and theregulatory framework withinwhich chemical engineers mustoperate, should be evidence-

based and supported by thestrongest possible input fromthe engineering community. Thereport commits the Institution towork with its members todevelop coherent policy goalsthat will form the basis ofengagement with opinion-formers and policy-makers.IChemE’s work with POST andits financial support for theAshok Kumar Fellowship is anexample of its work in this area.

Chemical EngineeringMatters also challenges IChemEto rethink its public engagementwork. The chemical and processindustries support many of thetechnological advances thathave improved the lives ofmillions of people in the UK.However, lifestyle commentaryand media reports present‘chemicals’ as something thatcan be avoided or eliminated.The reality is very different.Everything is made of chemicalsand people are often anxiouswithout reason. IChemE willencourage its members toengage productively in thepublic conversation about theimpact of chemical processesand products. The Institution willwork with science media centresand other NGOs to address thedisconnect between lifestylecommentary and chemicalrealities.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The recycling bags in thecorridors of the Norman ShawBuilding and Portcullis Houseare frequently the firstdestination for much of theprinted material that is sent toparliamentarians. IChemE iskeen to ensure that ChemicalEngineering Matters does notsuffer the same fate. MPs andpeers will be heartened to learnthat the Institution does notintend to add to alreadyoverloaded in-trays. During

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2014, the Institution’s policyteam will prepare a series ofshort briefing papers under eachof the action headingshighlighted in the report. Thesewill be used to targetengagement with AssociateParliamentary Groups, SelectCommittees and Members ofboth Houses who haveexpressed interest in specificissues where chemicalengineering can make adifference. Given theinternational nature of IChemE’smembership, this work will notbe solely confined to the UK.

Chemical EngineeringMatters should prove of interestto all those whose work is

ABOUT IChemE

A member of the Parliamentary & Scientific Committee, theInstitution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) is the globalprofessional membership organisation for people withrelevant experience or an interest in chemical engineering.It is the only organisation to award Chartered ChemicalEngineer status.

IChemE is also licensed to award the titles of CharteredEngineer (CEng), Chartered Scientist (CSi) and CharteredEnvironmentalist (CEnv) to suitably qualified members.Founded in 1922 as a professional institution for chemicaland process engineers, IChemE has grown to its currentstatus of 38,000 members across 120 countries. IChemEcurrently has offices in Australia, China, Malaysia, NewZealand and the UK.

connected with governmentpolicy-making at local, nationalor international level. IChemE isan advocate for solutions thatwill support a safer and moresustainable world. If you thinkthat our members can be auseful addition to your contactbook please get in touch. Tocontinue the conversationplease email [email protected] or call Dr. AlanaCollis at the Institution ofChemical Engineers on 01788534484.

References

i www.whynotchemeng.com

ii www.icheme.org/roadmap2007

iii www.icheme.org/chemengmatters

INVESTOR IN INNOVATIONS®: A New Industry Standard

Dr Alison Todman FIKEHead of Innovation Services,NEF: The Innovation Institute

Professor Sa’ad Medhat CEngFIET FCIM FRSA FIoD FCMIFIKE CEO, NEF: The Innovation Institute

At Innovisions 2012conference, Jo Lopes, Head ofTechnical Excellence at JaguarLand Rover said “Innovation is akey part of any engineer’stoolbox. Innovation is the soul ofengineering – it provides anengineering company with acompetitive edge”. The East ofEngland Development Agencyclaims that “Innovation plays acritical role in economicdevelopment and growth.” 1

To NEF, innovation is not anabstract concept, but a vitalprocess that develops newproducts and markets andimproves business performance.It is the successfulimplementation of creative ideasthat enables an organisation tosurvive, adapt, change andmaintain its competitiveadvantage. This definition is verygeneral so that it can be usedthroughout education and across

all sectors of industry. While our

work builds on significant

research by leading experts, it

also challenges and blurs some

of the traditional boundaries

between disciplines that are

often treated as being outside

innovation.

NEF Investor in

Innovations® is an industry

standard that identifies

organisations whose culture and

Can organisations afford not to invest in innovation? All recentbusiness surveys have identified innovation as an imperative forany business to compete and grow. In recent years, considerableeffort has gone into exploring the theory and practice ofinnovation in an attempt to capture the elusive organisationalculture that underlies the ability of some organisations to excel,and to gain a competitive advantage over their peers. Leaders ofindustry are united in calling for innovation to be prioritised,which in turn requires an appetite for risk, resilience and theability to adapt to changing landscapes.

sip SPRING 2013 4/2/13 12:22


practice feature the definingcharacteristics shown to lead toeffective and sustainableinnovation. This evaluates theinnovation practice of anorganisation against the NEFInnovation Assured frameworkwhich is based on a set ofcriteria derived from research.This approach allows anorganisation not only to evaluateits own practice, but todemonstrate its commitmenttowards innovation to its clients,employees, and the widerpublic. It recognises the differentcontexts in which innovationtakes place in small and largeorganisations, and in differentsectors of industry. To achievethe award, organisations mustdemonstrate practice

Fig 1The NEF InnovationAssured Framework

appropriate to the context inwhich they operate.

A MODEL FORINNOVATIONMANAGEMENT: ASTRATEGIC APPROACH

Management studies 2,3 havepointed to the importance ofstrategy and alignment inensuring the successful deliveryof innovation. An organisationalstructure that supports formal(governance) and informal(cultural) mechanisms toencourage innovation is vital in

developing the capacity toexploit opportunities andrespond to the externalenvironment with agility. Thestrategy and structure must befounded on a comprehensiveunderstanding of corecapabilities in the organisation,knowledge of competitors andsimilar industries, and an in-depth understanding ofcustomers or clients. Metrics ofbenchmarking are needed toevaluate the effectiveness andimpact of innovation and tohighlight potential improvementsto the innovation process. NEF

has taken the conceptshighlighted in these studies andhas expanded them within itsInnovation Assured framework.This framework further identifieskey characteristics within thecategories shown in Figure 1which allow an organisation toexplore the details of itsinnovation function and tobenchmark it in a systematicmanner.

ORGANISATIONALCULTURE AND THE“ADJACENT POSSIBLE”

Knowledge of an

organisation’s own

competencies and resources,

customers, clients and

competitors, and advances in

technologies and/or processes

with the potential to impact on

its business, are fundamental to

the management of innovation.

This enables an organisation to

identify the creative potential for

change, and also the limitations

and constraints, the so-called

“adjacent possible” 4. Most

innovation, both incremental

and radical, is brought about by

continual exploration and

expansion of the boundaries of

the adjacent possible. An

innovation culture is about

establishing an environment in

which individual employees and

teams across an organisation

can best explore this space and

develop their ideas to fruition. AsDave Drury, Chancellor of EDFEnergy Campus states,“Innovation is about having adifferent state of mind andgetting the best out of theprocesses and people within theorganisation – allowing peopleto contribute to the organisationin a novel way”.

It is clear that someenvironments stimulateinnovation apparently effortlesslywhile others inhibit it and,although the precise nature ofsuch an environment will varyfrom organisation toorganisation, there arecharacteristics that can beidentified as supportinginnovation. These can be seenin the structures and activitiesthat are part of the workingenvironment 5. Significantinnovation often comes aboutthrough borrowing ideas andtechnology from an entirelydifferent field and putting themto work to solve an unrelatedproblem (known as exaptation).For an organisation to maximisethe possibility of this happening,it needs to promote knowledgesharing and develop broadnetworks that extend outside theorganisation to involve peoplefrom diverse fields of expertise.

New ideas also come aboutthrough chance meetings anddiscussions with people fromdifferent disciplines or differentparts of an organisation.Organisations need to createopportunities for these randomcollisions to occur, bothinternally and externally. It hasbeen shown, for example, thatproximity and physicalenvironment have a role to playin encouraging innovation6. Thequickest way to stifle innovationis to isolate people in singleoffices behind closed doors.Shared spaces where peoplehave the opportunity to meet

. . . in-depth understanding

of customers . . .

. . . opportunity to challenge

assumptions . . .

sip SPRING 2013 4/2/13 12:22


informally are essential toprovide an innovativeenvironment in which randomconnections and exchange ofideas can take place. Aninnovation-driven organisationwill build opportunities for itsemployees to meet with peoplefrom other organisations into itsnormal working practice. Groupinteraction, group problem-solving, the freedom andopportunity to challengeassumptions are all important inan organisation that takesinnovation seriously.

INNOVATIONMANAGEMENT:PROCESS AND IMPACTASSESSMENT

Innovative systems have atendency to gravitate towardsthe “edge of chaos”, existingsomewhere between too muchorder and too much anarchy7.This could lead organisations tobelieve that the management ofinnovation is a bad idea and thata structured approach will stiflethe creative process. Evidencesuggests that this is not thecase. There is a strongcorrelation between theexistence of formalisedmechanisms for managinginnovation and reported successrates 2. Good leadership,appropriate organisationalstructures and innovationgovernance, are required toincrease the effectiveness ofinnovation. Dr Elaine McMahon,Chief Executive and Principal ofHull College, affirms that “It isimportant to have a clearframework for innovation. A rolemodel of success is key.”

NEF advocates the use of“kinetic” entrepreneurialtechniques to identify andassess enablers for growth, tohorizon scan new technologies,applications and markets, and tounleash hidden potential andaccelerate entrepreneurialinnovation. It should also beremembered that a considerablepercentage of the innovationcycle is about diffusion andadoption; not simply aboutinvention of new products orservices. This means that themarketing function and goodcommunication with customersand users is needed to raise thepotential for acceptability, andimprove the speed of adoption8.The location of innovationactivities within an organisationwill vary. The existence of keyfigures to lead the innovationprocess and effectivemechanisms for alignment with

corporate strategy, managementdecision-making, communicationwith internal and externalstakeholders, knowledgemanagement, resourceallocation, and performanceevaluation, are all definingfeatures of an innovativeorganisation. The danger ofprogressively eroding anddiluting ideas as they passthrough a structured set ofstages may be mitigated bymaintaining a cross-disciplinaryenvironment that continuallystimulates and challenges at allstages of the process.

Assessment of impact is

essential if organisations are to

demonstrate success in

innovation to their clients and

investors. The KPIs and metrics

used to evaluate performance

are crucial in terms of their

impact on the innovation

process as these should be

used to drive forward

improvements. Again, a diversity

of metrics should be applied,

examples of which are well

defined in the literature 9. The

specific metrics used are not the

issue here. What is important is

that the metrics evaluate the

innovation in relation to wider

business objectives while being

appropriate to the development

itself.

INVESTOR ININNOVATIONS®

The Innovation Assured

framework specifies criteria that

enable an organisation to

evaluate the systems it has in

place to support all aspects of

the innovation function. This can

be used to benchmark the

innovation process and highlight

. . . metrics evaluate the

innovation . . .

areas for improvement, ifnecessary. The NEF Investor inInnovations® standard has animportant role to play in publiclyhighlighting organisations thathave demonstrated the capacityand culture to deliver innovationconsistently and in a sustainablemanner. As well as givingconfidence to investors andother stakeholders, this standardsignals to high performingpotential employees that theorganisation takes innovationseriously. Research nowindicates that excellence ininnovation and an organisational

culture that encourages andsupports creative practice is akey factor in ensuring retentionof staff in hi-tech industries10

where advanced skills andindustry experience are veryhard to come by. Economicresilience and ultimately growthdepend on organisationsrecognising the importance ofinnovation and taking formalsteps to ensure that the factorsshown by research to enablesuccessful innovation areeffectively managed

References

1. EEDA (2009) The Innovation

Performance of the East of England,

Innovation Insight

2. Miller P, Klokgieters K, Brankovic A and

Duppen F (2012) Innovation

Leadership Study, IESE and Capgemini

Consulting

3. Palmer D and Kaplan S (2012) A

Framework for Strategic Innovation,

Innovation Point

4. Kuffman SA (2000) Investigations New

York: Oxford University Press

5. Mullins LJ (2010) Management and

Organisational Behaviour, 9th Ed,

Pearson Education Ltd

6. Johnson S (2010) Where Do Good

Ideas Come From, Allen Lane

7. Langton CG (1992) Life at the Edge of

Chaos, Artificial Life II, 10: 41-91

8. Webster MJ (2012) Innovation

Accelerator, Innovisions 2012, NEF: The

Innovation Institute

9. Ahmed PK and Shepherd CD (2010)

Innovation Management, Prentice Hall

10. Computer Weekly (2012) Technology

Industry Survey

. . . the innovation cycle is about

diffusion and adoption . . .

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MATHEMATICAL SCIENCESRESEARCH – Leading the Wayto UK Economic Growth

Professor David DelpyChief Executive, Engineeringand Physical SciencesResearch Council

Professor Frank KellyChair, Council for theMathematical Sciences

Working in partnership withthe Council for the MathematicalSciences (CMS), the Engineeringand Physical Sciences ResearchCouncil (EPSRC) commissioneda study which has shown that10 per cent of jobs and 16 percent of Gross Value Added(GVA) to the UK economystems from mathematicalsciences research.

The report, by Deloitte, wasthe first of its kind, and reflectsthe excellence of the UKmathematics research base, thathas generated a range ofimpressive and far-reachingimpacts.

The fruits of mathematicalresearch affect the daily lives ofeveryone in the UK, forexample:

• Smart-phones which usemathematical techniques tomaximise the amount ofinformation that can betransmitted

• Weather forecasting is basedon complex mathematicalmodels

• The latest Hollywoodblockbusters take advantage ofthe mathematics behindsoftware for 3D modelling toshowcase cutting-edge specialeffects

• Elite athletes at the 2012Olympic Games used toolsbased on sophisticatedmathematics to maximise theirperformance.

It is not just contemporarymathematics research that hasan impact. Research from thepast century has paved the way

for technology used in a rangeof activities, goods and services,such as mobiletelecommunications andmedical devices.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

The report estimated thecontribution of mathematics tothe UK economy in 2010 to be2.8 million in employmentterms (around 10 per cent of alljobs in the UK) and £208 billionin terms of GVA contribution(around 16 per cent of total UKGVA).

In addition to these directimpacts, mathematical researchactivities have influence acrossthe supply chain (indirecteffects) and also affecthousehold spending (inducedeffects). There are also widerimpacts and benefits generatedby organisations using theresearch.

Productivity (as measured byGVA per worker) is significantlyhigher in mathematical scienceoccupations compared to theUK average, and as such thedirect GVA impact ofmathematics in 2010 is

proportionately higher than theshare of employment (16 percent versus 10 per cent).

The direct contribution ofmathematics is highest inresearch-dependent industriessuch as computer services,aerospace and pharmaceuticals.Mathematics plays a key role intackling the modern-daychallenge of cybersecurity,

CONTRIBUTION OFMATHEMATICALSCIENCES

• 10% of UK jobs, 16% ofUK GVA

• Productivity ofmathematical scienceoccupations is double theUK average

• UK maths accounts for:

4% of world mathsresearchers

6% of mathematicalarticles

11% of mathematicalcitations

14% of highly-citedarticles.

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ensuring that the UK is a safeplace to do business and thatwe all benefit from a secure andresilient cyberspace. It is part ofthe ‘big data revolution’ with thedevelopment of massivedatabases and energy-efficientcomputing – both key areashighlighted by the governmentfor excellence and contributionto economic growth – resultingin the need for new tools fromthe mathematical sciences.

UK manufacturing sectorssuch as aerospace, the secondlargest in the world, benefitsfrom a highly-skilled home-grown workforce, superiormanufacturing processes andsophisticated qualitymanagement systems – allmade possible by research andtraining in mathematics.

High levels of employmentassociated with mathematicsinclude sectors such as publicadministration and defence,architectural activities andtechnical consulting, constructionand education. Mathematicalscience occupations include notonly professionalmathematicians and statisticians,but also engineers, physicalscientists, IT professionals, socialscientists, finance professionals,medical practitioners,administrators and seniormanagers.

HOW MATHEMATICSCONTRIBUTES TO THEUK ECONOMY ANDSOCIETY

Through its contribution tothe development of a skilledworkforce, the production ofhigh-end, value products andthe development of qualityprocesses, mathematics enablesus to:

• Make sense of data and betterunderstand the world bybuilding the ‘informationinfrastructure’ upon whichmyriad businesses andindividuals rely, and supply thetools and techniques toanalyse and interpret largedatasets

• Safeguard society by modellingthe impacts of naturaldisasters, testing drugs andcontributing to national security

• Create robust forecasts toaddress uncertainty and allowfor better planning andoptimising processes toincrease efficiency.

The generation andapplication of maths driveseconomic growth and developsprosperity.

UK LIFE SCIENCESSECTOR

Without mathematics, the UKlife sciences sector would not bein as strong a position tocontribute to economic growth.It provides the expertise for thedevelopment of personalisedhealthcare and pharmaceuticals,as well as many medicaltechnologies.

In the pharmaceuticalindustry, statisticians are involvedin the design of clinical trials andalso work across all areas ofR&D, from the initial

identification of medicines toproduct manufacture. In 2010R&D expenditure amounted to£4.6 billion – 29 per cent of allUK R&D spend and the greatestin Europe.

Britain is a leading locationfor running the complex andoften multinational studiesneeded to develop newmedicines. The industry makes asubstantial contribution to theBritish economy in terms ofboth income and employment,and has generated a tradesurplus for the past 13 years.Exports exceeded imports byover £5 billion in 2011. TheGovernment has identified thepharmaceutical sector as one ofthe industries to pull the UK outof the current recession.

WEATHER FORECASTING

Mathematics continues toplay a role in weatherforecasting and modelling. Thecost of not predicting changes inthe physical world can be

A DEFINITION OF MATHEMATICAL SCIENCESRESEARCH

For the purposes of this study mathematical sciencesresearch was defined as high-end research in mathematicscarried out in academic institutions, research centres, theprivate sector, government and by individuals that adds tothe store of accumulated mathematical knowledge.Mathematical sciences occupations were therefore thosewhich either entail maths or which directly requiremathematics-derived tools and techniques.

THE TIMING OF ECONOMIC IMPACT The study took into account the contribution of bothcontemporary research and past mathematics research sincethe full economic impact of a given piece of research maynot be felt immediately.

A classic example is the Radon Transformation intopography, first introduced by mathematician JohannRadon in 1917. This research provided the mathematicalbasis for non-invasive imaging technology used in CAT scansand barcode scanners introduced over 50 years afterRadon’s breakthrough. Clearly, research performed nearly acentury ago continues to benefit the UK economy andsociety today.

immense. Natural disasters havecost the global economy over£100 billion in 2011 – thecostliest in over 300 years of theinsurance industry. With theeffects of climate changebecoming clearer, throughextreme weather events, thedemand for robust forecasts isgreater than ever.

Around 2,000 mathe-maticians are employed by theUK Met Office to analyse andevaluate vast amounts ofatmospheric information.

The UK is regarded in themeteorological industry as atalent hub with many institutionschoosing to locate researchfacilities in the UK to takeadvantage of the high-qualityworkforce.

Mathematical sciencesunderpin our 21st centurytechnology, economy andsociety, and as such are vital forthe prosperity of the UK and itsposition in the world economy.

. . . personalised healthcare . . .

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THE ENERGY BILL – A Missed OpportunityROBERT FREER

A previous Energy Minstercompared the task of writing anautonomous energy policy withthat of Hunting the Snark. Itneed not be as difficult as that ifapproached logically.

Over the last ten years wehave had a number of policystatements, energy reviews andWhite Papers from theGovernment about the nationalelectricity supply, but none ofthem has been sufficientlyrealistic, workable or affordableto be successful.

One consistent flaw in thesereports has been thatGovernments have been tryingin one policy statement toachieve a number of objectiveswhich although commendablein themselves are sometimesmutually incompatible. Thisapproach is tantamount toasking a pharmacist to producea drug which will treateverything from ingrowingtoenails to dementia. This willnot work. A successful policy forthe national electricity supplyneeds to identify priorities andconcentrate on solving them inturn

Another flaw has been afailure to recognise thatelectricity supply needs longterm planning. Power stationslike all mechanical equipmenthave a working life after whichthey become uneconomic andneed replacing. We need apolicy which encouragesdevelopers to invest and whichensures new power stations ofadequate capacity are ready tocome on line as the older ones

come to the end of theircommercial lives.

A realistic policy for a nationalelectricity supply should start bylooking at the demand, andselect the most appropriategenerating equipment to meetthat demand. To ensure securityof the supply in order to meetthe demand should be the over-riding priority in building newpower stations. Daily demandcurves are prepared by theNational Grid and Fig 1 showsthe maximum and minimumdaily demand for 2007, the yearbefore the financial recession.

The maximum demand inwinter (for which the systemshould be designed) starts witha base load of about 40GW. Atabout 5am the demand starts toincrease and in a couple ofhours reaches a plateau ofabout 60GW. After about7.30pm the demand slowly fallsaway. In summer, whenmaintenance can be carried out,the general pattern remains thesame but demand varies from abase load of about 25GW to amaximum of 45GW.

The most economical meansof generating the base load hasbeen from large power stationscentrally located which atpresent use coal as their mainfuel. Although we can no longerrely on being “an island built oncoal and surrounded by fish”coal is likely to be our main fuelfor the immediate future,especially if we useunderground gasification ofdomestic reserves (an alreadyestablished technique) or byusing carbon capture andstorage (yet to be demonstratedon a commercial scale).

With political pressure toreduce the use of coal thealternatives are gas or uranium.Both are imported, unless shalegas is found in substantialquantities, but the uranium isavailable from a number ofstable countries and is neededonly in much smaller quantities.Uranium also has the advantagethat its cost is only a small partof the cost of generation andfluctuations in its cost of supplydo not materially affect the priceof electricity. Using presentdesigns we need about 30-40

Fig 1

nuclear power stations to takethe place of coal. This will alsosubstantially reduce carbonemissions. Whichever fuel isused large centrally locatedpower stations using the existinggrid is the most technicallyefficient choice.

The daytime load can be metusing gas turbines (CCGT) whichare comparatively inexpensive tobuild and can be started andstopped quickly to matchdemand.

Small but useful contributionscan be made from the thermalrecycling of municipal waste(the council collects the rubbishin the morning and it is returnedto householders as electricity inthe afternoon) and hydro powerwhich is specially useful inmeeting peak demands. Bothare well establishedtechnologies.

Intermittent supplies ofenergy from wind turbines areof virtually no use in ensuringsecurity of supply.

Instead of taking theopportunity to use its financialsupport to promote andencourage the use ofestablished engineeringtechnology, especially thebuilding of major new powerstations, the Government’semphasis has been toencourage different ways ofgenerating electricity, often ononly a small scale, by usingcomplicated, and sometimesillogical, financial incentives forthe benefit of developers. Andto do this without consideringwhether or not the customer

sip SPRING 2013 4/2/13 12:22


can use the electricity produced

or to pay for the incentive.

The lack of new build means

we are approaching an

“electricity cliff” as the olderpower stations are retired andnot replaced. This will put ourelectricity supply in jeopardy foryears to come.

To complicate matters furtherGovernments of the past tenyears have developed anobsession with wind generationwhich requires tweaking theNational Grid to accommodatethe intermittent andunpredictable bursts of smallamounts of energy from windfarms. This is the tail waggingthe dog. The National Grid is amajor technical achievementbuilt in the1920s and 1930swhich allowed the nationaldistribution of electricity toreplace the previous inefficientand expensive system of localgeneration.

Wind energy has thesuperficial attraction of being“free”, which turns out to be anillusion. When fully costed it ismore expensive than thealternatives1. Wind energy has tobe subsidised on a generousscale which is bad engineeringand bad economics. Thissubsidy is consumers’ moneywhich could be better spentelsewhere. There is noeconomic case for wind energy.

Rain is also free but whenwater is collected, processedand delivered to the home andto industry in a usable form ithas to be paid for. And watercan be stored whereas electricitycannot be stored and needs tobe generated to match thecustomer’s demand.

The Government shouldchange the focus of theirelectricity policy to encouragethe building of a sufficientnumber of new large powerstations with adequate capacitywhich will ensure security ofsupply.

There is one part of theEnergy Bill which can be fullysupported. The Bill doesencourage us to reduce demandand use less energy – a solutionwhich Punch proposed in 1868,Fig 2

Robert Freer is a charteredengineer

Reference

1 Ruth Lea Electricity Costs; The folly ofwindpower. Civitas January 2012

HELIUMWhy Recent Helium Shortages have Forced us toTemporarily Shut Down our Brain Research Centre

Dr Mark StokesHead of Brain Stimulation, OxfordCentre for Human Brain Activity,Department of Psychiatry, Universityof Oxford

At the Oxford Centre forHuman Brain Activity, we usemagetoencephalography (MEG)to study the human brain inhealth and disease. MEG is oneof the most advanced methodscurrently available for non-invasive brain imagining,allowing us to listen in on brainfunction by measuring tinydisturbances in the magneticfield around the outside surfaceof the head.

MEG is the centrepiece ofour brain imaging facility, andprovides researchers andclinicians from all over Oxford,and further afield, state-of-the-art technology for safe, painlessand accurate measurement ofhuman brain activity. Recently,we have been forced to shut

down our facility on three

separate occasions because of

critical shortages in liquid helium

supplies. We are all hoping for a

better year in 2013, but the

situation is far from guaranteed.

The superconducting

quantum interference devices

. . . critical shortages in liquid

helium supplies . . .

Fig 2

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(SQUIDs) used to measuresubtle variations in magneticfield operate at a temperature ofnear absolute zero. Only liquidhelium can maintain this criticaloperating temperature, and anydisruption in supply causes animmediate shut down of thefacility. These shutdowns areobviously disruptive to ourresearch programme, butwarming up the cryogenicsensors also incurs significantadditional overheads asrestarting the system requires acostly and time-consuming re-tune of the entire system fromthe manufacturer’s serviceengineers.

Although helium is thesecond most abundant elementin the universe, supplies onearth are surprisingly limited.Helium inevitably floats off intospace because it is inert andextremely light. Fortunately, theearth produces a very smallamount of helium via slowradioactive decay. Most of thishelium by-product also floats offinto space more or less directly,but a small percentage istrapped underground. Overmillions of years, helium hasbuilt up in recoverable quantitieswithin a handful of reservesaround the world.

The US Government has longappreciated the potentialimportance of helium for thenational interest. Under theHelium Conservation Act of1925, the US Governmentessentially seized control ofhelium supplies for militaryapplications (eg airships). Statecontrol was relaxed by theHelium Act of 1937, whichpermitted helium sales to theprivate sector for other emergingapplications, such as deep-sea

diving. However, by the 1950sthe strategic value of heliumwas reignited by the rocketindustry that was to power thespace race, as well as the closelyrelated arms race that wasfought out in parallel. Tosafeguard the supply for thenational interest, the HeliumActs Amendments of 1960established an activeprogramme of buying up heliumfrom the private sector to storein the Federal Helium Reserve.Inevitably, all this strategichoarding came at a hugefinancial cost. It was thought thatthe proceeds from future saleswould be used to repay the

treasury loans, but theprogramme was in debt to thetune of $1.3 billion by therepayment deadline in 1995.

The Helium Privatization Actof 1996 was introduced to selloff the government stockpileand pay off the debt to treasuryby 2014, assuming that themarket will have established analternative source by then. Butthis alternative market source

. . . disruptive to our research

programme . . .

. . . a handful of reserves . . .

. . . crippled the market incentive. . .

has not yet materialised, partlybecause the ‘fire sale’ on heliumseriously distorted globalmarkets. Moses Chan, Professorof Physics at Penn StateUniversity, explains: “the price offederally owned helium, which isset not by current marketconditions but by the terms ofthe 1996 Act, dominates, if notactually controls, the price forcrude helium worldwide”. TheUS selloff essentially crippled themarket incentive to invest ininfrastructure for collecting

helium during natural gasextraction. Cheap helium alsodrives misuse. A staggering 8%of the world’s helium supply iscurrently used for filling partyballoons.

To forestall disaster, SenatorBingaman has put forward a billto Congress that would extendthe Helium Reserve until all theremaining helium can beextracted. Other measuresinclude more realistic pricing tocorrect the market distortion,and protections for US users.The immediate goal is to protectUS medical, commercial andresearch applications from theserious supply disruptions wehave experienced recently dueto the rapid privatisation of theFederal Reserve. However, itremains unclear how this bill willaffect global markets, and whatwill be the consequences for UKsupplies.

What does the longer-termfuture hold? Helium demand willinevitably out-strip supply, andalthough the timescale ofeffective helium depletion

cannot be predicted withcertainty, current estimatessuggest a 30-50 year timescale.For lighter-than-air usage, heliumcan be replaced with hydrogen,accepting the increased risk ofexplosion. It is a dangerous, butfeasible alternative. For

cryogenics, however, there is nosubstitute. Without helium, therewill be no way to cool to nearabsolute zero. Our best hope liesin developing superconductorsthat can operate at highertemperatures. But even if we domanage to perfect higher-temperature super-conductivityin the future, who can predictwhat further need we may havefor the super-cool properties ofhelium? Helium is a remarkablegas, with many uniqueproperties – we will certainlymiss it when it’s gone.

References:

S.2374 The Helium Stewardship Act of2012(http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/s2374)

Chan (2012) Up in the Air: The BLM’sDisappearing Helium Program.Committee on Understanding the Impactof Selling the Helium Reserve, NationalResearch Council of the NationalAcademies. May 10, 2012(http://www7.nationalacademies.org/ocga/testimony/Helium_Program.asp)

Cho (2012) Senate Bill Would PreserveHelium Supply for Research,ScienceInsider, May 11 2012(http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2012/05/senate-bill-would-preserve-helium.html)

McKie (2012). Helium stocks run low –and party balloons are to blame, TheObserver, Sunday 18 March 2012(http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/mar/18/helium-party-balloons-squandered)

Nuttall, Clarke & Glowacki (2012).Resources: Stop Squandering Helium,Nature, 485, 573-575(http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v485/n7400/full/485573a.html)

. . . Helium demand will inevitably

out-strip supply . . .

sip SPRING 2013 4/2/13 12:22


Frans van den HeuvelChief Executive Officer, Solarcentury

ENERGY – THE NEXT GENERATIONMeeting of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee on Tuesday 16th October

ENERGY: A ROLE FOR PROSUMERS?

Let us remind ourselves thatenergy powers our society andmodernising energy modernisesus. How else do we get to thedigital lives that we arepromised in sci-fi? We leapforward with the next generationof energy, our catalyst formodernity. While there may beanger about bills and fear aboutclimate change, these are thepains of growth in a newdirection. We are the fortunateones to be involved in the thirdindustrial revolution.

The next generation ofenergy is bringing about aparadigm shift. It is no longerjust about financial and socialcapital but also natural capital.By that, I mean nature is anasset. How dependent are weon its resources? How much doyou consume? Whether oneruns a country, a company or afamily, we must manage ourrelationships with energy, fuel,water and waste. Our success,our wealth and competitivenessdepend upon it. Sustainability isnot news, nor is energy gettingexpensive but it seems to behitting home only now.

The paradigm shift does notstop with our attitude. In fact,this is where it begins. Whatgreatly alters is our role asenergy consumers. We become

both energy producers andconsumers, or Prosumers. Thisis truly modern. Traditionally, ourenergy producers were utilitycompanies. Traditionally, ourenergy retailers were utilities too.But now the man on the streetis producing and retailing energyas he feeds into the grid. It ishappening in the UK; there aresolar panels on roofs, bothresidential and commercial.Energy has begun the processof decentralisation. Next is thetransition to smart grids andenergy storage in the home andcar. We will all be producers,retailers as well as a storage unitfor electricity.

This we know already. Butwhat I see for the future is anenergy internet, a synergyamongst prosumers. Onebusiness has a big roof soinstalls a large solar system tobe the local producer, theneighbouring factory has high-energy use from all itsequipment and so hasadditional consumptionrequirements. Local electric carsact as a storage unit, a batteryfor the community.

This requires localoptimisation of production,consumption and storagebehind the electricity meters, atcustomer level. A DistributionNetwork Operator (DNO)manages the mid- and low-voltage grid, avoiding congestion.Once we produce 15-20% ofour electricity locally, the grid inregions like Europe and the USwill become unstable due tocongestion. IT technology,creating a smarter grid, canprevent this, saving billions ingrid extension investments forDNO’s. In addition, it will enablethe Transmission SystemOperators (TSO) to balance the

grid more effectively asconsumers will automatically useor store electricity that wouldotherwise be surplus and sold ata loss. Of course, for this tohappen, the right regulatoryframework needs to be put inplace.

We are bombarded with theidea that the shift to renewableswill cripple our economy. So farthis has not happened in theUK. The UK has increased itsshare of renewables in electricityfrom 5.0% to 9.4% since 2007.According to OFGEM, the Feed-in-Tariff (FiTs) subsidies haveadded less than £1 per annumper home. The Renewable

The energy debate is often full of doom and gloom. Withbills going up dramatically, it is easy to feel powerless. Nowthe time is here for consumers to take control of their energyproduction.

. . . creating over 100,000 jobs . . .

. . . Energy has begun the process

of decentralisation . . .

sip SPRING 2013 4/2/13 12:22


Obligations (ROC) has added£21 per annum per home.These figures are for allrenewable technologies.Whereas we have seen anaverage increase of £100 perhome in energy bills just thisyear, mainly due to exposure tovolatile energy markets. Theprice of fossil fuels is moving inonly one direction – up.

If we look at the experiencein Germany, they have 20%renewable electricity at a cost of£34.50 per annum per home.The impact of local generationof energy through solar PV(photovoltaic) has beenoverwhelmingly positive. The

Germans have installed over32GW of solar PV. Thiscontributes energy duringdaylight hours when there isgreatest demand for electricity(known as the peak-load).Normally, this is when electricityis most expensive. However, thepeak-load price of electricity hasfallen from 58€/MWh to44€/MWh, a fall of nearly 25%since 2008 because of the

. . . and the more money the solar

panel generates . . .

impact of decentralised PV andwind, benefiting consumers andbusinesses. The solar powerindustry is also credited withcreating over 100,000 jobs inGermany.

I envisage a new network ofprosumers. How will we, ourappliances and our cars interactwith each other and the grid?Much has been promised andmuch confusion surroundssmart grids and what they candeliver and how they changeour lives. But really what is beingrolled out now is only a fractionof what is needed. It is thedifference between an old-fashioned landline telephone

and an iphone. The latter isattached to the home and offersno insight into the user. Whathappens behind the landline,nobody knows? On the otherhand, the mobile has become avital channel for collecting dataon users. With those data,companies can offer solutions;offer new products and services,making lives better.

This is what is needed withthe grid, not just the dumb‘smart’ meter that is beingoffered now. These revealnothing about the behaviour ofthe house, the appliancesconsuming the energy or thepeople in charge. We need toknow what happens behind themeter so we can offer advice onhow to act, how to save energy,how to be efficient. Then, wecan buy energy off the gridwhen it is cheapest not justwhen we use it. We may havelost some of the old ways ofdoing things with the digitalrevolution but it has createdmuch growth and many jobs.We must open up the untappedmarket behind the meter and letbusiness and innovation flourishthere.

The mood is now set forchange. The next frontier is gridparity, which is already hittingparts of Europe. For solar PV,what is important is the intensityof light (irradiation) as opposedto the temperature. It does notneed to be hot, it just needs tobe light to generate PV power.Different parts of Europe andthe UK have different levels oflight intensity. The more intense

the light, the more energy isproduced and the more moneythe solar panel generates.

At present the cost ofgenerating solar PV energy ismore expensive than gas in theUK, which it competes with forthe peak–load market. Howeverthe price of a PV installation hasplummeted in the last twoyears, and as the price of thepanel drops, it reaches gridparity, starting with areas withhighest irradiation and the mostexpensive conventional energy.According to the McKinseyreport, Darkest Before Dawn,solar PV will reach grid parity forthe UK around 2014. PV hasalready reached parity in somedeveloped markets, includingparts of California, Spain, Italy,Australia and The Netherlands.

In 2011, global powerinvestments totalled 203 GW ofelectricity, almost 50% of whichis renewable. This percentage issubstantially higher if weconsider only Europeaninvestments. This staggeringtrend confirms that an energytransition is taking place.

A beautiful sunrise after along dark night.

ENERGY – THE NEXT GENERATION

ENERGY – A ROLE FOR SHALE GAS?

Francis EganChief Executive Officer, CuadrillaResources Limited

The prospects for shale gas in the UK and in parts of continentalEurope are very promising, based on assessments of a number ofgeological formations that are not dissimilar in scale to US andCanadian sites where major deposits of natural gas have beendiscovered.

There are upsides todevelopment of an indigenousshale gas industry:

• Reducing our importdependency of liquid naturalgas and pipeline gas (we

currently import 50% of ourgas)

• A decreased carbon footprintas indigenous natural gasdisplaces coal and gas imports

• An opportunity to make the

UK a leading centre of shaleexpertise for Europe and thedeveloping world

• Substantial tax revenues for theTreasury and significantemployment opportunities.

sip SPRING 2013 4/2/13 12:22


However, the journey torealising this opportunity is notpurely technical or geological. Itis socio-political. And here, allcomparisons with the US areessentially irrelevant, becausedeveloping shale gas in the UKis a story of two journeys, notone.

WHO IS CUADRILLA?

Cuadrilla is a UK company,formed in 2008, whose missionis to unlock onshore oil and gasin the UK and Europe.

Cuadrilla’s team consists ofhighly experienced shale gasexplorers and engineers. Weintegrate the technical side witha risk management team who

work with regulators andcommunities to manage health,safety and environmental issues.We are committed to ensuringthat all stakeholders acrossGovernment and Parliament,along with the general public,are fully informed about thepractice of shale exploration,development and production inthe UK.

We understand the need fortransparency and openness andadopt this ethic at every stage.

We are on two journeys. Oneis the geological and technical.The other is the socio-political.We strive for excellence on bothjourneys.

THE ISSUE IS NOT GASIN PLACE, BUT ITSRECOVERABILITY

The geological journey hasproduced some eye-poppingopportunity. The economicbenefits of shale gas have notyet been fully ascertained. Basedon our surveys, core samplesand analysis, we believe thereare at least 200 trillion cubic feet(TCF) of original gas in place

(OGIP) in the Bowland basinalone. We are analysing a 3Dseismic survey completed overthe licence area, and analysis ofdata from the next well, whichwe are drilling at the Anna'sRoad site near Blackpool. Basedon this we may raise ourestimates of OGIP.

However, what of this isrecoverable?

The recoverable reserve is afunction of shale geology and afunction of the number ofhorizontal wells that can bedrilled and fractured. Estimatesrange from 10% to 40%. Onlyexperience will reveal what wecan recover from the Bowlandshale.

Our exploration has shownthat the Bowland shale inLancashire is significantly thickerthan any comparable US shale.This opens the possibility ofdeveloping a very productivehorizontal drilling approach, witha much lower-density surface“footprint” than US shale plays.

The most important factorsfor determining whether shalegas is present and the scale ofthe resource is dependent on

(1) Thickness of the shale

(2) Natural fracture intensity(high fracture intensityallows for increasedproduction rates andrecoverable reserves)

(3) “Frac-ability” meaning howbrittle and easily the rock willcrack

(4) Structural setting(extensional, compressionalor strike-slip)

(5) Total gas volume

(6) Carbon remaining in therock or total organic content(TOC)

(7) Temperature and depths ofthe shale reserve

(8) Reservoir pressure and itsstress regime.

Artists usually render shale asa series of coherent horizontallayers. Overall this is a fairpicture, but the reality under theground is much more complexas the layers themselves havebeen disturbed bysedimentation and thedisplacements of fault lines inthe subsurface. In the UK,Cuadrilla’s 3D seismic survey inthe Fylde shows there isremarkable subsurfacecomplexity. The Bowland regimeshows sequences that reflectdisturbance from faults we cansee – and faults we cannot see.

What does this do to thechances of successfullyfracturing the rock? The analysisis helpful, but no substitute foractual appraisal. We need tofracture some shale, and learnmore.

We are hoping the regulatorswill allow us to fracture and testtwo wells to start. We areconfident that the industry canlearn how to work with theseformations. Recovery of shale isthe product of continuousoperating experience comingfrom both appraisal andproduction drilling. The processof finding and “surfing” the bestlayers takes experience.

WHAT ABOUT THERISKS?

There are issues aboutseismicity, migration ofhydrocarbons to the aquifer,water use and management. Itis important that regulators andoperators develop, implement,monitor and improve practicesthat identify and mitigate theserisks.

The UK has a strict regulatoryframework governing bothoffshore and onshore oil andgas exploration and production.Risks with shale exploration areheavily regulated and closelyscrutinised by the relevantindependent bodies.

Our principal regulator, DECC,and Cuadrilla are guided by bestpractice. The Royal Societytogether with the RoyalAcademy of Engineering haveput together a guidingframework for developing shalegas safely.

This is a collaborativeprocess. An example of this isseismicity. Even the best 3Dsurvey cannot see all the faults,and importantly, the pressures.For our first two wells, wedeveloped a plan with DECC toinstall a micro-seismic array, sothat we can see the effects ofhydro-fracturing in real time. Wecan therefore be aware of aperturbation before it isdiscernible to humans, andreduce our pressures, or moveon to another section of thewell-bore. It will also help ussave water, because a shalecan leak away pressure. We willknow when we have optimisedany given fracture.

Our seismic array is veryexpensive and is installed inmany locations. It cannot be

. . . fully informed about the practice

of shale exploration . . .

. . . reality under the ground is much

more complex . . .

. . . “surfing” the best layers

takes experience. . . .

sip SPRING 2013 4/2/13 12:23


. . . framework for developing

shale gas safely . . .

. . . effectively managing the socio-

political context . . .

scaled for every well withoutconsiderable cost andinconvenience. If experienceshows our “traffic-light” systemcan function with less sensitivity,then we will be able to optimizefracturing at a lower cost andinconvenience.

The water risk is more aboutour well integrity than fracturing,per se. Above the Bowlandshale formation in Lancashirelies the Manchester Marl, a thickimpermeable rock forming the‘regional seal’, a barrier betweenthe hydrocarbons trapped in theShale rock below and theaquifer several thousand feetabove. We consider itexceedingly unlikely thathydrocarbons or fracturing fluidcould leak into shallow aquiferwater as a result of the fracturingprocess. This is very different

from coal bed methane. Thefracturing risks from the two areoften confused.

THINK AHEAD TODEVELOPMENT

If the shale proves out, whatwill development itself look like?We are treated to pictures ofPennsylvania or Texas – averitable “pincushion” oflocations. Will that be the samehere?

We believe developmenthere will be very different andmuch lower density for severalreasons. The thickness of theshale is one of them.

Horizontal wells can radiatefrom the same well bore like thetines of a fork, and radially inseveral directions. We havelearned that the Bowland shale

is unusually thick, this can berepeated at different verticallevels, so called “verticallystacked” horizontal wells. Onepad can manage around 36such horizontal wells, usingcurrent technology, andprobably more in the future.Each horizontal well isequivalent to a piece of keyholesurgery.

A lot of development canthus take place from a smallnumber of pads – hence ourview that the UK offers a low-density developmentopportunity. Moreover, thosepads can also be sites thatgenerate electricity to back upintermittent renewable sources,or provide district heating. Inother words, the very conceptof “pad” can be re-thought.

THE SOCIO-POLITICALCONTEXT

The limitations of UK shaleare highly dependent upon thelevel of public and politicalacceptance. In the US,exploration firms havetraditionally excelled at thetechnical side of shaledevelopment, but less so atunderstanding and effectivelymanaging the socio-politicalcontext. In the UK, we need totell a different story. Onshoreshale development is a relativelynew phenomenon acrossEurope, and because the sectorattracted its share of controversyfrom the outset, Cuadrilla hasquickly come to grips with thechallenges of the ‘social licenceto operate’.

This is why we are listeningto a wide number of

Typical North American shalesection: Relatively thin shale target(<60m thickness)

Lancashire shale section:Much thicker (up to 1’200m thickness)and more structurally complex

sip SPRING 2013 4/2/13 12:23


ENERGY – THE NEXT GENERATION

ENERGY – A ROLE FOR WIND POWERThe third speaker on 16th October was Dr Gordon Edge, Director of Policy,RenewableUK

He made the following points

RenewableUK is the tradebody representing wind powergeneration.

The UK currently has5,000MW (5GW) of onshorewind power capacity installed.Together with 2,700 MW(2.7GW) of offshore, thisgenerated 5% of the country’selectricity in 2011. Thisincreased by 30% during 2012,and it is anticipated to have7GW and 4GW respectivelyavailable by 2014.

There is also a significantbacklog of approved onshore

installations waiting to be built ata cost of around £1bn per GW.

This is all financed by theprivate sector.

The Department for Energyand Climate Change (DECC)has recently published its targetsfor 2020. These are 13GW ofonshore capacity, and at least18GW offshore. The industry istotally confident that these areachievable.

Onshore wind generatedelectricity is the cheapest lowcarbon source. Offshore wind’spresent cost is £140 per MWh,but the target is to reduce this to

£100 per MWh.

Wind power is oftendescribed as “intermittent”. Thisis misleading. It suggests thatthe power is switched on andoff at a whim.

The correct description is“variable”. The important point isthat too little (and also toomuch – in excess of 25m/sec)is predictable many hours inadvance, and thereforecontingency alternatives can bemade available. Building a“spare” gas fired plant is notexpensive.

However in the longer term,interconnection needs to beincreased. The UK alreadyimports power from France andthe Netherlands, and futureconnections to countries such asNorway will allow us to sharesurpluses and shortfalls to themutual benefit of all.

Further information isavailable athttp://www.renewableuk.com/

Alan MalcolmEditor, Science in Parliament

stakeholders at every stage. Thisgives us a unique understandingof the issues.

“Energy” is not a living roomtopic in the UK, apart fromcomplaints about energy bills.We have learned that allstakeholders have a great dealto learn about natural gas, muchless onshore gas. Easycomparisons with US shale gasexperience are often misleading.Mis-information is particularlysticky. The image of the flamingtap water has been discreditedbecause hydrocarbons in thatpart of the US are very close tothe surface. But that doesn’tmatter, because it speaks to adeep fear of the unknown.

A consequence of what wehave learned from ourstakeholders is the need for aform of ‘industrial education’ sothat Government, opposition,

industry bodies, academia, andour supply chain have theopportunity to learn from eachother, and can work together toenlist the engagement andunderstanding of the local andnational population.

This education is notpedagogic – it is a“conversation” with differentindependent voices, includingthose who are sceptical aboutshale. This is what we arehoping to catalyse, so thatpeople can make up their ownminds.

IN SUMMARY…

As a socially responsiblecompany, Cuadrilla has made ita goal to demonstrate that shalegas from the UK Bowlandlicence can be developed safelyin an environmentallyresponsible fashion that isacceptable to all affected

communities. As outlined thereare two aspects to this mission,technical and the socio-political.

We await operationalclearance to resume ourfracturing operations so that wecan prove that this gas can behydro-fractured and will flowsuccessfully. Achieving one ortwo proven flowing shale gaswells will be a major milestonefor Cuadrilla and for the UK.

Maximising the benefit ofshale gas for the UK will requirea process of long-terminvestment and technologicalinnovation and improvement byCuadrilla and others. Shale gasspecific expertise can beimported from the US, but theUK has significant oil and gasknowledge and can and mustfurther develop its own shalegas capabilities. These can thenbe employed not just in the UKbut also in European and Global

shale markets.

The UK currently has a first-mover advantage in Europe,while being able to rely andimprove upon expertisedeveloped in the United States.However, Cuadrilla recognisesthat shale gas is a sovereignresource, and ultimately thedecision over whether or not todevelop it, and at what speed, isa socio-political one. Thebalancing of local concerns withnational priorities is a difficult act.

In this, we err on the side ofthe communities that we are inthe process of becoming part of.Their interests and our interestsare closely intertwined. At thesame time, clear directives fromthe centre regarding the nationalinterest, alongside stable andpragmatic policies, will give usthe confidence to invest in thosecommunities for the long term.

sip SPRING 2013 4/2/13 12:23


WHAT NEXT FOR BIOSCIENCEBUSINESS INCUBATORS?

Dr Glenn CrockerCEO, BioCity Nottingham andBioCity Scotland

Dr Glenn Crocker is CEO ofBioCity Nottingham and BioCityScotland, and author of the UKLife Science Start-up Reports.Having overseen thefoundation and development oftwo bioscience businessincubators, as well as theMobius Life Science Fund, DrCrocker shares some of thelessons of the past decade. Hedescribes how a carefulbalance between partnership,creativity and risk managementis crucial for businessincubation success. He drawson the findings of the 2012 UKLife Science Start-up Report(pub. Dec 20121) to reflect onthe changing pressures in thebioscience market place, andwhere public and private sectorintervention may be required.

It is ten years since BASFgifted their research facility inNottingham to Nottingham TrentUniversity to seed a biosciencebusiness incubator, BioCityNottingham; and one year sinceMSD handed their 23 acre siteat Newhouse in Lanarkshire overto the BioCity team for thecreation of BioCity Scotland.What motivated us to take onotherwise redundant buildingsand equipment was a vision tobuild centres of life scienceexcellence, in which newcompanies can thrive. BioCity ishome to over 85 life sciencecompanies, by far the largestconcentration in the UK, and hasestablished a business modelwhich provides an ecosystem forcompany formation and growth.We need to know what’s goingon with life science start-ups inthe UK, and so we initiated theUK Life Science Start-up reports,designed to tell us whatcompanies are being formed;where they are located andwhat the funding climate is like.

HEADLINE FINDINGS

This is the thirdcomprehensive study of early-stage life science firms acrossthe UK covering the period2007-2011.

An optimistic picture of theUK life sciences sector emergeswith 291 new firms launched inthe study period. At the sametime, shock waves from theseismic shifts in the waypharmaceutical companiesoperate have led to arealignment in the industry’sbusiness model. The picture isof an industry shaping up tocapitalise on the strengtheningUK bioscience clusters, the shift

to more specialist pharmaservice companies, new modelsfor R&D collaboration and theintroduction of new fundinginitiatives.

However, there has been areduction in the formation ofuniversity spin-out companies.Interestingly, this trend is buckedin Scotland where the increasein start-ups is entirely accountedfor by increased university spin-outs, up 47% in the studyperiod. Scotland emerges as theleading location for life sciencestart-up companies, assisted inpart by strong public sectorsupport and investment as wellas an extensive Angel investornetwork.

This raises the question as towhere the new generation of lifescience companies will comefrom. Universities are no longerdriven by government imposedspin-out metrics, and are morecircumspect when it comes todetermining whether to spin-outor license a technology. Toomany universities jumped ontothe spin-out bandwagon withoutthe wherewithal to producegood quality businesses. Manyspin-outs failed to take off ordeliver any returns. Howeverthere is a balance to be struck.The pendulum may have swungtoo far, and the pool ofinnovative companies needs tobe refreshed.

Reinforcing this decline hasbeen the exhaustion over recentyears of the University ChallengeFunds, which invested

£250,000-£500,000 in spin-outs. University Challenge Fundswere a good idea but limited inwhat they could achieve. Ratherthan create a substantial fund totarget investment in the bestspin-outs, small, regional fundswere created which had to getrid of small amounts and manysub-optimally capitalisedbusinesses were created.

Despite the drop in universityactivity, the demand for physicalspace and business supportprovided by the UK network ofbusiness incubators is on theincrease. Over a quarter of themost recent life science start-ups are located in abioincubator with another 15%in bio or science parks. BioCityNottingham, the UK’s busiestbioscience start-up incubator, isat 85% capacity and by June2013 BioCity Scotland isexpected to have over 30,000 sq ft of space occupied.

A glance at the membershipof UKSPA, the UK Science ParksAssociation, reveals a wealth oflocations, configurations,management styles and serviceofferings. However, at BioCitywe emphasise the quality ofservices beyond a merelandlord-tenancy agreement.Occupancy is one thing;engagement in a community oflike-minded, ambitiouscompanies surrounded by asupport infrastructure capable ofseeing them over the early-growth hurdles is crucial. BioCityNottingham was gifted toNottingham Trent University in

. . . the pool of innovative companies

needs to be refreshed. . . .

sip SPRING 2013 4/2/13 12:23


2001 for the establishment of afacility dedicated to the creationand nurture of new biosciencecompanies. The University ofNottingham and the thenRegional Development Agencyemda joined NTU as Membersof BioCity and a unique support‘ecosystem’ was built.

Bioscience incubators needto get the tenancy offering rightby understanding the oftencomplex needs for labs, accessto expensive equipment on alease agreement, as well asoffices and business support. Itis possible to develop anecosystem to nurture newcompanies which allows accessto central services such as book-keeping and PR, cateringfacilities, meeting rooms, socialevents and clubs. In otherwords, building a businesscommunity others want to join.

The bioscience incubatorlooks and feels like the differentdivisions found in a globalpharmaceutical giant, only madeup of smaller, independentcompanies more adaptable andless vulnerable to shifting tides.BioCity is self-financing, includingthe investments it makes instart-ups; however, public sectorfunding support is also vital if weare going to leverage medicaland life sciences innovation forthe benefit of the UK.

The area of most concern tothose of us supporting newcompanies is the continued lackof appropriate investmentfunding. Despite the introductionof the £180 million Biomedical

Catalyst initiative, there remainsa need for early-stage riskfunding. According to the 2012report, 24% of start-upsobtained investment in theperiod 2007-11, compared to37% in the period 2005-09.This decline could reflect agreater use of funding fromgrants, friends and family butthe largest fall in investmentactivity was seen in smaller-scale sub-£500k amounts,down by 23% in number and17% in value. This is possiblycaused by the end of theregional venture capital funds(RVCF) and the UniversityChallenge Funds. Despiteopportunities to invest in

companies across the UK, 86%of investment into life sciencestart-ups went to companies inLondon, the South East andEast of England.

Clearly success relies oncompanies attracting the rightlevel of funding; building strongmanagement teams, andexploiting the latest technology.

We can expect more focusedactivity between big

. . . lack of appropriate investment

funding . . .

pharmaceutical companies andinvestors working together onspecific projects. This will requirethe involvement of universities,partnerships with venture capitalfunds, the provision ofsophisticated incubation facilities,sharing of R&D expertise andOpen Innovation.

It is our role to help start-upsto spot the opportunities and to

brief investors about newopportunities and the potentialreturns. Despite much hand-wringing in the UK, we have anexcellent research base and astrong entrepreneurial

. . . beyond a mere landlord-tenancy

agreement . . .

. . . renewed government interest

in the life sciences . . .

ecosystem. We can be

encouraged by renewed

government interest in the life

sciences as well as the

emergence of new funding

streams. We have grounds for

optimism.

Reference:

1 ‘Realignment’ UK Life Science Start-upreport 2012. Published by Mobius LifeSciences Fund 2012. Copies availablefor download from www.biocity.co.uk.

sip SPRING 2013 4/2/13 12:23


Professor Peter Freer-SmithForestry Commission Chief ScientificAdviser, Forest Research

ASH TREES – EFFECT OF CHALARA FRAXINEAMeeting of the Parliamentary and Science Committee on Tuesday 27th November

ASH DIEBACK – THE BIOLOGY AND SPREADOF Chalara Fraxinea/Hymenoscyphus Pseudoalbidus

Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) isone of only about 30 major treespecies native to the British Isles.It is thus a significantcomponent of native woodlandsbeing important in woodlandregeneration and successiondynamics. Ash is often acomponent of mixedbroadleaved woodlands andpure ash stands occur naturallyin the uplands. Britain has anumber of Special Areas ofConservation which aredesignated because of the tilio-acerion woodlands of ash andother species. Ash is the secondmost planted broadleaved treeof managed woodlands makingup about 5.4% of Great Britain’swoodland cover. Its good abilityto regenerate naturally meansthat it is also an important andvalued hedgerow and urbantree.

As with other trees, dieback isknown to occur in ash and workhas been done in the UK overthe years to determine its extent,severity and causal mechanisms(Hull & Gibbs, 1991). Howeverfrom the early 1990s onwardsmore serious and spreading ashdieback was reported acrossmainland Europe. Dieback wasfirst noticed in or around Latviaand Poland in c 1990, sincethen it has spread westwardsbeing reported in Germany in2002, Denmark in 2003,Belgium in 2010, NorthernFrance in 2012. Symptoms wereleaf wilt then necrosis,

defoliation, cankers on branchesand stems resulting in crowndieback. Affected trees usuallydie although the period betweenearly symptoms and treemortality can be several years. In2006 the causal agent of thisnew ash dieback was identifiedas the fungus Chalara fraxinea(Chalara) which was consideredto be new to science (Kowalski,2006). Three years later it wassuggested that Chalara was astage (the asexual form oranamorph) in the life cycle ofthe cup fungus Hymenoscyphusalbidus, which had been knownsince 1851. H.albidus is asaprophytic ascomycete whichlives on ash leaves withoutcausing harm and indeed beingresponsible for leaf decay andnutrient release from fallenleaves on the forest floor. It is

indigenous across Europe.However as a result of thespread and severity of Chalara-related ash dieback acrossEurope with some 60 to 90%of trees infected in manycountries, Chalara was added tothe European & MediterraneanPlant Protection Organisationalert list in 2007. In 2009 ForestResearch published on itswebsite a description ofsymptoms and the UK forestryand land management sectorwere asked to be alert forsymptoms.

Molecular studies conductedin 2010 showed that thepathogen responsible for ashdieback (Chalara) was not the

. . . Ash is the second most planted

broadleaved tree . . .

. . . identified as the fungus

Chalara fraxinea. . .

anamorph of H.albidus, but wasthe asexual phase of a newlyidentified fungusHymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus(Queloz et al 2010).H.pseudoalbidus is identical toH.albidus in appearance and thetwo can be distinguished onlyby DNA analysis. However itappears that onlyH.pseudoalbidus has thepathogenic asexual phase nowknown as Chalara. The lagbetween arrival of the diseaseand the identification of thecausal agent and the time takento sort out its taxonomy havebeen factors in the lack of actionover this new ash dieback as itspread across mainland Europe.

We know that Chalara has alife-cycle which is unique butnot unlike that of a number of

other ascomycetes. The cupfungus or fruiting body(apothecia) of H.pseudoalbidusis c 3mm across and grows onthe midrib or rachis (centralstem of the compound leaf ofash) of fallen leaves. Eachmidrib may have many fruitingbodies and each produces alarge number of ascospores overa period of about two weeks atsome time between July andOctober. Spores are shed fromthe fruiting body around duskand are small (17 x 4µ) floatingfreely in the wind. Whensufficient spores are interceptedby ash foliage and twigs, theydevelop as Chalara infectionwhich grows slowly, the leaves

sip SPRING 2013 4/2/13 12:23


wilt and develop areas of blacknecrosis. The fungus spreadsdown the shoots infecting theinner bark and xylem causinglesions and shoot dieback. Inbranches and eventually themain stem, Chalara spreads as asystemic infection whichdiscolours the wood. It may takeseveral years for the tree to diebut the discolouration of infectedwood reduces its value. Mortalityoccurs more quickly on saplings.Chalara persists over winter onfallen leaves on the forest flooruntil the fruiting bodies of thesexual phase (H. pseudoalbidus)are produced in the followingsummer. Critically, spread of theinfection is by two mechanisms– the movement of windblownspores and transportation ofyoung plants with infectedfoliage. The disease has spreadin Europe at rates of c 20 to 30km per year and this is mainlyassociated with the first of thesetwo mechanisms; windblownascospores. These life cycledetails have importantconsequences for the control ofthe outbreak and the longer-term prospects for adapting ashsilviculture to the presence ofChalara in Britain.

In 2009 the ForestryCommission conducted alimited survey of ash in GB tolook for Chalara infection anddid not identify the disease asbeing present. Chalara was firstfound in the UK in February2012 in a forest nursery whichhad imported young trees fromthe Netherlands. Since then ithas been found in a numberand variety of locations in Britain– initially all these were siteswhich had received young ashplants from nurseries in the last

five years. A Pest RiskAssessment (PRA) on Chalarawas published and a formalconsultation on its managementwas held during September andOctober 2012. Howeverinfection was found in anestablished woodland in lateOctober 2012 and by the endof October it had been found tobe present in over 40 woodlandsites in East Anglia and Kent.The UK Government tookemergency measures on 29thOctober banning the import of

. . . a systemic infection which

discolours the wood . . .

. . . ash in GB may survive the arrival

of Chalara . . .

. . . banning the import of ash . . .

. . . the relationship between it

and its host . . .

ash and imposing movementrestrictions in the UK. A rapidsurvey of ash was conducted bythe Forestry Commission in thefirst week of November 2012with three sites being inspectedin every 10Km grid square ofGB. During November assamples from this survey wereanalysed the presence ofChalara across Great Britain andNorthern Ireland has becomemore clearly understood. By28th November the disease wasknown to have been present in17 nurseries, 105 recentlyplanted sites and 135 sites inthe wider environment(woodland, hedgerow andamenity trees). In addition to therapid survey an importantsource of information is theobservations of the forestry andland management sector andthe wider public. At the time ofwriting the Forest ResearchDisease Diagnostic and AdvisoryService has received a largenumber of enquiries about ashhealth. These reports are

investigated and some result inthe identification of infectedsites.

For nurseries and recentlyplanted sites there are goodprospects for elimination of theinfection by destroying infectedmaterial. The wider environmentsites will inevitably prove moredifficult to manage. Howeverthese sites are clustered on theeast side of England (131 sites)and Scotland (only four widerenvironment sites at November28 2012), and ascosporeproduction will not occur fromthe fallen leaf litter of these sitesuntil May 2013 giving a shortwindow during which a control

strategy or plan can be drawnup based on the best availableevidence. The Chalara controlplan will be published in earlyDecember 2012 along withsupporting biosecurity andoperational guidance.

There remain a number ofimportant gaps in ourknowledge of the biology andepidemiology of Chalarafraxinea / Hymenoscyphuspseudoalbidus which need tobe addressed as quickly aspossible to inform the control

plan and its implementation.Critical questions are: Howcommon are incidences ofascospore arrival from Europewith sufficient inoculumpotential to infect trees in theUK? Will such incursionsdiminish in frequency andintensity of inoculum potentialas ash dies in Europe andScandinavia? Do the conidia(spores) produced by theasexual phase (Chalara) result in

spread of the disease as well asthe ascospores produced byH.pseudoalbidus? How will thefungus and the relationshipbetween it and its host (ash)now evolve? Can we deal withthe recently planted sites whichare infected before they becomesources of infection inestablished woodlands? If so canwe develop and implement thecontrol strategy so that it is moreeffective in slowing the spreadof Chalara?

There is some evidence tosuggest that ash in GB maysurvive the arrival of Chalara.There are a number of fungalpathogens present in ourwoodlands which can betolerated through goodbiosecurity and appropriatemanagement (forestoperations). For a small numberof fungal pathogens biocontrolsystems have been developed.Lastly it is known that there is arange of susceptibility ofdifferent ash species to Chalara,Fraxinus excelsior, F.angustifolia(narrow-leaved ash), F.nigra(American black ash) are themost susceptible. F.ornus(flowering ash from mainlandEurope) and F.pennsylvanica(Green ash) are of moderatesusceptibility while F.americana(American ash) andF.mandschurica (from North

eastern Asia) are the leastsusceptible. In addition,observations in Europe haveshown that some 1 to 2% ofF.excelsior – our native ash –show some level of usefulresistance. Useful meaningresistance which could beexploited in a breedingprogramme. The Future TreesTrust (www.futuretrees.org/) isan organisation with a range ofpartners in the UK and The Irish

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ASH TREES – EFFECT OF CHALARA FRAXINEA

CHALARA ASH DIEBACK INCONTEXT

Martin WardUK Chief Plant Health Officer, Defra

Chalara fraxinea is oneof many organismswhich threaten our trees,crops, gardens andecosystems. In 2012 itwas found established inwoodland in easternEngland, probablythrough aerial spread ofspores from thecontinent. It has alsobeen introduced oninfected young plants. Itis likely that Chalaraoriginally arrived inEurope on importedplants from the Far East.

There are standards andlegislation to reduce the risk ofsuch organisms spreading.These are currently under reviewto see how they can be mademore effective, while continuing

to facilitate safe trade. Under theSanitary and PhytosanitaryAgreement (SPS) of the WorldTrade Organisation countriesmay take measures to protecthuman, animal or plant health.Standards agreed under theInternational Plant ProtectionConvention (IPPC) set out howrisks should be assessed, howrisk management measures are

selected and applied, and theform of phytosanitary certificateto be used for trade. The“phyto” represents a statementfrom the plant health service inthe exporting country to theimporting country that aconsignment of plants orproduce meets importrequirements and is free fromquarantine pests.

A quarantine pest is definedby the IPPC as “A pest ofpotential economic [includingenvironmental] importance tothe area endangered therebyand not yet present there, orpresent but not widelydistributed and being officiallycontrolled”. “Pest” covers fungaland bacterial pathogens, virusesand nematodes, as well asinsects.

Low grade wooden packingmaterial, with bark attached, hasproved an effective pathway for

Symptoms of ash dieback, withsome regrowth from new shoots

. . . resistance which could be

exploited . . .

Republic which has made realprogress in broadleaved treebreeding and which has anumber of ash collections thatwill make an excellent startingpoint for the breeding of Chalararesistant or tolerant F.excelsior.

The risk from tree pests andpathogens is growing with theexpansion of international tradeand the transport of live treesand timber products. The arrival

. . . new pests are likely to arrive

occasionally . . .

of Chalara has proved to be afurther reminder of theimportance of proactive work toprotect trees, woodlands andthe natural environment fromplant pests and diseases. Goodbiosecurity measures and aneffective plant health regime are

clearly essential. For woodlands,trees and the naturalenvironment there is an ongoingneed to manage establishedand emerging pests and

pathogens. However effectiveour border controls, new pestsand pathogens are likely toarrive occasionally, and we knowthat pathogenicity can developthrough evolutionary change tonon pathogenic, indigenousfungi. Fungi and invertebrateswill remain as components offorest ecosystems. Tree speciesselection, regeneration methods,silvicultural systems andwoodland management overallneed to be undertaken in ways

which optimise resilience topests and pathogens.

References

Hull S.K., and Gibbs J.N. 1991. AshDieback: A Survey of Non-woodlandTrees. Forestry Commission Bulletin 93,HMSO.

Kowalski T. 2006. Chalara fraxinea sp.nov. associated with dieback of ash(Fraxinus excelsior) in Poland. ForestPathology 36, 264-270.

Queloz et al 2010. Cryptic speciation ofHymenoscyphus albidus. Forest Pathology41, 133-142.

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moving pests around the world,and difficult to regulate at anational level. InternationalStandard 15 requires woodenpackaging material to be treated(usually by heating) andbranded with an internationallyrecognised mark. The recentoutbreak of Asian longhornbeetle in Kent is likely to havebeen caused by import ofinfested wooden packagingmaterial before this standardwas implemented.

International standards donot set out lists of quarantinepests: a quarantine pest in oneregion is often unregulated insome other part of the world.This may be because itoriginates there, and naturalenemies limit its impact, or itshost plants have evolvedresistance over many years.Pests introduced into new areascan be very damaging. However,once they are widespread theyno longer meet the definition ofa quarantine pest and regulationmay no longer be appropriate.Hundreds of years of foodimports and plant collectionhave brought to the UK manypests which are now wellestablished. Farmers, growers,foresters and gardeners managethem routinely, though at acontinuing cost.

The European andMediterranean Plant ProtectionOrganisation (EPPO) has fiftymember countries, including allEU Member States. Unlike theIPPC, EPPO does list the pests itrecommends for regulation byits members, and maintains an“alert list” of new threatsdrawing on reports frommember countries, from otherRegional Plant ProtectionOrganisations, scientific literatureand other sources. EPPO has asmall secretariat and relies for

much of its work on panels ofexperts drawn from membercountries. Much of the EU planthealth regime derives fromhorizon scanning and riskassessment carried out by EPPOover its sixty year history. Morerecently the European FoodSafety Authority, an EU agency,has established a plant healthpanel, which considers scientificquestions and risk assessmentsreferred to it by the EuropeanCommission.

. . . eradication campaigns for pests

of arable crops . . .

The EU Plant Health Directive(2000/29) sets out lists ofregulated pests, and measuresapplied to imports of plants andplant produce from outside theEU.

For some types of plantwhich represent a risk of movingspecific pests within the EU, itprescribes the use of plantpassports. These are issuedunder official supervision by thenursery where the plants weregrown. Amendments to thedetailed lists in the Directive areconsidered each month at aStanding Committee on PlantHealth, at which all MemberStates are represented.

Risks are very different indifferent parts of the EU, andsome regionalisation ispermitted. Areas which are freefrom a pest can apply for

protected zone (PZ) status, andtake measures to stay free, evenif the pest is present in the restof the EU. The UK has more PZsthan any other Member State,including for Colorado beetleand 11 forestry pests. Some PZsonly cover Northern Ireland(with the Republic of Ireland)because the pest is alreadyestablished in GB.

Within the UK the PlantHealth Act 1967 allocatesresponsibility for forest trees tothe Forestry Commissioners andfor other plants to theAgriculture Departments: Defra

in the case of England. It doesnot define “forest trees”. Defra’sFood and Environment ResearchAgency (Fera) carries outresearch, risk assessment,diagnosis, import and exportinspections and eradicationcampaigns for pests of arablecrops, nurseries and gardens.Fera’s Inspectors operate acrossEngland and (under a concordatwith the Welsh Government) inWales.

Many pests affect both foresttrees and other plants, and inpractice Forestry Commissionand Fera work closely together.The five year programme toreduce the level of inoculum ofPhytophthora ramorum, byremoving hosts such asrhododendron from woodland,has been a joint endeavour.When an outbreak of Asian

longhorn beetle was detected inKent in March 2012 Fera andForestry Commissioncollaborated on the basis of thedifferent capabilities of the twoorganisations, without lettingdiscussion of remit become adistraction. We are cautiouslyoptimistic that the outbreak hasbeen eradicated, but furthersurvey work over several yearswill be needed to confirm that.

Steps have been taken overthe last two years to formalisegovernance of plant health. APlant Health Strategy Board hasbeen established, chaired byDefra, and comprisingrepresentatives from Fera,Forestry Commission, JNCC, andthe Devolved Administrations.Alongside the Plant HealthStrategy Board an AdvisoryForum has been convened, withstakeholders representingdifferent sectors. The Forum hashelped to develop and promoteUK lines on review of the EUplant health regime. A RiskManagement Workstreamcommissions and prioritises pestrisk assessments, consults onappropriate measures based onthe assessment, and preparesUK positions for the StandingCommittee.

There are around 250 pestslisted in the Plant HealthDirective and a further 25 onEPPO’s Alert List. New pests arelisted after a process of pest riskassessment (PRA) according tointernational standards. Ferapublishes 10-15 PRAs each yearas part of an ongoing process ofconsultation on new risks.

Damage now believed tohave been caused by Chalarafraxinea was observed in Polandin the early 1990s but it was notuntil 2006 that the causal agentwas isolated, 2010 that itsidentity was clearly established,and 2012 that a PRA wascarried out. The reasons forthose delays need to be

Countries of the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisation

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Asian Longhorn Beetle – cautiouslyoptimistic that an outbreak in Kentlast year has been eradicated

Colorado beetle – continuingexclusion from the UK is alongstanding success of citizenscience.

understood in order to learn theright lessons about how theEuropean and UK plant healthregimes can be improved. It isalso important that experiencewith other pests is taken intoaccount in learning and applyinglessons from Chalara. Successesin preventive work tend to beinconspicuous. Research hasbeen commissioned to quantifythe benefits associated with thecurrent plant health regime, as a

baseline against which theimpact of necessaryimprovements can be assessed.

In October 2012 Defra’sChief Scientific Adviser, ProfessorIan Boyd, was asked by theSecretary of State to convene anExpert Task Force to advise onDefra’s response to recent treeand plant disease outbreaks.Interim recommendations werepublished at the beginning ofDecember, and the final reportwill be available this spring.

Two areas where progressshould be achievable are earlydetection of outbreaks andassessment of risks from newtrades. The first of these is atechnical issue, the secondabout strengthening the EU andinternational regime.

Outbreaks detected early canbe dealt with at lower cost, andwith more chance of successfuleradication. Fera and ForestResearch are working withpartners in other countries toimprove detection through

ASH TREES – EFFECT OF CHALARA FRAXINEA

ASH DIEBACK: Resources at Royal BotanicGardens, Kew available to research the disease

Dr Monique Simmonds,Director, Kew Innovation Unit, RoyalBotanic Gardens, Kew

and

Tony Kirkham, Head of theArboretum, Royal Botanic Gardens,Kew Images of Fraxinus excelsior Copyright RBG,Kew

technology: remote sensing,acoustic signals (larvaemunching inside trees), andspore trapping. We have foundthat by going back through oldpollen traps we can detect DNAfrom Chalara spores. In futurethat approach might give usearly warning about a pathogen,even when symptoms have notyet been seen. Citizen sciencehas a lot to contribute. Coloradobeetle has been kept out of the

UK for over a hundred yearspartly by ensuring that enoughpeople know what it looks like,and report findings.

One of the key shortcomingsof the current EU plant healthregime is that new trades inplants from other continentsdevelop without any form of riskassessment being carried out. Itis often only when a problemhas been found on such a tradethat measures are put in place,and this is too late. A moreprecautionary approach wouldrequire that trades of whichthere is no significant experienceare subject to an assessmentbefore they start. That will beone of the main points fornegotiation when theCommission publishes formalproposals very soon.

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BACKGROUND

Chalara dieback of Ash iscaused by the fungus Chalarafraxinea and was first recordedin the UK in February 2012 andis thought to have entered UK ina consignment of nursery stockimported to an English nurseryfrom the Netherlands. It hassince been found in severallocations in England, Wales,Scotland and Northern Ireland. Itis believed that many sites havehad imports from the continentof young ash transplants overthe past 5 years. However, therehave also been an increasingnumber of cases of ash diebackin trees which have no links tothe nursery trade. Thus it isimportant that we have a betterunderstanding of how thefungus is being dispersed sothat measures to control thespread of the fungus areinformed by sound scientificevidence. There is a lot to learn

on the continent indicates that itkills young ash trees very quickly,while older trees tend to resist itfor some time until prolongedexposure causes them tosuccumb as well.

Researchers in Europe haveshown that the common ashtree Fraxinus excelsior and thenarrow-leaved ash F. angustifolius are the mostsusceptible to the fungus, as isthe American black ash, F. nigra.Other species of Fraxinus vary intheir susceptibility.Understanding why there is thisvariation in susceptibility,especially why some individualtrees of F. angustifolius appearto be resistant, whereas othersare very susceptible shouldprovide clues as to how tocontrol the fungus.

species of Fraxinus and thedamp woodland areas of theLoder Valley Nature Reserve andother outlying woodlands have ahigh proportion of ash amongstthe native vegetation.

These living collections, aswell as over 2,700 herbariumaccessions (dried plant samples)at Kew, provide a rich resourceto further our knowledge aboutthe factors that influence thesusceptibility of ash to attack bythe fungus. For example, theherbarium collection contains293 specimens of Fraxinus thatinclude samples from “wild”populations from different parts

. . . variation in susceptibility . . .

. . . dying in large numbers in Poland . . .

. . . these collections are taxonomically

verified . . .

of Europe. A key to theimportance of these collectionsis that they are taxonomicallyverified (that is they are thecorrect species) and theprovidence for them is known.So if resistant traits are identifiedthen researchers can go back tothe area the plants came fromand hopefully collect morematerial and evaluate whetherthe plants in these areas are stillresistant.

Often the traits associatedwith resistance to fungalpathogens are present in nature.It is our ability to identify themthat can take time! A fungusbecomes a pathogen on a plantbecause it shuts down in someway the plant’s natural defencemechanisms or exploits someother weakness in the plant.This seems to have happened

with Chalara fraxinea. Althoughour knowledge about plant-fungal diseases has increasedsince Dutch elm diseasedevastated the elms in Britain,every pathogen usually requiresa new solution. It takes time tomobilise resources to tackle anew disease and this is why thecollections at Kew are important.The collections are there to beused. Currently, Kew is lookingat how the horticultural andscientific staff at Kew can workwith others to maximise the useof these important collections.As part of these collaborationsthe Millennium Seed Bank

Partnership, which is run throughKew’s Seed ConservationDepartment at Wakehurst Place,will be working with the ForestryCommission and others tocollect seeds from differentpopulations of ash so that theseeds can be screened for thepresence of any resistance traits.Having seeds available fromresistant plants will enable plantsto be grown that could decreasethe spread of the disease.Currently there are nocollections of wild populations ofviable ash seeds that representthe diversity of elms in the UK.

Meanwhile staff at the Kewsites will be actively monitoringthe collections for any signs ofthe disease.

about the life cycle of thefungus, how it is spread andwhy trees vary in theirsusceptibility to the fungus.

Ash trees suffering with C.fraxinea infection have beenfound in many parts of Europesince they were reported dyingin large numbers in Poland in1992. These have includedforest trees, trees in urban areassuch as parks and gardens, andalso young trees in nurseries. Itis potentially a very seriousthreat to ash trees in the UK. Asit has caused widespreaddamage to ash populations inparts of Europe, includingestimated losses of between 60and 90 per cent of Denmark’sash trees since 2007; theconsequences of it entering thenatural environment in Britaincould be as serious. Experience

RESOURCES AT ROYALBOTANIC GARDENS,KEW

The Royal Botanic Gardens,Kew has a diverse collection ofover 500 ash trees at both theKew Gardens and WakehurstPlace sites that currently showno signs of ash dieback. The ashcollection at Kew Gardenscomprises 43 different speciesof Fraxinus from Europe, Asiaand North America. Thisincludes 18 different cultivarsgrown for their horticulturalmerit. For those that know thegardens, the majority of thetrees are growing either side ofPrincess Walk. At WakehurstPlace there are 16 different

. . . The collections are there to be used.. . .

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ANNUAL LUNCHEON OF THEPARLIAMENTARY ANDSCIENTIFIC COMMITTEEThe Annual Lunch of the Parliamentary and ScientificCommittee was held on Wednesday 31st October 2012in the Cholmondeley Room and Terrace, House of Lords.

Lord Jenkin of Roding said he was delighted to see so manyfriends and supporters and extended a particular welcome totwo of his predecessors, Lord Waldegrave of North Hill andLord Soulsby of Swaffham Prior, and to former Chairman, IanTaylor.

He said that it was no secret that the Committee had found itmore and more difficult to attract MPs and Peers to meetings. Onereason was undoubtedly the proliferation of other channels forengaging Parliamentarians with science and engineering: theincreasing influence of Select Committees, the development ofPOST, and the huge expansion of all-party groups – many coveringaspects of science and technology.

He continued, “All this has prompted the P&S to decide to take agood look at ourselves in this developing environment. We askedLord Oxburgh to lead an inquiry, and he agreed his mission – ‘howto improve engagement of Parliament in Science and Engineering’.Ron Oxburgh’s report contains a lot of wise thoughts andrecommendations and Council has been taking this forward.”

He introduced Professor John Womersley, Chief Executive Officerof the Science and Technology Facilities Council – “a post he hasheld for exactly one year today. Prof Womersley is well known tomany here as one of the UK’s most distinguished scientists in thefield of Particle Physics. Many here will have met him in September

when he spoke at the Parliamentary exhibition which gave MPsand Peers an opportunity to learn about the Large Hadron Colliderat CERN, and to hear about the discovery of what he described as‘the Higgs-like particle’ on July 4th this year. This event was wellreported in Science in Parliament. Professor Womersley has been akey figure in the development of this branch of Physics for manyyears, and we are delighted to have him with us today.”

PROFESSOR JOHN WOMERSLEY:

“Thank you for that warm introduction. Firstly, I would like to saya few words about what the Science and Technology FacilitiesCouncil is and what we do. STFC is one of the UK’s seven

Lord Jenkin of Roding

Professor John Womersley

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Research Councils and our particular remit is to support research inParticle and Nuclear Physics, Astronomy and Space Science. Inaddition we run major national facilities such as the RutherfordAppleton Laboratory – home to the Diamond Light Source – inOxfordshire, and the Daresbury Laboratory in Cheshire. We are alsoresponsible for managing the UK’s involvement in majorinternational collaborations such as the European SouthernObservatory, the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) and the EuropeanSychrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble.

Perhaps the most well-known of these collaborations, of course,is CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, based inGeneva. You will all be aware that this has been a momentous yearfor CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC), from which on 4 Julythere was the announcement of the discovery of the Higgs Boson– or rather ‘a particle consistent with that predicted by ProfessorPeter Higgs in 1964’ – I have to be careful how I phrase this andmy colleagues in CERN will be quick to admonish me!

What does this mean? Well, the Higgs boson is a fundamentalparticle responsible for the origin of mass. It is famously difficult toexplain how this works in lay terms. I see Lord Waldegrave in theaudience who is rightly acclaimed, when Science Minister in 1993,for setting the challenge to explain the Higgs particle when

scientists were first seeking funding to build this £1bn experiment.The winner of that particular competition was as follows: Imagine acocktail party of political party workers distributed across a room, alltalking to their nearest neighbours. Mrs Thatcher enters and crossesthe room. All of the workers in her neighbourhood immediatelystart to cluster round her. As she moves through the room, shecontinues to attract a knot of people always clustered around herand this has the effect of slowing her down, giving her essentially agreater mass. Once moving she is harder to stop, and oncestopped she is harder to get moving again because the clusteringprocess has to be restarted.

Without going too far into the details, the universe is filled with afield of Higgs particles which act like the party workers in thisanalogy – they are responsible for the creation of mass, and stopeverything from just zipping around at the speed of light. Thismakes it possible to combine all the fundamental forces of theuniverse in a single unified mathematical framework which we callthe Standard Model – a comprehensive and remarkably successfulexplanation of the basic building blocks that make up our universe.

It is important to note that the United Kingdom has been at theforefront of this discovery – of course Peter Higgs is an emeritusProfessor at Edinburgh, and UK scientists and engineers have also

Lord Jenkin, Dr Stephen Benn, Professor John Womersley, Andrew Miller MP

Lord Walton of Detchant and Stephanie Fernandes

Philip Wheat

Stephen Metcalfe MP and Lord BroersDr Stephen Keevil, Ms Rosemary Cook and Sarah Newton MP

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been central to designing, building, operating and performing theexperiments on the LHC. The UK is one of the leading nations interms of volume of papers published in Nuclear and ParticlePhysics and we rank number one in quality as measured by citationrates.

Scientifically, then, this was a major breakthrough. However, it isvery important – especially at a time of economic difficulty, and fora political audience like this one, that I also have a good answer tothe question ‘why should we care?’ Aside from Mrs Thatcher’sobservation on the expense of the LHC ‘isn’t it interesting, though?’which is difficult to disagree with, the huge resonance of thegeneral public to this year’s Higgs announcements goes some wayto answering the question. On the day of the announcement thenews in the UK alone reached an audience of 12 million on TVand 14 million on radio. There were more than 1,200 stories inbroadcast media within 24 hours and it was mentioned every 1.1seconds on Twitter, with 8 of the top 10 ‘trending’ topics beingHiggs related. Internationally there were more than 4,500 printarticles, it made the front page of major newspapers and even TheEconomist.

We understand that communicating discoveries such as theHiggs effectively is an obligation for scientists who are supportedfrom the public purse – and just one aspect of this in recentmonths has been a small exhibition including a replica of a sectionof the LHC tunnel which STFC has been touring around the UK,including Westminster, the devolved administrations, and sciencefestivals. The statistics I set out show that there is a real publichunger for science and this is supported by other trends: 90 percent of physics graduates cite inspirational fundamental scienceadvances in physics and astronomy as the reasons they decided tostudy the discipline. In the past year, University applications inphysics have increased by eight per cent at a time when overallapplications fell by eight per cent, so we may well be seeing animpact.

Attracting young people into STEM careers is hugely importantfor our future competitiveness in the global knowledge economy.However, the cover of The Economist gives us another hint as towhy supporting science is so important. Aside from helpinghumanity gain a more complete understanding of our place in theuniverse, the technological innovation and skills that need to bedeveloped to carry out this research feed straight back into theeconomies and the Governments which support it. The US Census

Past and present Directors of POST:Professor David Cope and Dr Chris Tyler

Dr Richard Worswick and Lord May of Oxford Andrew Miller MP with Dr Tom Price, aResearch Fellow at the Institute of IntegrativeBiology at the University of Liverpool, his pair inthe Royal Society Pairing Scheme

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Bureau estimated in 2002 that the value of a single science PhDstudent to the economy over their lifetime was an additional $2.2M,roughly £1.8M today. This is a tangible measure of what the‘knowledge economy’ really means and I would like to expand onthis.

George Bernard Shaw famously said that ‘The reasonable manadapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists toadapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on theunreasonable man.’ Fundamental research, like particle physics andastronomy, plays the role of the unreasonable man – it makesdemands on technology and engineering which require newinventions, new technologies, new capabilities to be developed.These advances then feed back into the broader economy to thebenefit of everyone.

For example, in order to collide particle beams at very highenergies, physicists needed ways of generating very high magneticfields. This led to a series of technology breakthroughs insuperconducting magnets going back several decades. The largehadron collider magnets are based on this technology but so arethe magnets used for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Two anda half million MRI scans were performed in the UK in 2010,equipment manufacture contributes £100m to the UK’s GDP eachyear and a further £100m is saved every year just through theimproved treatment of spinal disc herniation – slipped discs. I amtold that MRI scanners helped the TeamGB cycling team achievegolds in the Olympics through its application to their trainingregime!

The same particle accelerator technology used in the LHC iswhat drives the Diamond Light Source and ISIS neutron source atthe Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. The ISIS machine – still on avast scale and housed in a hangar sized facility – is used to createneutrons which are uniquely valuable in analysing the internalstructure of materials. ISIS has many collaborations with industry.One recent example has been work done with EDF where welooked at the integrity of the welds and materials within nuclearpower stations. These studies showed that the materials weresound and gave confidence that the safe working lives of the plantscould be extended by five years, leading not only to continuedsecurity of energy supply but also deferment of £3bndecommissioning and replacements costs.

I am also pleased to see Richard Worswick in the audience. Thisgives me the chance to mention Cobalt Light Systems, an extremelypromising spin out company from STFC’s Central Laser Facility.Cobalt uses a technique known as spatially offset Ramanspectroscopy which was developed for scientific analysis; Cobalt hasbeen able to commercialise the application to the stage whereprototypes are now being used at airports to scan containers ofliquids to identify if they contain illicit or dangerous substances. Thistechnique can lead to a lifting of current restrictions for takingliquids onto flights. Cobalt is just one example where STFC’sdevelopment of Science and Innovation Campuses at our Harwelland Daresbury locations, and the innovation friendly ethos at theSTFC’s national facilities has helped enable such a successfuldevelopment. In fact we are now collaborating with both CERN andwith the European Space Agency to operate business incubationcentres at Harwell and Daresbury. These centres are specifically

designed to help support small, UK-based businesses tocommercialise the technologies coming out of these projects.

WHAT ARE THE BIG SCIENCE PROJECTS OF THEFUTURE THAT WILL BRING MORE SUCHADVANCES?

Let me start with what’s next for the LHC. During 2013 theexperiment will cease operations to undergo a major new upgradethat will see its energy doubled and the rate of data acquisitionincreased. This will enable us to investigate the properties of theHiggs boson in detail, and also allow us to extend the search fornew physics, for example, to address the nature of dark matter,which is thought to constitute 84 per cent of the Universe.Fortuitously, this year-long shutdown will allow visitors to enter thetunnel 100 metres beneath Geneva once again and STFC isparticularly keen to encourage UK policy makers and general publicto do this. If you are interested in taking this opportunity pleasecontact my office.

The next big new fundamental project that we hope will captureeveryone’s imagination and inspire future generations is the SquareKilometre Array, or SKA. This is a radio telescope consisting ofaround 3,000 dishes distributed over a huge geographical areaacross South Africa and Australia. Mapping the sky precisely withthis huge array and bringing together the data collected on thisenormous scale will allow us a completely new view of theuniverse. We will be able to look back in history to a time beforethe first stars formed, investigate the nature of gravity and challengethe theory of general relativity, study magnetic fields in space andeven search for extra-terrestrial signals that might be broadcast fromother civilisations.

SKA is a global project but we are particularly proud that JodrellBank in the UK hosts the SKA’s international headquarters whichwill be inaugurated in 2013. The initial stages of work on thisdecades-long project demonstrate clearly how the experiment willdrive the need to develop new technologies that will bring benefitsacross the economy. Key to the design of SKA is the acquisitionand processing of vast quantities of data from the thousands ofdistributed telescope dishes – more information than is currentlytransmitted across the entire global internet today. Supercomputingand e-Science teams from Cambridge, Oxford and Manchesteruniversities and from STFC’s Hartree Centre at our DaresburyLaboratory are already working on how to solve these challenges, incollaboration with companies like IBM and Intel who can see howthis science is going to drive innovation in their sector.

I hope my talk has demonstrated that there really should be nodistinction between ‘basic’ and ‘applied’ research – even the mostfundamental research about the nature of the universe has a hugeimpact on everyday life, both in terms of attracting people intoSTEM careers and in creating new inventions because of the waythat it makes ‘unreasonable’ demands on technology. Organisationssuch as the Research Councils work hard to maximise thesebenefits to the economy through encouraging spin out companiesand collaboration with industry. Most importantly there is veryexciting science and many more challenges ahead with projectssuch as the Square Kilometre Array, in which the UK is privileged tobe playing a leading role.”

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Gill Kelleher, BASF Sustainableconstruction advocate

ENERGY – HOW TO USE LESSMeeting of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee on Tuesday 6th November

ENERGY EFFICIENCY SOLUTIONSFOR BUILDINGS

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company. Its chemicalproducts are used in almost all industries, from electronics andagriculture to consumer goods and construction.

By 2050 it is estimated thatthe world population will growto about nine billion and 75 percent of those will be urbandwellers. This is a challenge thatdemands new concepts forhousing and construction.

As a leading provider of rawmaterials, systems and solutionsto the construction industry,BASF is working with industry toincrease the energy efficiencyand lifespan of buildings,developing solutions that reducethe amount of resourcesneeded for construction andcontribute to greater livingcomfort. Our insulationmaterials, concrete admixturesand many other products helpsignificantly to reduce carbonemissions generated bybuildings over the course oftheir lifecycles. According to theIntergovernmental Panel onClimate Change, by 2030around 6.5 billion metric tonesof CO2 emissions could besaved globally in the area ofhousing and construction as aresult of investment in efficienttechnologies. As a reliablepartner to the constructionindustry, it is our goal to helpincrease this contribution toclimate protection.

We understand sustainableconstruction as the process ofdeveloping built environmentsthat balance economic viabilitywith preserving resources,reducing environmental impacts

and taking social aspects intoaccount.

As a result, BASF constructionexperts are actively engaged inGreen Building Councils andwork closely with architects,planners and urban developersto create housing for all types ofclimates and diversearchitectural traditions. In the UKwe have partnered a number oforganisations to provide dataand evidence for industry todemonstrate the savings whichcan be achieved from adoptingenergy efficiency measures.

UNIVERSITY OFNOTTINGHAM CREATIVEENERGY HOMESPROJECT: AFFORDABLE,LOW CARBON HOUSING

The objective for the BASFHouse, Nottingham, was todesign an affordable, practical,low Carbon home. At the outsetthe target was for the house tohave an energy consumption of15kWh/m2 (meeting Passivhausstandards). The highly insulatedfabric of the building (specifiedU-value for walls of0.15W/m2K) is considerably inadvance of current BuildingRegulations and the structurewas designed to demonstrate acost-effective approach tomeeting Level 4 of the Code ForSustainable Homes.

The first principle was todesign the fabric of the house tobe well insulated to minimiseenergy loss. A combination ofinsulation materialsdemonstrated the range thatexist in today’s market.

Since its completion in 2008the house has been occupiedby both University staff andstudents and has been carefullymonitored as part of theUniversity’s research intobuilding with low carbonsolutions and the impact ofoccupier behaviour. Data fromthe building’s sophisticatedmonitoring equipment haveevaluated energy consumption,and a range of climaticconditions in the house fromthe temperature and relativehumidity to the lighting, solarradiation and ventilation. Theoccupants were electronicallytagged to create a record of theirliving patterns. An importantaspect of the house’s evaluationwas to test the general comfortand practicalities of the houseand how it affects theoccupants.

Initial monitoring dataindicate that the house isbeating the target of 15kWh/m2

and achieving as little as10kWh/m2.

. . . savings from adopting energy

efficiency measures . . .

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SUMMARY OFMATERIALS USED

The lower floor andfoundations were built using theBASF Neopor® insulatedconcrete formwork (ICF) systemto provide high thermal mass.Neopor, a lightweight,expandable polystyrene (EPS)contains graphite, whichconsiderably enhances theinsulation capacity. Blocks ofNeopor were assembled tocreate the shape of the building,including window and dooropenings. The core was thenfilled with a pumpable concrete.

For the first floor aprefabricated timber insulatedsandwich panel system (SIPS)was used, containing BASF rigidpolyurethane insulation.

SIPS was chosen because ofthe high insulation factor,outstanding air tightness, lightweight and the ability toprefabricate off-site non-rectangular shapes – ie for thegable walls. The roof was alsoconstructed of SIPS todemonstrate the versatility ofBASF heat managementsolutions used within the steelcoatings.

The result is that the wallsand roof structures have a U-

value of 0.15W/m2K combinedwith high air tightness. TheSouth facing aspect of thehouse consists largely of glazingin order to capitalise on passivesolar gain.

The structure also considersthe important issue of heatmanagement. As new buildingshave to be highly insulated tomeet the Code for SustainableHomes, the energy required tocool these houses down is aconcern.

To overcome this issue amodified plasterboardincorporating Micronal® PhaseChange Material (PCM) hasbeen used internally within thehouse. Micronal PCM is made ofpolymer capsules containing aspecial wax mixture which storeslatent heat. When thetemperature rises above 23°C,the wax melts and the phasechange material absorbs heat.When the temperature drops,the wax solidifies and heat isemitted.

This innovative materialenables a 1.5cm thickplasterboard to contribute a

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. . . glazing to capitalise on passive

solar gain . . .

. . . refurbishment of the oldest

housing stock is essential . . .

thermal storage capacityidentical to that of 7cm concreteor 9cm brickwork. It allows alightweight construction tocapitalise on the temperaturestability benefits of high thermalmass – contributing to morecomfortable living conditionsand better energy efficiency.

The first floor and roof arearequired a lightweight, durable,waterproof cladding. ColorcoatUrban® by Corus was selected.Traditional roofing materialsabsorb solar energy, generatingheat that is transported bythermal conduction into the roofand by convection to thesurrounding air. The ColorcoatUrban steel cladding systemuses BASF’s coil coatingPLASTICERAM®, this has superb

efficient terraced homes fit for21st century living. The targetwas to improve the energyperformance rating of thebuilding from band F to bandA/B.

INTERNAL ANDEXTERNAL INSULATIONSOLUTIONS

Over a third of the energyheating a property escapesthrough the external walls. Oldsolid wall, hard-to-treat buildingssuch as the BRE VictorianTerrace are most affected.Through participation in thisproject, BASF has demonstratedinnovative products andsolutions that tackle a numberof the issues facing therefurbishment market.

UV durability and corrosionprotection while also achievingmaximum solar reflectance.

THE BRE VICTORIANTERRACE PROJECT

The UK Government has alegally binding commitment toreduce CO2 emissions by 80%by 2050. To meet this target ithas to ensure that existingbuildings are made more energyefficient. The UK’s housing stockreleases 150 million tonnes ofcarbon dioxide per year, witholder buildings contributingdisproportionately. TheGovernment has therefore putin place a country-wide energyefficiency programme,recognising that refurbishmentof the oldest housing stock isessential.

In collaboration with BRE(Building ResearchEstablishment) at itsheadquarters in Watford, BASFmaterials were used totransform a disused Victorianstable block into three energy

The finished developmentnow houses an InformationCentre where Visitors are able tolearn about best practicerefurbishment, including thelatest processes, materials andtechnological advances to treatexisting homes.

One of the walls of thepresentation room was internallylined with rigid polyurethaneinsulation. Magnesium oxideboards were adhered to an80mm Polyisocyanurate (PIR)insulation board consisting of afoam core with two lowemissivity facers. This achieved aU-value of 0.22W/m2K.

The South wall of thepresentation room presentedadditional challenges. The wallwas very unstable so a numberof structural repairs had to takeplace before all the existingplaster was removed.WALLTITE® spray foaminsulation was then sprayeddirectly onto the rough, barebrick substrate to a thickness of

100mm without the need forprimer or levelling coat. Thestrength of WALLTITE helped toconsolidate this very unsoundsurface. WALLTITE is a closedcell foam. Its structure helps tocontrol the movement of vapourand moisture throughout thebuilding, reducing the risk ofmould and condensation. At athickness of 100mm, WALLLTITEachieved a U-value of0.25W/m2K.

An added performanceproperty of WALLTITE is the airtightness of the system. Airleakage accounts for 25-50% ofheat loss. WALLTITE has nojoints and has a measured airleakage value of 0.0033 @ 50pascals m3.h-1.m-2 per BSRIA.Further performance wasachieved by eliminating thermalbridging via studwork or framing.The whole surface area of thewall was sprayed seamlessly andthen finished with gypframestuds before applyingplasterboard.

Three of the walls wereinsulated with an ExternalThermal Insulation CompositeSystem (ETICS) consisting of150mm thick insulation boardsmade of BASF’s Neoporexpandable polystyrene (EPS)and the Heck® external rendersystem. Neopor insulationboards were fixed to the outsideof the building and covered withan alkali resistant reinforcingmesh, scrim adhesive and a finaldecorative finish. This layeredmethod reduces heat loss andprevents water ingress.

It is not only the walls thatneed consideration. Uninsulatedfloors can produce as much as15% of heat loss from abuilding, while effectivewaterproofing is essential for abuilding of this age.

The floor was thereforemade fully waterproof usingBASF’s Thoroseal® Super whichwas lapped up the walls toform a damp proof course.Styrodur® C, an insulationboard, was chosen to meet thethermal insulation requirements,with the substrate then beingfinished with PCI Novoment®Z3, a fast track screedingsolution with rapid curecapabilities. The result is anoverall floor U-valueconsiderably less than the targetof 0.22W/m2K in the BuildingRegulations.

BASF’s Micronal phasechange material (PCM) wasincorporated into the groundfloor presentation room tocontribute to the temperaturemanagement of the space. Inthis installation, the PCM wasincorporated into a suspendedceiling tile system.

These projects are designedto demonstrate how energyefficiency can be built into thestructure of homes – whetherat the construction stage or aspart of refurbishment projects.Visitors are welcome to bothsites. These are two projects inwhich BASF has collaboratedand research continues toprovide evidence of howchemical solutions cancontribute to sustainablebuildings – whether they are forcommercial, industrial ordomestic use.

For further information onthis and other demonstrationprojects, go to www.basf.co.uk/ecp1/Solutions_UK_Ireland/Construction

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ENERGY – HOW TO USE LESS

ENERGY EFFICIENCY: THE ROLEOF SMART METERS

Ashley PocockHead of Industry Change,Regulation and External Affairs,Smart Metering Project,Transformation, EDF Energy

The Meeting also heard fromAshley Pocock, Head ofRegulation for Smart Meteringat EDF Energy.

Among the points he madewere the following:

The target is for theinstallation of smart meters in allhomes and small commercialbusinesses to be completedbetween 2015 and 2019.

This will involve 34mproperties, over 50m gas andelectricity meters, and 50mother technical devices, includingdisplays and communicationsequipment.

The Government haspledged to deliver a NationalCommunication Network,combining 3 super-regionalnetworks a central data hub.

The meters will allow for aseamless transition betweendifferent energy suppliers, andwill support different paymentmodalities. One immediate

benefit is that it will no longerbe necessary to have estimatedbills – a great source ofcustomer dissatisfaction.

For most consumers £ ismore intelligible than kWh, andso this is how the informationwill be displayed. There will notbe an output revealing the CO2

footprint of generation.

When the customer signs upto acquire a meter, there will bethree phases – a pre-installationconsultation, then the installationitself, and a follow-up later toensure comprehension andsatisfaction.

It is clear that tariffs affectdemand, but nonetheless animpact assessment suggests thatsavings overall will be small –less than 3% anticipated fromincreased sensitivity byconsumers to the energy theyuse.

In order to achieve more,further changes in behaviour will

be needed. Since the largestproportion of domestic energy isused for heating, consumersmay have to get used tolowering thermostats, and ofcourse improving insulation.

Even where families are livingin identical houses, there can besignificant variation in patterns ofenergy consumption. Forexample retired people have acomparatively flat patternthroughout the day. A familyusing, for example, hair dryerswill have a noticeable peak earlyin the day.

Finally, although the benefitsshould be clear, no one will becompelled to accept suchmeters if they do not wish.

Additionally, there will be strictregulation to control externalaccess to domestic data and toensure both privacy and securityare maintained by all providersand users of this unique,complex and extensiveinfrastructure.

ENERGY – HOW TO USE LESS

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Roger KempLancaster University

Energy policy in the UK is

faced with three conflicting

demands: security of supply,

affordability and environmental

impact: politically, all are

important. Failure to keep the

lights on or shortages at petrol

stations can be toxic to any

government. A sudden rise in

electricity, gas or road fuel prices

creates unwelcome headlines

and consumer protests. All

recent governments have

committed to reducing carbon

dioxide emissions, as well as the

oxides of sulphur and nitrogen,

blamed for the acid rain that

had destroyed many North

European forests, as well as

ground level pollution in cities.

The scale of the challenge

faced by policymakers in

resolving this trilemma can be

. . . shortages at petrol stations can

be toxic . . .

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seen in Figure 1, which shows

the supply and demand of

energy in the UK when the

Climate Change Act 2008 was

passed.

On the left are the four main

sources of energy – fossil fuels,

nuclear power, renewables and

biomass. On the right are the

uses made of energy –

transport, furnaces and other

high temperature uses of heat,

electrical appliances and low

temperature heating. It can be

seen that the major energy

flows are from fossil fuels to

transport and heating.

The diagram shows average

values throughout the year;

although many uses of energy

are reasonably constant, most of

the heating load is taken during

the winter months and,

predominantly during the early

morning and early evening, the

peak load can be more than

three times the average.

From the point of view of the

consumer, it would be

convenient to be able to keep

the utilisation side of the

diagram the same but to change

the supply side to more secure

low-carbon sources. A glance at

the numbers shows the

impossibility of this approach.

The peak load (heating and

electricity) in winter is 250GW

which is equivalent to 100

nuclear power stations or

100,000 large wind turbines. As

well as changing the source of

supply, we have to reduce the

amount of energy we use –

hence the importance of energy

efficiency.

If the UK is to get near the

targets in the 2008 Act, we have

to tackle the two big sources of

CO2 – transport and heating.

Both are hugely challenging but

transport is probably the easier

of the two. One could envisage

widespread adoption of electric

vehicles and a major shift to

electrically-powered trains and

trams, all powered by renewable

or nuclear energy. Aircraft and

the remaining HGVs, which

require more energy than could

be stored in batteries, could be

fuelled by biofuels derived from

agricultural waste and algae or

other plant material that do not

compete with food crops when

food shortages will be

increasingly commonplace.

Although we can envisage a

technical solution to

decarbonising transport, the

politics and economics would

not be straightforward. We are

accustomed to owning a car that

Figure 1: UK energy flow diagram 2008 i

. . . peak load can be more than three

times the average . . .

. . . a major shift to electrically-powered

trains and trams . . .

is used daily for a 20 mile

commute but that can also be

used for a 200 mile weekend

trip to a remote farmhouse or a

2000 mile family holiday. Asking

people to reorganise their lives

to use short-range EVs for the

daily commute and public

transport for longer trips might

not be a vote-winner. Expanding

the rail system to cope with

greatly increased peaks of

Christmas and holiday travel,

while maintaining subsidies at

an acceptable level and

providing a financial incentive for

people to use the low-carbon

alternative to a car, would be

more challenging.

If the political challenge of

decarbonising the transport

sector at an acceptable cost is

“difficult”, the problems with

domestic heating are even

greater. In the last 50 years we

have moved from homes in

which we switched on heaters

only in occupied rooms and it

was normal to wear a sweater

indoors to the expectation that

buildings are centrally heated

and our choice of indoor clothes

is dictated by fashion, not the

weather.

When constructing new

buildings it is possible to build in

high-performance insulation and

heat exchangers to warm

incoming fresh air from the air

being extracted. With good

design it is possible to build

homes that require almost no

external sources of heat.

However, there are no readily-

available technical solutions for

installing low-carbon heating in

existing buildings and most of

the houses that will be in use in

2050 have already been built.

Attempting to balance the

trilemma of security of supply,


impact has resulted in more

than a decade of policy

paralysis, punctuated by

occasional bursts of political

hyperactivity in pursuit of one of

the three, while conveniently

ignoring the others. In 2008, the

Climate Change Act prioritised

reductions in CO2 emissions –

Coalition promises to be “the

greenest government ever”

followed this line. Five years ago,

new nuclear power stations

were seen as crucial to keeping

the lights on; legal challenges,

sip SPRING 2013 4/2/13 12:24


. . . Asking people to reorganise their

lives . . .

the repercussions of the tsunami

deluging Fukushima, together

with private sector reticence to

carry financial risk ensured none

has been started. Recent

campaigns to cut prices by

opening up the energy market

and encouraging consumers to

switch suppliers seem to have

forgotten last year’s plan, which

encouraged suppliers to form

long-term relationships with

customers, investing in insulation

and energy saving measures,

recouped by lower energy use

over the following years.

Since the Energy white paper

2003: Our energy future:

creating a low-carbon economy

there have been half a dozen

major restatements of energy

policy but little to show on the

ground; we still burn large

amounts of coal and run our

cars on petrol and diesel, much

as in 2003. Energy infrastructure

is a long-term business; power

stations cost many millions, take

several years to build and have

a life of 40 years. Companies

considering whether to invest

the objectives of the 2008

Climate Change Act and other

measures to reduce CO2

emissions and the Climate

Change Committee (CCC)

produces carbon budgets for

years ahead which represent

increasingly incredible

extrapolations of current policies.

With more than 100 MPs

formally opposing wind farms,

and growing support for shale

gas, it is increasingly difficult to

see a consensus supporting the

CCC plans.

Recent government initiatives

have been to reduce retail

energy prices and to improve

the efficiency with which it is

used. The Khazzoom-Brookes

postulate (sometimes referred

to as the Rebound Effect) states

that if energy prices do not

change, cost effective energy

efficiency improvements will

inevitably increase energy

consumption above what it

manufacturers have been forced

to improve the fuel efficiency of

cars so there is now a range of

vehicles with emissions below

100gCO2/km. Engineers in the

industry reckon that further

improvements to 80 or even

60gCO2/km might be possible

but, if this is not to lead to long

term increased car use, this has

to be accompanied by a

importance, government needs

to have a coherent vision of

what it wants to achieve in

terms of security of supply,

affordability and emissions and

a long-term strategy to

implement this vision: how

many days demand of gas

storage, how many power

stations of what types, what

proportion of electric vehicles,

what penetration of district

heating, etc, etc. This is a

national strategy, requiring

agreement between ministries,

. . . more than a decade of policy

paralysis . . .

. . . imposition of maximum thermostat

settings . . .

. . . more than 100 MPs opposing

wind farms . . .

seek a degree of policy

continuity. If companies are

expected to fund the massive

investment needed in new

energy infrastructure from their

own resources, they need

assurance of future profits.

One of the largest areas of

contention is the extent to which

policy should focus on reducing

CO2 emissions. Most people

accept the fact of climate

change, although the extent to

which this is caused by

anthropogenic CO2 emissions

may be open to debate. The

government has signed up to

would be without those

improvements. The corollary of

this is that, to use the market

mechanism to reduce CO2

emissions, inflation-adjusted

energy prices (including

taxation) have to rise faster than

efficiency improves.

If governments oppose

energy price rises, what

alternatives are there to reduce

overall energy use? One

mechanism, which has been

successful in reducing car

emissions, is regulation. Under

EU rules, supported by UK

taxation policy, car

comparable fuel price increase.

If holding down gas use by

increasing prices is not politically

acceptable, the alternative could

include more intrusive

regulation, perhaps by individual

carbon allowances or the

imposition of maximum

thermostat settings, or more

draconian and retrospective

building standards. If neither

regulation nor price increases is

acceptable, we are running out

of options to limit energy use

and CO2 emissions.

For the last decade politicians

have talked about taking “tough

decisions”: in energy policy they

have studiously avoided taking

any decisions. Partly this policy

vacuum is based on a

misguided belief that “the

market” will make sound

strategic decisions in the

absence of government policy.

What should an energy policy

include and what should be the

dividing line between the public

and private sectors? Of critical

which cannot be left for the

markets to decide. Once the

strategy is determined, the

private sector can deliver what

is needed and would be

expected to bear the risk if they

fail to deliver. However, what

the private sector cannot be

asked to do is to carry the risk

of the government’s strategic

vision.

Creating coherent energy

policies requires an

understanding of how the

different components of energy

systems interact and how these

relate to other policies, including

those on land use, transport

and taxation. In the absence of

coherent policies, we risk

missing all three of the

objectives of security of supply,


impact and simply increasing

energy efficiency will not deliver

the policy objectives we seek.

i Diagram from: Generating the Future,The Royal Academy of Engineering,2010.

sip SPRING 2013 4/2/13 12:24


SUPPORTING GOOD PRACTICEIN UNIVERSITY MATHEMATICSDEPARTMENTSSean McWhinnie, Oxford Research and Policy

The London MathematicalSociety (LMS) is launching anew report on Good Practice inUK University MathematicsDepartments on 27 February2013 at an event in the Houseof Commons. This highlightsgood working practice found inUK university mathematicsdepartments with an emphasison improving the recruitment,retention and progression ofwomen.

Around 40% of graduatesfrom UK first degreemathematical sciences coursesare female. However, there is asignificant drop-off in theproportion of women whobecome academicmathematicians, and onlyaround 6% of professors ofmathematics in the UK arefemale. Although all Science,Technology, Engineering,Mathematics and Medicine(STEMM) subjects suffer a dropin the proportion of women insenior positions, the fall off isparticularly bad in mathematics.

The LMS Women inMathematics Committee set outto support mathematicsdepartments to improve workingpractices and the recruitment,retention and progression ofwomen in academicmathematics, for example byworking towards an AthenaSWAN award.

THE ACADEMICMATHEMATICS PIPELINE

Figure 1 presents a snapshotof the mathematics pipeline for

people of all nationalities whostudy mathematics or holdacademic posts in mathematicsin UK higher education.

The data illustrate that asmaller proportion of femalestudents progress from firstdegree programmes to mastersor doctoral programmes in UKhigher education institutions(HEIs). 38% of mathematicsstaff who have only a teachingfunction in UK HEIs are female.If staff who have a researchfunction as part of their contractare considered, the proportionof senior lecturers/lecturers thatare female is 21%. In otherwords, women are significantlymore likely than men to haveteaching-only mathematics roles.The discontinuity illustrated inFig1 is explained by thenumbers of women in teaching-only roles: if teaching-only rolesare excluded then theproportion of researchers and

Figure 1 The mathematics pipeline for all nationalities in UK Higher Education Institutes - proportions of thepopulations at different stages who are male or female in 2011.

senior lecturers/lecturers that arefemale is the same.

It is sometimes suggestedthat the reason that there arelower proportions of women atmore senior academic grades isbecause there was a lowerproportion of women graduatingin the past. However, asillustrated in Fig 2, within aparticular age range, theproportion of women academicstaff in mathematics who are

professors is much smaller thanthe corresponding proportion ofmen. For example, consideringpermanent academic staff inmathematics aged between 51and 60 years in 2010/11, 58%of the male academics wereprofessors compared with 22%of the female academics. Theimplication is that a smallerproportion of professorial-calibrewomen than men achieve theirpotential.

Figure 2 For each gender, the proportion of permanent mathematics staffin a specific age range who are professors (2010/11).

sip SPRING 2013 4/2/13 12:24


This shows that withinmathematics a smallerproportion of women progressfrom undergraduate study tohigher level study and that,among staff who gain academicposts, women are more likely tobe in teaching only roles thanmen, and are less likely to be atmore senior grades. Thisunderlines the need for actionto encourage a higherproportion of talented femalemathematicians to stay inacademia and to support thosewomen to stay in research andprogress in their careers. Similarpatterns in respect of theprogression of men and womenare evident in other STEMMdisciplines irrespective of theproportion of undergraduateswho are female.

THE ATHENA SWANCHARTER AND AWARDS

The Athena SWAN Charter isa scheme that recognisesexcellence in STEMMemployment for women. Itprovides awards andopportunities to share goodpractice.

The Athena SWAN processensures that all aspects ofacademic progress and careersare examined, with a focus ongender equality and opportunity,developing good practice in therecruitment, retention andpromotion of women inuniversity STEMM departments.Any HEI committed to advancingthe careers of women inSTEMM can become a memberof the Charter, accepting andpromoting the six Charterprinciples. The Athena SWANCharter awards are for bothinstitutions and departments.There are three levels of awardBronze, Silver and Gold.

Currently there are 85 HEIsthat are members of the Charterand although almost 80departments hold Bronze orSilver awards, there are only two

mathematics departments thathold Silver awards: theUniversities of Reading andLeeds.

The LMS Women inMathematics Committeedecided to engage withmathematics departments toimprove their interaction withAthena SWAN. The LMS alsowanted to provide guidance onthe Athena SWAN process andto disseminate examples ofgood working practice already inplace.

GOOD WORKINGPRACTICES ANDWOMEN IN SCIENCE

Research carried out lookingat working practices in science,technology, engineering andtechnology departments 1

makes it clear that:

1. Good working practicesbenefit all, staff and students,men and women. However,bad practices adversely affectwomen’s careers more thanmen’s.

2. The best universitydepartments do not targetmeasures specifically atwomen because improvedworking conditions benefit alland make for a happydepartment. Good practice isnot about how many womenare in the department, it isabout processes that are fair,flexible, accessible andtransparent to all.

3. Departments with goodworking practices are able toattract and retain womenbetter than otherdepartments.

4. There is no evidence that theintroduction of good practicesadversely affects theexcellence of the sciencecarried out. Good practiceequates with good science. Incontrast the detrimentaleffects of bad practice build

up incrementally over thecourse of a career resulting ina smaller proportion ofwomen than men reachingtheir potential.

5. Leadership from the top, withthe head of departmentacting as champion, is criticalto changing culture, to makingthe changes stick and tochanging behaviour. Simplechanges to processes, whichdeliver clear benefits to staff,can start to change policy andbehaviour, but without a headof department prepared tointroduce changes andmonitor adherence, little willchange.

6. The age profile of thedepartment, and the diversityof its staff, makes a difference.Young men and women withfamilies have differentexpectations and needs fromtheir older colleagues. Thoseyounger staff’s careers cannotthrive unless the culture ofthe department reflects thereality of dual careerpartnerships.

7. Successful action is based ongood planning, which takesaccount of the department’sacademic plan and which isevidence based.

THE LMS PROJECT

The LMS distributed aquestionnaire to all UK universitymathematics departments,which requested informationand examples of workingpractices around a number ofkey processes such asrecruitment, induction,promotion, training, flexibility andcareer breaks, includingmaternity leave. Thirtydepartments returnedcompleted questionnaires.

These were analysed toidentify examples of goodpractice. These were used toprovide the main content of thereport. In addition, the practices

described in the checklists werescored to benchmark eachdepartment. These were used toproduce individual reports fordepartments, and to produce anoverall summary for the LMS.

The departments thatcompleted the questionnairesare at very different points intheir Athena SWAN journeys andhad varying working practices.

If we take the example ofhow a mathematics department‘ensures that the arrangementsmade for career breaks canenable individuals to maintain acareer trajectory, which meetstheir circumstances, abilities andambitions’. Departments withthe best working practicesdemonstrate their ability tosupport staff to cope with thepracticalities before, during andafter a career break. Before abreak, the best departmentsarrange a meeting to check thatindividuals are getting thesupport, advice and informationthey want and the departmenthelps with supportarrangements before, during andafter the career break.Departments also recognisereturners’ needs, includingflexibility, personal support, andmentoring. The head ofdepartment holds a meetingsome weeks after an individualreturns to discuss what supportis needed.

The questionnaires revealeda division between thosedepartments which had goodsystems in place and those thathad little experience of stafftaking career breaks andtherefore took less formalapproaches. A number hadvisible role models withexperience of career breaks whowere available to give advice,although there was also a viewthat expecting people in thisposition to support others wasunreasonable. A fewdepartments had formal

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through, for example, beinggiven a term’s grace fromteaching responsibilities or beinggranted a period of study leaveimmediately following a periodof maternity or adoption leave.Some departments also had inplace arrangements to monitorreturners on an ongoing basis. Inone example during the phasedreturn period the head ofdepartment met the member ofstaff weekly, to assess progressand identify any problems andto discuss future careerprogression. A number ofdepartments also encouragedreturners to take up flexible

working arrangements.

The LMS hopes that bydisseminating and highlightingthe best working practicescurrently in place inmathematics departments, alldepartments will be encouragedto learn from the best and indoing so improve the position ofwomen in mathematics.

References

1 Planning for Success - Good Practice inUniversity Science Departments, RoyalSociety of Chemistry, London, 2008(www.rsc.org/diversity); Women inUniversity Physics Departments,Institute of Physics, London, 2006(www.iop.org/diversity).

arrangements in place for cover,while some left it to theindividual to makearrangements, and others dealtwith it informally, reallocatingresponsibilities to others in theirgroup. The best practice waswhere departments received abudget from the university forcover from sessional lecturerseither during the maternity leaveor for the period just aftermaternity leave, and where thearrangement was discussed inadvance.

There were examples ofgood practice to supportreturners. One university had

produced a good practicedocument on maternityreturners. A number ofdepartments work withindividuals to ensure that theyare given support. In one casestaff were encouraged to meetwith their line managers, as wellas the head of department,before their return to discussarrangements. In another caseindividuals taking parental leavewere expected to have a staffdevelopment review on theirreturn. There were examples ofreturning staff being given timeto readjust to the workplace andto catch up with research

METHANE: THE UNNATURAL GAS

Dr Grant AllenLecturer in Atmospheric Physics,University of Manchester

Methane (commonly knownas “natural” gas) is one of themajor greenhouse gases(GHGs) recognised by theIntergovernmental Panel onClimate Change (IPCC).Molecule-for-molecule, methane(CH4) is 23 times more potentthan CO2 and it accounts for~7% of all GHG emissions inthe UK (in 2009). Luckily, thereis much less CH4 in theatmosphere (on average) thanthere is CO2 – about 200 timesless. However, although theabsolute concentration of CH4 iscurrently relatively small, itspotency means that even asmall change in the totalamount of methane in theatmosphere could becomparable to the global-warming impact of its morewell-known counterpart. Just asimportantly, CH4 changes theway in which the atmospherecan naturally cleanse itself ofpollutants, which can result inpoorer air quality. Such changescould be under way.

One thing is certain – theatmosphere is (and always has

been) changing. This changehas historically been the resultof natural perturbations, often(but not always) over longtimescales. However, in recenthistory, mankind has beenspeeding up this pace of changewith uncertain consequences.Whilst the general premise thatclimate-change-equals-global-warming is widely publicised,the more localised and extremeimpacts implicit to climatechange are often missed. Forthe UK alone, these impacts arethought to be more frequentextremes in weather of all types,hot and cold, dry and wet, windyand stagnant. This is becausewe are an island in the middleof the North Atlantic storm track– where energy is often racingfast from the equator to thepoles. While no single weatherevent can ever be directlyattributed to climate change (byvirtue of the way climate andweather are necessarily treateddifferently within mathematicalmodels), we rely on statistics

over long timescales. Thenumber of weather recordsbroken in the UK over the past7 years (and in 2012 alone)should not be forgotten, norshould similar statistics reportedaround the world. Whilst still thesubject of debate, a growingnumber of meteorologists andclimatologists are beginning totalk about climate change assomething that has been havinga growing impact on ourweather (and our lives andeconomies) for many years.

The principal driver of climatechange is an increasedgreenhouse effect driven byincreases in the amount ofGHGs in the atmosphere, whichtrap infrared radiation (heatenergy) near the Earth’s surface.Various feedback processes,tipping points and buffers areknown (or thought) to exist,which may exacerbate or limitchanges in surface temperature(eg cloudiness, ice cover), yetthe underlying response of the

. . . speeding up this pace of change . . .

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atmosphere can be linked to theconcentration of GHGs.Monitoring (and predicting) theconcentration of GHGs in theatmosphere and how they arechanging is therefore key tounderstanding the global (andlocal) consequences of climatechange. While much successfuleffort has been put into betterglobal monitoring of GHGconcentrations in theatmosphere (eg through theWMO-led Global AtmosphericWatch programme and EU-ledIntegrated Carbon ObservingSystem), the various sourcesand sinks of these gases remainthe subject of study whichbridges the many academicdisciplines required tounderstand the Earth system.These include branches ofphysics, chemistry, biology andgeology – all of which arerequired to assess how GHGsare emitted and/or depositedinto the atmosphere from theirvarious reservoirs (land,biosphere, ocean and the deepearth). Once in the atmosphere,we need to know how theyevolve chemically as they aretransported on the wind allaround the planet. Furthermore,to make longer-term forecastsand attempt to mitigate changesin the future, we must alsoinclude sociology, economicsand engineering. This is becausethe Earth’s atmosphere (and itscomposition) is a dynamicsystem driven by differentprocesses on different temporaland spatial scales. To makematters even more complex,local monitoring alone cannotaddress remote inputs andimpacts. This interdisciplinaryactivity must be coordinatedinternationally. Much progresshas been made but more stillneeds to be done.

Whilst much press is given tothe rise of CO2 in theatmosphere, the sources andsinks of CH4 are less well

understood. What we know isthat CH4 is on the rise. Figure 1shows ice core data fromAntarctica, which can be used totrack globally averaged CH4

concentration in theatmosphere. What we see is ageneral pattern of a steep andaccelerating rise in concentrationsince the industrial big bang ataround 1800 AD, which

Atmospheric concentrations of important long-lived greenhouse gases overthe last 2,000 years. Concentration units are parts per million (ppm) orparts per billion (ppb), indicating the number of molecules of thegreenhouse gas per million or billion air molecules, respectively, in anatmospheric sample. Source: The Fourth Assessment Report of TheIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Chapter 2, FAQ 2.1, Figure 1.The source of this image is a PDF file that can be downloaded athttp://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg1/ar4-wg1-chapter2.pdf

Atmospheric methane concentration measured at Ocean Station M,Norway, between 1983 and 2009. Figure created using public archivedata from the Cooperative Atmospheric Data Integration Project –Methane, NOAA ESRL, Boulder, Colorado; available via FTP toftp.cmdl.noaa.gov

continues to the present. Thispattern is typical of many of thegases in the atmosphere thatcan be traced to manmade(anthropogenic) activity, whetherdirectly or indirectly. With thebenefit of plurality and accuracyof modern measurementtechniques, we now know thatwithin this upward trend, thereare significant and sudden

changes in global average CH4,as well as seasonal cycles andother modes of variability (seeFigure 2). It is the subtlety withinthese modes of variability andtheir potential causes (anduncertainties) that are thesource of much importantscientific effort. This articlehighlights this and also the workthat remains to be done.

Among the sources ofatmospheric CH4 are many so-called natural ones. Theseinclude geological seepage offossil-CH4, anaerobic microbialactivity in the near-surface, andanimals. However, these aredwarfed by the various“unnatural” sources that can belinked to human activity, whichinclude livestock, agriculture,fossil fuel burning and directemission from natural gasexploration (and lines oftransmission). As we can seefrom Figure 1, the concentrationof methane has more thandoubled since pre-industrialtimes. Furthermore, newadditional sources of CH4, whichare being driven by climatechange, are a key cause forconcern. Chief among these isthe unquantified release of CH4

trapped in frozen methanehydrates in the permafrosts andice of the Arctic and sub-Arctic(see “Arctic MethaneEmergency” in SiP Spring 2012).Together with rising Arctictemperatures and increasingmicrobial activity in Arctic tundra,emissions in the area arehypothesized as one of thecontributory causes of suddenincreases in global methaneseen in Figure 2 in recent years.Other contributing sources arethought to be the continuedreliance on fossil fuels forenergy generation, particularly inrapidly growing nations and therecent growth in natural gasexploration and transmissionlines.

Fig 1

Fig 2

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We should recognise theworld-class research by the UKacademic community in thisimportant area, enabled byfunding through the NaturalEnvironment Research Council(NERC) and DECC. Recently, theNERC Arctic programme hasfunded a number of projectsthat will tackle Arctic change andthe issue of methane emissionsin the region. Chief amongthese, a consortium of UKuniversities and internationalpartners led by Prof John Pyle ofthe University of Cambridge,entitled Methane in the Arctic:Measurement and Modelling(MAMM), is currentlyinvestigating local and remoteimpacts of methane in the Arcticby studying the land surface andatmosphere over an area fromSweden and Finland to Svalbard.I am the coordinator of anaircraft-based study with theUK’s Facility for AirborneAtmospheric Measurement(FAAM), which can measure

GHG concentrations withunprecedented sensitivity whilemapping wide areas. Early datashow that the wetlands ofFinland represent an importantsource of methane locally, whilstmethane over the ocean can bedominated by a mix of signalsboth local and remote (withinputs from forest fires as faraway as Canada). Further fieldcampaigns throughout 2013 willhelp to place these data in both

a wider and seasonal contextsuch that regional emissionsestimates may be extrapolatedand used to improve models ofhow climate change takes place.

Given the importance of therole of CH4 in climate change,and in recognition of the factthat the largest source of CH4

remains anthropogenic and can

therefore be controlled, the UKGovernment is committed toreducing methane emissionsunder the Kyoto Protocol as oneof a basket of four compounds(the others being CO2, N2O andSF6). To meet these targets, theUK must reduce total carbonemissions by 12.5% (whenaveraged over the period 2008-2012) versus 1990 emissions.Currently, the UK is performingextremely well in meeting thosetargets, with total carbonemissions down by 29.6%(excluding emissions trading) bythis measure in 2011 (DECC,

. . . increasing microbial activity . . .

. . . largest source of CH4 remains

anthropogenic . . .

2012). This is significantly better

than the EU-15 member group,

which achieved an average

reduction of just over 10% over

the same period. However,

although significant reductions

have been made since 1990,

these have been largely

fortuitous due in part to a

decline in the UK coal industry,

and improved landfillingtechnologies (Methane UK –Environmental Change Institute,Oxford University).

The method by which thesefigures are calculated is far fromideal and relies on a bottom-upapproach of summing a largenumber of emissions reportsand estimates (often compiledwithin industries with vestedinterests), rather than hardmeasurement and directattribution. To validate (andimprove on) this approach, wemust compare these emissionsestimates with those derivedusing a top-down approach,where direct measurement isemployed to attribute betteremissions sources at high spatialresolution. This is critical toproviding accurate emissionsdata under our regulatoryobligations and to theeconomics of any futureemissions trading schemes. Tothis end, NERC have recentlycommissioned the GreenhouseGases: Emissions and Feedbacksprogramme, which has fundedthree national academicconsortia to investigate this

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HOUSE OF LORDS SCIENCE ANDTECHNOLOGY SELECT COMMITTEE

The members of the Committee(appointed 16 May 2012) are LordBroers, Lord Cunningham of Felling,Lord Dixon-Smith, Baroness Hilton ofEggardon, Lord O’Neill ofClackmannan, Lord Krebs (Chairman),Lord Patel, Baroness Perry ofSouthwark, Lord Rees of Ludlow, theEarl of Selborne, Baroness Sharp ofGuildford, Lord Wade of Chorlton,Lord Willis of Knaresborough andLord Winston. Lord Lucas of Crudwelland Dingwall and BaronessNeuberger were co-opted to Sub-Committee 1 for the purposes of theinquiry on higher education in STEMsubjects.

Open access

The Committee has recently launced a short

inquiry into the implementation of the

Government’s open access policy. It has issued

a targeted call for evidence to key stakeholders

for this short inquiry. The Committee will publish

its findings in February 2013.

Regenerative medicine

The Committee launched an inquiry into

regenerative medicine. The deadline for

submissions was 20 September 2012. The

inquiry will cover current research in regenerative

medicine and potential treatments which could

be developed in the next 5-10 years, barriers to

translation of this research to applications and

commercial products, and compare the UK’s

efforts with international examples. The

Committee expects to report in Spring 2013.

Higher Education in Science, Technology,

Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects

In September 2011, the Select Committee

problem from both sides, withthe ultimate aim of betterconstraining and predicting UKGHG emissions. One of theseconsortia, the Greenhouse gAsUK and Global Emissions(GAUGE) project is a four-yearmeasurement and data analysisprogramme beginning inJanuary 2013, which involves sixUK universities led by Prof PaulPalmer at the University ofEdinburgh, and includes nationalagencies such as the Met Office,in collaboration with DECC andother agencies. GAUGE hasbeen designed to measuredirectly GHG concentrationsover the UK in order tocharacterise and quantify thevariety of sources that determinethe UK’s contribution to thetrend and variability ofatmospheric concentrations ofGHGs globally. I will lead theairborne measurement packageof GAUGE by recordingmeasurements in flights aroundthe UK mainland to measure

what comes in and what goesout in the air that passes overthe UK. These so-called“boundary conditions” areimportant in understanding whatthe relative impacts of emissionswithin the UK are versus whatcomes in from further afield. Forexample, it is currently wellknown that days of poor Londonair quality are often exacerbatedby polluted Continental airentering the UK. By continuousand direct measurement acrossthe UK, models of atmospherictransport and chemistry can beused to determine not onlywhat the UK emits en masse,but also to disaggregate theseemissions between specificareas and industries thusproviding the acid test of thecurrent approach.

. . . measurements in flights around

the UK . . .

. . . These hazards are not

unrecognised . . .

Once again, it is CH4 thatcarries the most uncertainty inthe UK’s GHG emissionsinventory and the GAUGEproject will strive to betterconstrain it. The exploratoryhydraulic fracturing (“fracking”)licences recently granted toCuadrilla for shale gas extractionin the North West, warrant closeattention. This industry couldrepresent an additional newsource of methane throughwhat are known as fugitiveemissions, or unintendedventing of CH4 to theatmosphere. The routes ofemission are not fullyunderstood or quantified butmay include localised emissionsat the drill site or diffuseemission through potentialgeological fractures far away.These hazards are notunrecognised and Cuadrilla hasplans to capture any ventedmethane at drill sites. What iscalled for is appropriate

monitoring as this industryexpands. A safety hazardsassessment has been reportedby DECC in May 2012, yet thatassessment did not seek toassess environmental hazards,which would include the climateimpacts of fugitive emissionsand implications for regional airquality. It is my hope that DECCwill commission such anassessment before any largerscale roll-out of fracking and thatthe academic community isproperly engaged in thatassessment.

The UK has risen to thechallenge of meeting its Kyotopledge and fostered a world-class academic community andinfrastructure fit for the purposeof understanding and monitoringof GHGs both nationally andinternationally. Methane remainsa significant source ofuncertainty and work must becontinued to monitor andunderstand how theconcentration of this importantgas is changing in theatmosphere both within the UKand globally if we are to providethe best possible forecasts ofclimate change in the future.

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SELECTED DEBATES

Listed opposite (grouped bysubject area) is a selection ofdebates on matters of scientificinterest which took place in theHouse of Commons, the Houseof Lords or Westminster Hallbetween 8th October and 20thDecember 2012

Agriculture and Animal HealthCommon Agricultural Policy: 1.11.12 HoC 133WHAnimal Welfare: 13.12.12 HoC 479Badger Cull: 25.10.12 HoC 1095Zoos: 8.10.12 HoL GC388Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986Amendment Regulations 2012:

13.12.12 HoL GC379

EducationEducation: Development of Excellence:

18.10.12 HoL 1567Education: Further Education Colleges:

9.10.12 HoL GC405Higher Education: EUC Report:

11.10.12 HoL 1203Higher Education: Reform: 12.11.12 HoL 1340

EnergyEnergy and Climate Change Committee Report:

20.12.12 HoC 1015High Carbon Investment: 18.12.12 HoC 821Onshore Gas: 24.10.12 HoC 1037Shale Gas Profits: 19.12.12 HoC 293WH

Plant HealthAsh Dieback Disease: 12.11.12 HoC 49Trees: British Ash Tree: 5.11.12 HoL 861

FisheriesFisheries: 6.12.12 HoC 323WH

HealthCancer: 9.10.12 HoL GC438Health: Active Lifestyles: 17.12.12 HoL 1439Mobile Technology (Health Care):

21.11.12 HoC 207WH

IndustryBritain’s Industrial Base: 9.10.12 HoL 986Industrial Policy and Manufacturing:

22.11.12 HoC 795

International DevelopmentAccess to Sanitation: 26.11.12 HoC 113Millennium Development Goals:

22.11.12 HoL 1938HIV (Developing Countries):

19.12.12 HoC 270WH

Science PolicyAntarctica: Centenary of Scott Expedition:

18.10.12 HoL 1612Chief Scientific Advisers: S&T Committee Report:

17.10.12 HoL GC513HoC Administration and Savings Programme(POST): 8.11.12 HoC 1057 & 1064

WaterEUC Report: EU Freshwater Policy:

5.12.12 HoL 721

appointed a Sub-Committee, chaired by Lord Willis of

Knaresborough, to conduct an inquiry into higher education in

STEM subjects. The inquiry considered how the UK can ensure

that the supply of graduates in STEM subjects meets future needs,

looked at 16-18 maths provision, and undergraduate and

postgraduate education. Oral evidence sessions began in

December and finished in April 2012. The Committee published

its report on 24 July 2012. The Government response was

received in November 2012. The report will be debated in the

House.

Sports and exercise science and medicine

In May 2012, the Select Committee launched a short inquiry

into sports and exercise science and medicine to consider how

the legacy of London 2012 could be used to improve

understanding of the benefits exercise can provide for the wider

public, and in treating chronic conditions. The Committee explored

how robust this science is, and how lessons learnt from the study

of athletes can be applied to improve the health of the population

generally. The Committee held a seminar on 29th May 2012, and

took oral evidence during June from sports and exercise scientists

and clinicians, UK Sport, and officials and Ministers from the

Department of Health and the Department for Culture, Media and

Sport. The Committee published its report on 17 July 2012. The

Government response was received in October 2012. The report

will be debated in the House.

FURTHER INFORMATION

The written and oral evidence to the Committee’s inquiries

mentioned above, as well as the Calls for Evidence and other

documents can be found on the Committee’s website. Further

information about the work of the Committee can be obtained

from Chris Atkinson, Committee Clerk, [email protected] or

020 7219 4963. The Committee Office email address is

[email protected] .

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HOUSE OF COMMONS SELECTCOMMITTEE ON SCIENCE ANDTECHNOLOGYCURRENT INQUIRIES

Bridging the “valley of death”: improving thecommercialisation of research

On 16 December 2011, the Committeeannounced an inquiry: Bridging the “valley ofdeath”: improving the commercialisation ofresearch. The Committee invited writtensubmissions by 8 February 2012.

On 18 April 2012, the Committee tookevidence from: Professor Luke Georghiou, Vice-President (Research and Innovation), University ofManchester; Dr Paul Nightingale, Science andTechnology Policy Research, University of Sussex;David Connell, Senior Research Fellow, Centre forBusiness Research/UK Innovation Research Centre,Judge Business School, University of Cambridge;and Dr Douglas Robertson, Chair, Praxis-Unico. TheCommittee also heard from: Dr Ted Bianco,Director of Technology Transfer, Wellcome Trust; DrIan Tomlinson, Senior Vice President, Head ofWorldwide Business Development andBiopharmaceuticals R&D, GlaxoSmithKline; DrDavid Tapolczay, Chief Executive Officer, MedicalResearch Council Technology; Dr Gareth Goodier,Chair, Shelford Group (Chief Executives of tenleading Academic Medical Centres and largeteaching hospitals) and Chief Executive, CambridgeUniversity Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; and DrAndy Richards, serial biotechnology entrepreneurand business angel.

On 25 April 2012, the Committee tookevidence from: Katie Potts, Herald InvestmentManagement; Anne Glover, Amadeus CapitalPartners Ltd; Matthew Bullock and Stephen Welton,Business Growth Fund. The Committee also heardfrom: Dr Richard Worswick, Cobalt Light Systems;Dr Peter Dean, Cambio; and Dr Trevor Francis,Technical Director, Byotrol Technology Ltd.

On 20 June 2012, the Committee tookevidence from: Sir David Cooksey and Sir PeterWilliams; David Sweeney, Director (Research,Innovation and Skills), Higher Education FundingCouncil for England (HEFCE); Professor Ian Haines,UK Deans of Science; and Professor Nick Wright,Russell Group.

On 2 July 2012, the Committee took evidencefrom: Rees Ward CB, Chief Executive Officer of ADS;

Professor Keith Hayward, Head of Research, RoyalAeronautical Society; Henner Wapenhans, Head ofTechnology Strategy, Rolls Royce; Dr Ruth Mallors,Aerospace, Aviation and Defence KTN; and SirJohn Chisholm, Engineering the Future.

On 5 September 2012, the Committee tookevidence from: Tim Crocker, SME InnovationAlliance; Dr Tim Bradshaw, Head of Enterpriseand Innovation, CBI; Fergus Harradence, DeputyDirector, Innovation Policy, Department forBusiness, Innovation and Skills; Iain Gray, ChiefExecutive, Technology Strategy Board; and SirJohn Savill, Research Councils UK.

On 12 September 2012, the Committee tookevidence from: Rt Hon David Willetts MP, Ministerof State for Universities and Science.

The written and oral evidence received in thisinquiry is on the Committee’s website. A Report isbeing prepared.

Engineering Skills

On 30 April 2012, the Committee announcedan inquiry: Engineering Skills. The Committeeinvited written submissions by 18 June 2012.

On 24 October 2012, the Committee tookevidence from: Steve Radley, Director of Policy,Engineering Employers Federation (EEF); LynnTomkins, UK Operations Director, Sector SkillsCouncil for Science, Engineering andManufacturing Technologies (SEMTA); RichardEarp, Education and Skills Manager, National Grid;and Andrew Churchill, Managing Director, JJChurchill Ltd.

On 7 November 2012, the Committee tookevidence from: Georgia Turner, Student, JCBAcademy; Georgie Luff, Student, Newstead WoodSchool; and Kirsty Rossington, SubstationApprentice, National Grid. The Committee alsoheard from: Jim Wade, Principal, JCB Academy;Liz Allen, Headteacher, Newstead Wood Schooland Maggie Galliers, President, Association ofColleges.

On 21 November 2012, the Committee tookevidence from: Dr Bill Mitchell, Director, BCSAcademy of Computing; Nigel Fine, ChiefExecutive, Institution of Engineering andTechnology; and Dr Matthew Harrison, Director ofEducation, The Royal Academy of Engineering.

The Science and TechnologyCommittee is established underStanding Order No 152, andcharged with the scrutiny of theexpenditure, administration andpolicy of the Government Office forScience, a semi-autonomousorganisation based within theDepartment for Business,Innovation and Skills.

The current members of theScience and Technology Committeeare:

Caroline Dinenage (Conservative,Gosport), Jim Dowd (Labour,Lewisham West and Penge),Stephen Metcalfe (Conservative,South Basildon and East Thurrock),Andrew Miller (Labour, EllesmerePort and Neston), David Morris(Conservative, Morecambe andLunesdale), Stephen Mosley(Conservative, City of Chester),Pamela Nash (Labour, Airdrie andShotts), Sarah Newton(Conservative, Truro and Falmouth),Graham Stringer (Labour, Blackleyand Broughton), Hywel Williams(Plaid Cymru, Arfon) and RogerWilliams (Liberal Democrat, Breconand Radnorshire).

Andrew Miller was elected by theHouse of Commons to be the Chairof the Committee on 9 June 2010.The remaining Members wereformally appointed to theCommittee on 12 July 2010.Caroline Dinenage, Gareth Johnson,Sarah Newton and Hywel Williamswere formally appointed to theCommittee on 27 February 2012 inthe place of Gavin Barwell, GreggMcClymont, Stephen McPartlandand David Morris. Jim Dowd wasformally appointed to theCommittee on 11 June 2012 in theplace of Jonathan Reynolds. DavidMorris was formally re-appointed tothe Committee on 3 December2012 in the place of GarethJohnson.

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The Committee also heard from: Carole Willis, Chief ScientificAdviser, Department for Education; Elizabeth Truss MP, ParliamentaryUnder Secretary of State (Education and Childcare), Department forEducation; and Matthew Hancock MP, Parliamentary Under Secretaryof State (Skills), Department for Education and the Department forBusiness, Innovation and Skills

The written and oral evidence received in this inquiry is on theCommittee’s website. A Report is being prepared.

Marine Science

On 4 July 2012, the Committee announced an inquiry: MarineScience. The Committee invited written submissions by 19September 2012.

On 28 November 2012, the Committee took evidence from:Joan Edwards, Head of Living Seas, The Wildlife Trusts; Alec Taylor,Marine Policy Officer, RSPB; and Dr Jean-Luc Solandt, Senior PolicyOfficer, Marine Conservation Society.

On 5 December 2012, the Committee took evidence from: PhilDurrant, Managing Director, Gardline Environmental Limited(representing the North Sea Marine Cluster); Professor Ralph Rayner,Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST);and Richard Burt, Chair, Association of Marine Scientific Industries(AMSI) Council. The Committee also heard from: Dr PhillipWilliamson, Science Coordinator, UK Ocean Acidification ResearchProgramme; Professor Jonathan Sharples, Research Centre forMarine Sciences and Climate Change, Liverpool University; andStephen Dye, Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership (MCCIP).

On 12 December 2012, the Committee took evidence from:Professor Alan Rodger, Interim Director, British Antarctic Survey; andProfessor Ed Hill, Director, National Oceanography Centre.

On 20 December 2012, the Committee took evidence from: DrMatthew Frost, Deputy Director, Policy and Knowledge Exchange,Marine Biological Association; and Professor Stephen de Mora, ChiefExecutive, Plymouth Marine Laboratory.

The Committee held further oral evidence sessions on 9 and 16January 2013. The written and oral evidence received in this inquiryis on the Committee’s website.

Proposed merger of the British Antarctic Survey and NationalOceanography Centre

On 31 October 2012, the Committee took evidence from: RtHon David Willetts MP, Minister for Universities and Science;Professor Ed Hill, Interim Director of British Antarctic Survey andDirector of National Oceanography Centre; Edmund Wallis,Chairman, and Professor Duncan Wingham, Chief Executive, NaturalEnvironment Research Council.

The written and oral evidence received in this inquiry is on theCommittee’s website. A Report was published on 31 October 2012.

Forensic Science Services (FSS) follow-up

On 22 November 2012, the Committee announced an inquiry:FSS Follow-up. The Committee invited written submissions by 10January 2013. The Committee expects to hold oral evidencesessions in 2013.

Clinical Trials

On 13 December 2012, the Committee announced an inquiry:

Clinical Trials. The Committee invited written submissions by 22February 2013. The Committee expects to hold oral evidencesessions in 2013.

Water Quality

On 19 December 2012, the Committee announced an inquiry:Water Quality. The Committee invited written submissions by 8February 2013. The Committee expects to hold oral evidencesessions in 2013.

REPORTS

Science and International Development

On 26 October 2012, the Committee published its Fourth Reportof Session 2012-13, Building scientific capacity for development, HC377

Proposed merger of the British Antarctic Survey and NationalOceanography Centre

On 31 October 2012, the Committee published its Sixth Reportof Session 2012-13, Proposed merger of the British Antarctic Surveyand National Oceanography Centre, HC 699

Regulation of Medical Implants

On 1 November 2012, the Committee published its FourthReport of Session 2012-13, Regulation of medical implants in theEU and UK, HC 1163

GOVERNMENT RESPONSES

Government Response to the Science and TechnologyCommittee report ‘Devil’s bargain? Energy risks and the public’

On 1 November 2012, the Committee published theGovernment Response to the Committee’s Report on Devil’sbargain? Energy risks and the public, HC 677.

Government Response to the Science and TechnologyCommittee report ‘Regulation of medical implants in the EU andUK’

On 18 December 2012, the Department of Health published theGovernment’s Response to the Committee’s Report on Regulation ofmedical implants in the EU and UK, Cm 8496.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Further information about the work of the Science andTechnology Committee or its current inquiries can be obtained fromthe Clerk of the Committee, Stephen McGinness, or from the SeniorCommittee Assistant, Darren Hackett, on 020 7219 2792/2793respectively; or by writing to: The Clerk of the Committee, Scienceand Technology Committee, House of Commons, 7 Millbank,London SW1P 3JA. Enquiries can also be e-mailed [email protected]. Anyone wishing to be included on theCommittee’s mailing list should contact the staff of the Committee.Anyone wishing to submit evidence to the Committee is stronglyrecommended to obtain a copy of the guidance note first. Guidanceon the submission of evidence can be found atwww.parliament.uk/commons/selcom/witguide.htm. The Committeehas a website, www.parliament.uk/science, where all recentpublications, terms of reference for all inquiries and press notices areavailable.

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HOUSE OF COMMONS LIBRARYSCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENTSECTIONRECENT PUBLICATIONS

Energy BillResearch Paper 12/79

The Energy Bill 2012 seeks to implement‘electricity market reform’. The aims of this are for‘secure, clean and affordable’ energy supplies.The Bill introduces a new system of support forlow-carbon generation, called ‘Contracts forDifference’ which will encompass nuclear as wellas renewable generation. It allows for othermeasures to reform the electricity market, such ascapacity auctions, and measures to supportroutes to market for independent generatorsshould such powers be needed. However, it doesnot include all of the recommendations made bythe Energy and Climate Change SelectCommittee following its pre-legislative scrutiny ofthe draft Bill. The Committee also said thatcertainty and stability were needed urgently forinvestors, but several consultations associatedwith measures in the Bill are on-going.

Other provisions in the Bill include placing theOffice for Nuclear Regulation on a statutoryfooting, allowing for the sale of the GovernmentPipeline and Storage System, and ‘consumerredress’ powers, allowing Ofgem to requireenergy companies to pay compensation toconsumers.

Growth and Infrastructure Bill Research Paper 12/61Growth and Infrastructure Bill: CommitteeStage Report Research Paper 12/78

The Bill seeks to reduce delays in the planningsystem through various means, and to make iteasier for new developments to be built. Topromote development, the Bill would allow forplanning obligations (section 106 agreements)relating to affordable housing to be renegotiatedto make a development economically viable. Topromote economic growth, it makes provision fora planned revaluation of business rates inEngland to be postponed and to create a newemployment status of employee-owner.

Significant areas of debate at Committee Stageincluded: proposals to allow applications forplanning permission to go direct to the PlanningInspectorate; the renegotiation of affordable

Scientists and other staff in theScience and Environment Sectionprovide confidential, bespokebriefing to Members and theiroffices on a daily basis. They alsoprovide support to CommonsSelect Committees, and producelonger notes and research paperswhich can be accessed on line at http://www.parliament.uk/topics/topical-issues.htm

Opposite are summaries of somerecently updated publishedbriefings.

For further information contact DrPatsy Richards Head of Section Tel:020 7219 1665; email:[email protected]

housing planning obligations; postponement of aplanned revaluation of business rates; and on theproposed new employment status of employee-owner.

Some substantive Government amendmentswere made to the Bill on clause 5, themodification or discharge of affordable housingrequirements. Two new clauses were added bythe Government to the Bill: new clause 3 toremove the requirement for Planning Act 2008consent and certification that currently needs tobe acquired alongside development consent; andnew clause 14 on prior approvals related topermitted development right change of use. TheGovernment also made a number of technicalamendments.

Scrap Metal Dealers Bill: Committee StageReportResearch Paper 12/66

The Bill, which has Government support, is aPrivate Member’s Bill sponsored by RichardOttaway. It would introduce additional regulatorycontrols on scrap metal dealers in order toreduce the opportunities for thieves to sell stolenmaterial.

A number of amendments were made to theBill in Committee. Government amendmentsincluded: changes to the definition of scrap metalto include platinum; the removal of a national capon scrap metal dealer licence application fees;and provisions for a defence against certainoffences where all reasonable steps had beentaken. The Opposition amended the Bill torequire scrap metal dealers to keep records forthree years, rather than two.

Ash dieback disease: Chalara fraxineaSN/SC/6498

Chalara fraxinea is a fungus which is causing aserious disease known as ash dieback. Theinfection causes wilting leaves and crown dieback and it usually leads to tree death. The ashtree is one of Britain’s few native tree species andhas important conservation value. There areapproximately 80 million ash trees in the UKrepresenting 5% of Britain's woodland cover.

Ash dieback was confirmed in the UK inFebruary 2012 and a ban on imports introduced

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on 29 October 2012 after a voluntary moratorium by the industry.The Horticultural Trades Association had asked for a ban back in2009, having seen the impact of the disease in Denmark. Much ofthe immediate debate on the issue therefore focused on how theUK Government reacted to these warnings, and why it did not actsooner to ban imports.

Now that the disease has been confirmed in established trees inthe UK, the focus has shifted to informing and developing actionplans to deal with the disease. In addition, a Tree Health and PlantBiosecurity Taskforce has been established to review the UK'sstrategic approach to tree health and biosecurity. Its report is due inSpring 2013. It published an interim report on 6 December 2012along with Defra’s Interim Chalara Control Plan.

The current approach is to slow the spread of the disease andto minimise its impact to gain time to find trees with geneticresistance and to restructure our woodlands to make them moreresilient.

Underground power lines and health SN/SC/6453

Power lines give rise to electric and magnetic fields which fall offwith distance. Burying power lines underground effectively shieldsthe electric fields but less so the magnetic. It is the latter whichhave given rise to health concerns. Current exposure restrictions arebased on limiting the electrical currents that time-varying magneticfields induce in the brain.

Epidemiological studies have suggested that exposure tomagnetic fields could increase the risk of contracting childhoodleukaemia. However, a biological mechanism has not beenestablished. The evidence for a carcinogenic effect is still too weakto influence exposure restrictions recommended by the HealthProtection Agency. These in turn follow the advice of theInternational Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection.

There are sometimes aesthetic and practical reasons forreplacing overhead power lines by underground ones. However,undergrounding power lines in response to health concerns wouldbe a precautionary measure.

Export of Live Animals within the European Union SN/SC/6504

The transport and export of live animals within the EuropeanUnion is regulated by Council Regulation (EC) 1/2005 on theprotection of animals during transport. This sets out a series ofmeasures, including requirements for transporters to be authorised,vehicle and container requirements, limits to time in transit andrequirements for authorised rest stops.

In the UK the Regulation is implemented through the Welfare ofAnimals (Transport) (England) Order 2006. The Animal Health andVeterinary Laboratories Agency is responsible for carrying outinspections of animals at point of loading and at ports. TradingStandards also has powers to inspect animals during transport, andis responsible for carrying out any prosecutions under theregulations.

Within the EU, Ireland received by far the largest number ofexported live animals from the UK in 2012, mainly sheep. Cattleare the second largest export, the two main destinations beingSpain and Ireland.

Food Prices and Affordability SN/SC/6436

Food commodity prices have hit historic peaks in the last fewyears. There have been three big price spikes in the last five yearssuggesting a trend in rising prices. Most commentators are nowspeculating that it is the end of the cheap food era, although fallingprices at the end of 2012 eased food crisis fears.

A number of factors have come together to bring about therecent price spikes but their contribution is variable and the relativeimpact of each factor is hard to determine. They relate tounfavourable conditions in some major producing countries leadingto less than expected harvests, against the background of growth ofdemand. In addition, export barriers have added uncertainty anddriven prices for wheat higher.

In the UK, all foods have risen in price since 2007 withprocessed foods and fruit showing the biggest increases. Charitiesreported a 100% increase in the use of food banks in 2012. TheUK response is to work at international level, with the G8 and G20,to address price volatility and to discourage inappropriate reactionsto market events such as the use of export bans. At domestic level,the Government has said that it is “highly attuned” to the need toincrease high-quality food production to ameliorate the impacts ofhigh food prices.

A 2011 Foresight report on food and farming noted thedifficulties of formulating a response to food price volatility withoutdistorting markets. It suggested that food affordability issues werebest dealt with by creating safety nets for those most impacted.

ACTIVITIES

Visit to Rutherford Appleton Laboratory

In September 2012 two specialists from the section spent a dayat the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire to learn moreabout the major scientific research facilities. They met a number ofscientists and were given a tour of the facilities. The day culminatedwith a discussion on science and science policy with Dr AndrewTaylor, Executive Director of STFC National Laboratories.

Presentations

Staff members addressed various groups of visitors to Parliamentduring Autumn 2012, including scientists undertaking the RoyalSociety pairing scheme and Industry and Parliament Trust fellows.They also made a Library presentation alongside Department ofEnergy and Climate Change (DECC) officials on smart meters. Thiswas accompanied by a practical demonstration of smart meteringby industry representatives and DECC in the Portcullis House Atriumon 5 December, which the Library organised.

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RECENT POST PUBLICATIONS

Mental Health and the WorkplaceNovember 2012 POSTnote 422

Poor mental health in the workplace is detrimental to individualsand businesses. This note summarises how the workplace affectsmental health and vice versa. It describes the barriers to gaining andretaining employment and looks at ways of tackling mental healthin the workplace and through healthcare services.

Machine-to-Machine CommunicationDecember 2012 POSTnote 423

Machine to machine (M2M) communication will allow theconnection of billions of ‘smart’ devices and enable new ways ofliving and working. This note examines the potential of M2M, thecommon infrastructure that underlies many applications and thetechnological barriers to implementation.

Plant Made PharmaceuticalsDecember 2012 POSTnote 424

The use of genetically modified (GM) plants to producepharmaceutical drugs and vaccines is an emerging technology thatoffers a low-cost, large-scale alternative to current methods. Thisnote looks at recent advances in, and the benefits of, thetechnology, and analyses the associated biosafety and regulatoryissues.

Maximising the Value of Recycled MaterialsJanuary 2013 POSTnote 425

Recycled materials are increasingly attractive as a source of rawmaterial, due to insecure supplies of primary resources. This noteprovides an overview of the way materials are recycled in the UKand how their economic value can be exploited. It examines thechallenges faced by the sector and the policy initiatives aimed atovercoming them, including the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)Code of Practice currently in consultation.

Residential Heat PumpsJanuary 2013 POSTnote 426

Heat pumps capture ambient heat from the air or the groundand transfer it inside a building. They provide an efficient alternativeto conventional methods of heating, such as boilers. This notedescribes heat pumps for residential buildings and the constraintsto their uptake in the UK.

Biodiversity in UK Overseas TerritoriesJanuary 2013 POSTnote 427

The UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs) support a diverse variety ofhabitats ranging from ice fields and rocky islands to coral reef atollsand tropical forests. This note summarises the challenges tobiodiversity conservation in OTs required under internationalagreements.

CURRENT WORK

Biological Sciences – Review of Stem Cell Research, HIV –Developments in Prevention and Detection, Managing OnlineIdentity, Minimum Age of Criminal Responsibility, PreventingMitochondrial Disease, Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions fromLivestock.

Environment and Energy – Biodiversity and Planning Decisions,Non-native Invasive Plant Species and Schedule 9, EnvironmentalImpacts of Tidal Barrages, Selection of Marine Conservation Zones,Intermittent Electricity Generation.

Physical sciences and IT – Opening Up Public Sector Data,Accessing Public Transport

Science Policy – STEM Education for 14-19 years old

Science, Technology and the Developing World – Uncertainty inPopulation Projections.

CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS

Valuing Resources: The Science and Economics of Recycling

On 15th January, POST and the Associate ParliamentarySustainable Resource Group hosted an event to discuss thesignificant challenges remaining in exploiting the economic value ofthe materials in used products and packaging, particularly whereseveral different materials are mixed together. This event gaveparliamentarians and their staff together with other invited gueststhe opportunity to hear from experts in recycling and productdesign on the challenges in generating a high quality of productfrom recycled materials, and the potential value that could becaptured from waste. They also had the chance to view exhibitsand network with representatives from charities, academia,government and industry. Speakers included Chris Dow, ChiefExecutive Officer, Closed Loop Recycling; Marcus Gover, Director ofClosed Loop Economy, WRAP, Nat Hunter, Co-Director of Design,The RSA; Ian Hetherington, Director General, British MetalsRecycling Association.

A Seeping Canker? Tree Disease Biosecurity

On 28th November, POST and the Parliamentary and ScientificCommittee organised a seminar to discuss the growing threat toplant biosecurity from the expansion of international trade andtravel and transport of live trees and timber products. This eventgave parliamentarians and their staff together with other invitedguests the opportunity to hear from experts:

• what will be the impacts of tree disease epidemics on urbanand rural constituencies

• how an integrated approach to managing tree biosecurity couldbe developed

PARLIAMENTARY OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (POST)

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• look at developments in the recent science behind thepathology and control of tree disease

• the opportunities for reforming EU and International planthealth regulatory frameworks to address future risks.

This meeting, chaired by Lord Clark of Windermere, heard fromDr Joan Webber, Principal Pathologist and Head of Tree HealthResearch Group; Martin Ward, Chair of European andMediterranean Plant Protection Organisation, Head of Plant HealthPolicy, The Food and Environment Research Agency; Hillary Allison,Director of Policy, Woodland Trust and Dr Steve Woodward, Co-ordinator of the EU ISEFOR project (Increasing Sustainability ofEuropean Forests: Modelling for Security Against Invasive Pests andPathogens under Climate Change), Institute of Biological andEnvironmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen

Foresight Project on the Future of Computer Trading in theFinancial Markets - an International Perspective

On 23rd October, POST hosted the Government Office forScience parliamentary launch of the most recent foresight project.There is increasing debate over whether computer trading helps orhinders financial markets, but scientific analysis has been thin onthe ground. Drawing on input from 150 academics in over 20countries, the Foresight report is the most comprehensive study ofits kind. The report also assessed the costs and benefits of EUpolicies related to computer trading, as the EU revises the Marketsin Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) which sets out howfinancial markets are regulated. This was to provide a moreinformed platform for understanding policy implications and fordeveloping possible responses. This meeting, chaired by ProfessorSir John Beddington, Government Chief Scientific Adviser, was anopportunity for parliamentarians to discuss the project’s finalconclusions and options for policy in the UK and internationally withkey experts from the project. Invited guests heard presentationsfrom Dr Jean Pierre Zigrand, Reader in Finance, London School ofEconomics; Professor Oliver Linton, Chair of Political Economy,Cambridge University and Professor Dave Cliff, Professor ofComputer Science, University of Bristol.

Breathe

On 16th October, POST and the Environmental Audit Committeehosted an event on the effects and artistic depiction of invisible airpollution. Famously, artists, including Monet and Turner, havepainted the effects of air pollution over the Thames. In this event,chaired by Joan Walley, MP, Chair of the EAC, internationallyacclaimed artist Dryden Goodwin explored his new work entitledBreathe, a large scale video projection on the roof of St Thomas’Hospital, opposite the House of Commons. The Breathe videoprojection took place at night during 8th to 28th October 2012.Goodwin’s scientific collaborator, Professor Frank Kelly, King’sCollege London, who chairs COMEAP, the Government medicaladvisory committee on air pollutants, discussed the effects of airpollution on children’s health. Professor Kelly leads the EXHALEstudy which is investigating the implications of the Low EmissionZone on the lung health of 8 year olds in East London, funded bythe NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy’s and St Thomas’NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London. Turner Updatedis part of Invisible Breath a project exploring air pollution andbreathing by Invisible Dust supported by The Wellcome Trust, Arts

Council England, King’s College London and Guy’s and St Thomas’Charity.

The Third Industrial Revolution: Industrial policy and disruptivetechnologies

On 11th September, POST and the Associate ParliamentaryManufacturing Group hosted a seminar to discuss the relationshipbetween Government policy and cutting-edge technologies that aresoon to change the face of manufacturing in the UK. Much UKmanufacturing is now characterised by innovation: the use ofcutting-edge technologies, ultra-modern and efficient processes, andnew kinds of business models that give companies competitiveadvantage and help bring growth to the wider economy. On theimmediate horizon are a number of technologies that are set tochange the face of UK manufacturing for good and willfundamentally change the kinds of supportive policy landscapesthat Government needs to provide for industry. This meeting wasan opportunity for parliamentarians to discuss what thesetechnologies are, how they are applicable across sectors, andquestion whether or not Government policy is keeping up with thepace of change in industry. Guests heard from Fergus Harradence,Deputy Director of Innovation Policy, BIS; Clive Hickman, ChiefExecutive, Manufacturing Technology Centre; Richard Hague,Director, EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in AdditiveManufacturing and Phil Goodier, CEO, Plaxica Limited.

STAFF, FELLOWS AND INTERNS AT POST

Conventional Fellows

Ian Passmore, Cambridge University, Biotechnology and BiologicalSciences Research Council

Laura Harrison, Leeds University, Natural Environment ResearchCouncil

Lisette Sibbons, University of Hertfordshire, Science and TechnologyFacilities Council

Kathryn Wills, University of Bath, Engineering and Physical SciencesResearch Council

James Lawrence, University College London, Institution of ChemicalEngineers/Ashok Kumar Fellowship

Tessa De Roo, University of Cambridge, Arts and HumanitiesResearch Council

Victoria Charlton, Imperial College MSc Course on ScienceCommunication

Daniel Amund, London Metropolitan University, Institute of FoodScience and Technology

Alexandra Ferguson, Imperial College, Royal Society of Chemistry

Staff

Dr Aaron Goater, previously working at the British Geological Survey,joined POST as Energy Adviser

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SCIENCE DIRECTORY

AIRTO

Contact: Professor Richard Brook OBE FREng AIRTO Ltd: Association of IndependentResearch & Technology Organisations Limitedc/o The National Physical LaboratoryHampton RoadTeddingtonMiddlesex TW11 0LWTel: 020 8943 6600E-mail: [email protected]: www.airto.co.uk

AIRTO – The Association for Independent Research andTechnology Organisations – is the foremostmembership body for organisations operating in theUK’s intermediate research and technology sector.AIRTO’s members deliver vital innovation andknowledge transfer services which include applied andcollaborative R&D, frequently in conjunction withuniversities, consultancy, technology validation andtesting, incubation of commercialisation opportunitiesand early stage financing. AIRTO members have acombined turnover of over £2Bn from clients both athome and outside the UK, and employ over 20,000scientists, technologists and engineers.

Association of the BritishPharmaceuticalIndustry Contact: Dr Louise LeongHead of Research & Development7th Floor, Southside, 105 Victoria Street,London SW1E 6QTTel: 020 7747 7193Fax: 020 7747 1447E-mail: [email protected]: www.abpi.org.uk

The ABPI is the voice of the innovative pharmaceuticalindustry, working with Government, regulators and otherstakeholders to promote a receptive environment for astrong and progressive industry in the UK, one capable ofproviding the best medicines to patients.

The ABPI’s mission is to represent the pharmaceuticalindustry operating in the UK in a way that:• assures patient access to the best available medicine;• creates a favourable political and economic environment;• encourages innovative research and development; • affords fair commercial returns

Contact: Dr Helen Munn,Executive DirectorAcademy of Medical Sciences41 Portland PlaceLondon W1B 1QHTel: 020 3176 2150E-mail: [email protected]: www.acmedsci.ac.uk

The Academy of Medical Sciences is theindependent body in the UK representing thediversity of medical science. Our mission is topromote medical science and its translation intobenefits for society. The Academy’s elected Fellowsare the United Kingdom’s leading medical scientistsfrom hospitals, academia, industry and the publicservice.

The Academy of Medical SciencesAssociation of the British Pharmaceutical Industry

AIRTOAMPSBiochemical SocietyThe British Ecological SocietyBritish In Vitro Diagnostics Association (BIVDA)

British Nutrition FoundationBritish Pharmacological SocietyBritish Psychological SocietyBritish Science AssociationBritish Society for Antimicrobial ChemotherapyBritish Society for ImmunologyCavendish LaboratoryChartered Institute of Patent AttorneysClifton Scientific TrustThe Council for the Mathematical SciencesEli Lilly and Company Ltd

EngineeringUKThe Food and Environment Research AgencyGAMBICA Association LtdThe Geological SocietyInstitute of Food Science & TechnologyInstitute of Marine Engineering, Science andTechnology (IMarEST)The Institute of Measurement & ControlInstitute of PhysicsInstitute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine

Institution of Chemical EngineersInstitution of Civil EngineersInstitution of Engineering DesignersThe Institution of Engineering and TechnologyInstitution of Mechanical EngineersLGCThe Linnean SocietyL'OréalMarine Biological Association

THE FOLLOWING ORGANISATIONS HAVE ENTRIES IN THE SCIENCE DIRECTORY:

Contact: Kate Baillie, CEOBiochemical SocietyCharles Darwin House12 Roger StreetLondon WC1N 2JUTel: 020 7685 2433Email: [email protected]: www.biochemistry.org

The Biochemical Society exists to promote andsupport the Molecular and Cellular Biosciences. Wehave over 6000 members in the UK and abroad,mostly research bioscientists in universities or inindustry. The Society is also a major scientificpublisher. In addition, we promote science policydebate and provide resources, for teachers andpupils, to support the bioscience curriculum inschools. Our membership supports our mission byorganizing scientific meetings, sustaining ourpublications through authorship and peer reviewand by supporting our educational and policyinitiatives.

The BritishEcologicalSocietyThe British Ecological SocietyContact: Ceri Margerison, Policy ManagerBritish Ecological SocietyCharles Darwin House, 12 Roger Street,London, WC1N 2JUEmail: [email protected]: 020 7685 2500 Fax : 020 7685 2501Website: www.BritishEcologicalSociety.orgEcology into Policy Bloghttp://britishecologicalsociety.org/blog/Twitter: @BESPolicyThe British Ecological Society’s mission is to advanceecology and make it count. The Society has 4,000members worldwide. The BES publishes fiveinternationally renowned scientific journals andorganises the largest scientific meeting for ecologists inEurope. Through its grants, the BES also supportsecologists in developing countries and the provision offieldwork in schools. The BES informs and advisesParliament and Government on ecological issues andwelcomes requests for assistance from parliamentarians.

AMPS

Contact:Tony Harding07895 162 896 for all queries whether formembership or assistance.Branch Office Address:Merchant Quay,Salford Quays,SalfordM50 3SG.

Website: www.amps-tradeunion.com

We are a Trades Union for Management andProfessional Staff working in the pharmaceutical,chemical and allied industries.

We also have a section for Professional Divers workingglobally. We represent a broad base of both office andfield based staff and use our influence to improveworking conditions on behalf of our members.

We are experts in performance based and field relatedissues and are affiliated to our counterparts in EUProfessional Management Unions.

Met OfficeMSDNational Physical LaboratoryNatural History MuseumNEF: The Innovation InstituteNestaThe Nutrition SocietyPHARMAQ LtdThe Physiological SocietyProspectThe Royal Academy of EngineeringRoyal Botanic Gardens, KewThe Royal InstitutionThe Royal SocietyThe Royal Society of ChemistrySociety for Applied MicrobiologySociety for General MicrobiologySociety of BiologySociety of Cosmetic ScientistsSociety of Maritime Industries

Universities Federation for Animal WelfareThe Welding Institute

Research Councils UKBiotechnology and Biological SciencesResearch Council (BBSRC)Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

Medical Research Council (MRC0Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)

Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)

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British NutritionFoundationContact: Professor Judy Buttriss,Director GeneralImperial House 6th Floor15-19 KingswayLondon WC2B 6UNTel: +44(0) 20 7557 7930Email: [email protected]

Websites: www.nutrition.org.ukwww.foodafactoflife.org.uk

The British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) was

established over 40 years ago and exists to deliver

authoritative, evidence-based information on food

and nutrition in the context of health and lifestyle.

The Foundation’s work is conducted and

communicated through a unique blend of

nutrition science, education and media activities.

Contact: Jonathan BrüünChief ExecutiveBritish Pharmacological Society16 Angel Gate, City RoadLondon EC1V 2PTTel: : 020 7417 0110Fax: 020 7417 0114Email: [email protected]: www.bps.ac.uk

The British Pharmacological Society has beensupporting pharmacology and pharmacologists forover 80 years. Our 3,000+ members, fromacademia, industry and clinical practice, are trainedto study drug action from the laboratory bench tothe patient’s bedside. Our aim is to improve qualityof life by developing new medicines to treat andprevent the diseases and conditions that affectmillions of people and animals. Inquiries aboutdrugs and how they work are welcome.

BritishIn VitroDiagnostics Association(BIVDA)Contact: Doris-Ann Williams MBEBritish In Vitro Diagnostics Association(BIVDA), 1 Queen Anne’s Gate,London SW1H 9BT

Tel: 020 7957 4633Fax: 020 7957 4644E-mail: [email protected]: www.bivda.co.uk

BIVDA is the UK industry association representingcompanies who manufacture and/or distribute thediagnostics tests and equipment to diagnose,monitor and manage disease largely through theNHS pathology services. Increasingly diagnostics areused outside the laboratory in community settingsand also to identify those patients who wouldbenefit from specific drug treatment particularly forcancer.

The BritishPsychologicalSocietyContact: Tanja SiggsPolicy Advisor - LegislationThe British Psychological SocietySt Andrews House48 Princess Road EastLeicester LE1 7DRTel: 0116 252 9526Email: [email protected]: www.bps.org.uk

The British Psychological Society is an organisationof over 48,000 members governed by RoyalCharter. It maintains the Register of CharteredPsychologists, publishes books, 11 primary scienceJournals and organises conferences. Requests forinformation about psychology and psychologistsfrom parliamentarians are very welcome.

British ScienceAssociation Contact: Sir Roland Jackson Bt,Chief ExecutiveBritish Science Association, Wellcome Wolfson Building, 165 Queen’s Gate,London SW7 5HD.E-mail:[email protected] Website: www.britishscienceassociation.org Imran Khan will be Chief Executive from 2.4.13

Our vision is a society in which people are able to accessscience, engage with it and feel a sense of ownershipabout its direction. In such a society science advanceswith, and because of, the involvement and active supportof the public.

Established in 1831, the British Science Association is aregistered charity which organises major initiatives acrossthe UK, including National Science and Engineering Week,the British Science Festival, programmes of regional andlocal events and the CREST programme for young peoplein schools and colleges. We provide opportunities for allages to discuss, investigate, explore and challenge science.

British Societyfor AntimicrobialChemotherapyMrs Tracey GuiseExecutive DirectorBritish Society for Antimicrobial ChemotherapyGriffin House53 Regent PlaceBirmingham B1 3NJT: 0121 236 1988W: www.bsac.org.uk

Founded in 1971, and with 800 membersworldwide, the Society exists to facilitate theacquisition and dissemination of knowledge in thefield of antimicrobial chemotherapy. The BSACpublishes the Journal of AntimicrobialChemotherapy (JAC), internationally renowned forits scientific excellence, undertakes a range ofeducational activities, awards grants for researchand has active relationships with its peer groupsand government.

CavendishLaboratoryThe Administrative Secretary, The CavendishLaboratory, J J Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK.E-mail: [email protected]://www.phy.cam.ac.uk

The Cavendish Laboratory houses the Department of Physicsof the University of Cambridge.

The research programme covers the breadth ofcontemporary physics

Extreme Universe: Astrophysics, cosmology and highenergy physics

Quantum Universe: Cold atoms, condensed matter theory,scientific computing, quantum matter and semiconductorphysics

Materials Universe: Optoelectronics, nanophotonics,detector physics, thin film magnetism, surface physics andthe Winton programme for the physics of sustainability

Biological Universe: Physics of medicine, biologicalsystems and soft matter

The Laboratory has world-wide collaborations with otheruniversities and industry

Chartered Institute of Patent AttorneysContact: Lee Davies – Chief ExecutiveThe Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys95 Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1DTTel: 020 7405 9450Fax: 020 7430 0471E-mail: [email protected]: www.cipa.org.uk

CIPA’s members practise in intellectual property,especially patents, trade marks, designs, andcopyright, either in private partnerships or industrialcompanies. Through its new regulatory Board, CIPAmaintains the statutory Register. It advisesgovernment and international circles on policyissues and provides information services, promotingthe benefits to UK industry of obtaining IPprotection, and to overseas industry of using Britishattorneys to obtain international protection.

Contact: Judith Willetts, CEOVintage House37 Albert EmbankmentLondon SE1 7TL.Tel: 020 3031 9800Fax: 020 7582 2882E-mail: [email protected]: www.immunology.org

The BSI is one of the oldest, largest and most activeimmunology societies in the world. We have over4,000 members who work in all areas ofimmunology, including research and clinicalpractice.

The BSI runs major scientific meetings, educationprogrammes and events for all ages. Wedisseminate top quality scientific research throughour journals and meetings and we are committed tobringing the wonders and achievements ofimmunology to as many audiences as possible.

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Clifton Scientific TrustContact: Dr Eric AlboneClifton Scientific Trust 49 Northumberland Road, Bristol BS6 7BATel: 0117 924 7664 Fax: 0117 924 7664E-mail: [email protected]: www.clifton-scientific.org

Science for Citizenship and Employability,Science for Life, Science for Real

We build grass-roots partnerships between school andthe wider world of professional science and itsapplications

• for young people of all ages and abilities

• experiencing science as a creative, questioning,human activity

• bringing school science added meaning andnotivation, from primary to post-16

• locally, nationally, internationally (currently between Britain and Japan)

Clifton Scientific Trust Ltd is registered charity 1086933

The Council for the Mathematical SciencesContact: Lindsay WalshDe Morgan House57-58 Russell SquareLondon WC1B 4HSTel: 020 7637 3686Fax: 020 7323 3655Email: [email protected]: www.cms.ac.uk

The Council for the Mathematical Sciences is anauthoritative and objective body that works to develop,influence and respond to UK policy issues affectingmathematical sciences in higher education andresearch, and therefore the UK economy and society by:• providing expert advice;• engaging with government, funding agencies and

other decision makers; • raising public awareness; and• facilitating communication between the

mathematical sciences community and otherstakeholders

Eli Lilly andCompanyLtdContact: Thom Thorp, Senior Director,Corporate AffairsTel: 01256 315000Fax: 01256 775858Eli Lilly and Company Ltd, Lilly HousePriestley Road, Basingstoke, Hants,RG24 9NLEmail. [email protected]: www.lilly.co.uk

Lilly UK is the UK affiliate of a major Americanpharmaceutical manufacturer, Eli Lilly and Companyof Indianapolis. This affiliate is one of the UK’s toppharmaceutical companies with significantinvestment in science and technology including aneuroscience research and development centre andbulk biotechnology manufacturing operations.

Lilly medicines treat schizophrenia, diabetes, cancer,osteoporosis, attention deficit hyperactivitydisorder, erectile dysfunction, depression, bipolardisorder, heart disease and many other diseases.

Contact: Miriam LaverickPR and Communications ManagerEngineeringUKWeston House, 246 High HolbornLondon WC1V 7EXTel: 020 3206 0444Fax: 020 3206 0401E-mail: [email protected]: www.EngineeringUK.com

EngineeringUK is an independent organisation thatpromotes the vital role of engineers, engineeringand technology in our society. EngineeringUKpartners business and industry, Government and thewider science and technology community:producing evidence on the state of engineering;sharing knowledge within engineering, andinspiring young people to choose a career inengineering, matching employers’ demand forskills.

The Food andEnvironmentResearch AgencyContact: Professor Robert EdwardsChief ScientistThe Food and Environment Research AgencySand Hutton, York, YO41 1LZTel: 01904 462415Fax: 01904 462486E-mail: [email protected]: www.defra.gov.uk/fera

The Food and Environment Research Agency’s overarching purpose is to support and develop asustainable food chain, a healthy naturalenvironment, and to protect the global communityfrom biological and chemical risks.

Our role within that is to provide robust evidence,rigorous analysis and professional advice toGovernment, international organisations and theprivate sector.

GAMBICAAssociation Ltd

Contact: Dr Graeme PhilpBroadwall House21 BroadwallLondon SE1 9PLTel: 020 7642 8080 Fax: 020 7642 8096E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.gambica.org.uk

GAMBICA Association is the UK trade associationfor instrumentation, control, automation andlaboratory technology. The association seeks topromote the successful development of the industryand assist its member companies through a broadrange of services, including technical policy andstandards, commercial issues, market data andexport services.

TheGeologicalSocietyContact: Nic BilhamHead of Strategy and External RelationsBurlington HousePiccadillyLondon W1J 0BGTel: 020 7434 9944Fax: 020 7439 8975E-mail: [email protected]: www.geolsoc.org.uk

The Geological Society is the national learned andprofessional body for Earth sciences, with 10,000Fellows (members) worldwide. The Fellowshipencompasses those working in industry, academiaand government, with a wide range of perspectivesand views on policy-relevant science, and theSociety is a leading communicator of this science togovernment bodies and other non-technicalaudiences.

Institute of FoodScience &TechnologyContact: Angela Winchester5 Cambridge Court210 Shepherds Bush RoadLondon W6 7NJTel: 020 7603 6316Fax: 020 7602 9936E-mail: [email protected]: www.ifst.org

IFST is the independent qualifying body for foodprofessionals in Europe. Membership is drawn fromall over the world from backgrounds includingindustry, universities, government, research anddevelopment and food law enforcement.

IFST’s activities focus on disseminating knowledgerelating to food science and technology andpromoting its application. Another importantelement of our work is to promote and upholdstandards amongst food professionals.

Institute ofMarine Engineering,Science andTechnology (IMarEST)Contact: John WillsInstitute of Marine Engineering, Scienceand Technology (IMarEST), Aldgate House,33 Aldgate High Street, London, EC3N 1EN

Tel: +44(0) 20 7382 2600Fax: +44(0) 20 7382 2667E-mail: [email protected]: www.imarest.org

Established in London in 1889, the IMarEST is aleading international membership body and learnedsociety for marine professionals, with over 15,000members worldwide. The IMarEST has an extensivemarine network of 50 international branches,affiliations with major marine societies around theworld, representation on the key marine technicalcommittees and non-governmental status at theInternational Maritime Organization (IMO) as wellas other intergovernmental organisations.

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Contact: Joseph Winters76 Portland Place, London W1B 1NTTel: 020 7470 4815E-mail: [email protected]: www.iop.org

The Institute of Physics is a leading scientific

society. We are a charitable organisation with a

worldwide membership of more than 45,000,

working together to advance physics education,

research and application.

We engage with policymakers and the general

public to develop awareness and understanding

of the value of physics and, through IOP

Publishing, we are world leaders in professional

scientific communications. Visit us at

www.iop.org.

The Institute ofMeasurementand ControlContact: Mr Peter Martindale,CEO and SecretaryThe Institute of Measurement and Control87 Gower Street, London WC1E 6AFTel: +44 (0) 20 73874949Fax: +44 (0) 20 73888431E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.instmc.org.ukReg Charity number: 269815

The Institute of Measurement and Control provides aforum for personal contact amongst practiioners,publishes learned papers and is a professionalexamining and qualifying organisation able to conferthe titles EurIng, CEng, IEng, EngTech; Companies andUniversities may apply to become Companions.Headquartered in London, the Institute has a strongregional base with 15 UK, 1 Hong Kong and 1 MalaysiaLocal Section, a bilateral agreement with the ChinaInstrument Society and other major international links.

Contact: Rosemary Cook CBE (CEO)Fairmount House, 230 Tadcaster Road,York, YO24 1ESTel: 01904 610821 Fax: 01904 612279E-mail: [email protected]: www.ipem.ac.uk

IPEM is a registered, incorporated charity for theadvancement, in the public interest, of physics andengineering applied to medicine and biology. Itaccredits medical physicists, clinical engineers andclinical technologists through its membership register,organises training and CPD for them, and providesopportunities for the dissemination of knowledgethrough publications and scientific meetings. IPEM islicensed by the Science Council to award CSci, RSci andRSciTech, and by the Engineering Council to awardCEng, IEng and EngTech.

Institute ofPhysics andEngineeringin Medicine

The Institution of Chemical Engineers

With over 35,000 members in 120 countries, IChemE is the global membership organisation for chemical engineers. A not for profit organisation, we serve the public interest by building and sustaining an active professional community and promoting the development, understanding and application of chemical engineering worldwide.

Alana Collis, Technical policy officer+44 (0) 1788 [email protected]

Kuala Lumpur | London | Melbourne | Rugby | Shanghai | Wellington

ADVANCINGCHEMICALENGINEERINGWORLDWIDE

Institution of Civil EngineersContact: Joanna Gonet, Public Affairs Manager,One Great George Street, Westminster,London SW1P 3AA, UKTel: 020 7665 2123E-mail: [email protected]: www.ice.org.uk

The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent,charitable body, representing over 80,000 professional civilengineers around the world. Our vision is to place civilengineering at the heart of society, delivering sustainabledevelopment through knowledge, skills and professionalexpertise.

Established in 1818, the ICE is recognised worldwide for itsexcellence as a centre of learning, as a qualifying body and as apublic voice for the profession. Our members design, build andmaintain the infrastructure that keeps our country running.

Under our Royal Charter, we have an obligation to provideindependent expert advice on infrastructure issues, and we areseen by Government and industry alike as the independent voiceof infrastructure.

Institution ofEngineeringDesigners

Contact: Libby BrodhurstCourtleighWestbury LeighWestburyWiltshire BA13 3TATel: 01373 822801Fax: 01373 858085E-mail: [email protected]: www.ied.org.uk

The only professional membership body solely forthose working in engineering and technologicalproduct design. Engineering Council and CharteredEnvironmentalist registration for suitably qualifiedmembers. Membership includes experts on a widerange of engineering and product designdisciplines, all of whom practise, manage oreducate in design.

LGCQueens Road, TeddingtonMiddlesex, TW11 0LYTel: +44 (0)20 8943 7000 Fax: +44 (0)20 8943 2767E-mail: [email protected]: www.lgcgroup.com

LGC is an international science-based company andmarket leader in the provision of analytical, forensicand diagnostic services and reference standards tocustomers in the public and private sectors.

Under the Government Chemist function, LGCfulfils specific statutory duties as the referee analystand provides advice for Government and the wideranalytical community on the implications ofanalytical chemistry for matters of policy, standardsand regulation. LGC is also the UK’s designatedNational Measurement Institute for chemical andbiochemical analysis.

With headquarters in Teddington, South WestLondon, LGC has 36 laboratories and centres acrossEurope and at sites in China, Brazil, India and theUS.

Institution ofMechanicalEngineersContact: Kate Heywood1 Birdcage WalkLondon SW1H 9JJTel: 020 7973 1293E-mail: [email protected]: www.imeche.org

The Institution provides politicians and civil servants

with information, expertise and advice on a diverse

range of subjects, focusing on manufacturing,

energy, environment, transport and education

policy. We regularly publish policy statements and

host political briefings and policy events to establish

a working relationship between the engineering

profession and parliament.

Contact: Paul DaviesIET,Michael Faraday House,Six Hills Way,Stevenage,SG1 2AYTel: +44(0) 1438 765687Email: [email protected]: www.theiet.org

The IET is a world leading professional organisation,sharing and advancing knowledge to promotescience, engineering and technology across theworld. Dating back to 1871, the IET has 150,000members in 127 countries with offices in Europe,North America, and Asia-Pacific.

sip SPRING 2013 4/2/13 12:24


Contact: Julie McManus

255 Hammersmith Road, London, W6 8AZ

Tel: 020 8762 4489

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.loreal.co.uk

L’Oréal employs more than 3,500 scientists

around the world and dedicates over 500

million euros each year to research and

innovation in the field of healthy skin and hair.

The company collaborates with a vast number

of institutions in the UK and globally.

Contact: Rob PinnockLicensing & External Research, EuropeHertford RoadHoddesdonHerts EN11 9BUTel: 01992 452850Fax: 01992 441907e-mail: [email protected]

MSD is a tradename of Merck & Co., Inc., with

headquarters in Whitehouse Station, N.J., U.S.A.

MSD is an innovative, global health care leader that

is committed to improving health and well-being

around the world. MSD discovers, develops,

manufactures, and markets vaccines, medicines,

and consumer and animal health products designed

to help save and improve lives.

National Physical LaboratoryContact: Fiona AutyNational Physical LaboratoryHampton Road, TeddingtonMiddlesex TW11 0LWTel: 020 8977 3222Website: www.npl.co.uk/contact-us

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is the UnitedKingdom’s national measurement institute, aninternationally respected and independent centre ofexcellence in research, development andknowledge transfer in measurement and materialsscience. For more than a century, NPL hasdeveloped and maintained the nation’s primarymeasurement standards - the heart of aninfrastructure designed to ensure accuracy,consistency and innovation in physicalmeasurement.

Contact: Dr Elizabeth Rollinson, Executive SecretaryThe Linnean Society of LondonBurlington House, Piccadilly,London W1J 0BFTel: 020 7434 4479 ext 12E-mail: [email protected]: www.linnean.org

The Linnean Society of London is a professionallearned body which promotes natural history in allits branches, and was founded in 1788. The Societyis particularly active in the areas of biodiversity,conservation and sustainability, supporting itsmission through organising open scientificmeetings and publishing peer-reviewed journals, aswell as undertaking educational initiatives. TheSociety’s Fellows have a considerable range ofbiological expertise that can be harnessed to informand advise on scientific and public policy issues.

A Forum for Natural History

Marine BiologicalAssociation

Contact: Dr Matthew FrostMarine Biological Association, TheLaboratory, Citadel Hill, Plymouth, PL1 2PBTel: 07848028388Fax: 01752 633102E-mail: [email protected]: mba.ac.uk

For over 125 years the Marine BiologicalAssociation has been delivering its mission ‘topromote scientific research into all aspects of life inthe sea, including the environment on which itdepends, and to disseminate to the public theknowledge gained.’ The MBA has extensiveresearch and knowledge exchange programmesand a long history of providing evidence to supportpolicy. It represents its members in providing a clearindependent voice to government on behalf of themarine biological community.

Met Office

Contact: John Harmer Met Office127 Clerkenwell RoadLondon EC1R 5LP.Tel: 020 7204 7469E-mail: [email protected]: www.metoffice.gov.uk

The Met Office doesn’t just forecast the weather ontelevision. Our forecasts and warnings protect UKcommunities and infrastructure from severeweather and environmental hazards every day –they save lives and money. Our Climate Programmedelivers evidence to underpin Government policy.Our Mobile Meteorological Unit supports theArmed Forces around the world. We build capacityoverseas in support of international development.All of this built on world-class environmentalscience.

NaturalHistoryMuseumContact: Joe BakerThe Director’s OfficeNatural History MuseumCromwell Road, London SW7 5BDTel: +44 (0)20 7942 5478Fax: +44 (0)20 7942 5075E-mail: [email protected]: www.nhm.ac.uk

We maintain and develop the collections we care for anduse them to promote the discovery, understanding,responsible use and enjoyment of the natural world.

We are part of the UK’s science base as a major scienceinfrastructure which is used by our scientists and others fromacross the UK and the globe working together to enhanceknowledge on the diversity of the natural world.

Our value to society is vested in our research responses tochallenges facing the natural world today, in engaging ourvisitors in the science of nature, in inspiring and training thenext generation of scientists and in being a major culturaltourist destination.

The Science of Nature

NEF: The Innovation InstituteContact: Robyn BurrissBective House, 10 Bective Place, London, SW15 2PZTel: 0208 786 3677Fax: 0208 271 3620E-mail: [email protected]: www.thenef.org.uk

The Innovation Institute is the leading provider of innovation andgrowth solutions to business, education and government.Through our strategic programmes we help our clients andstakeholders to:� Achieve performance excellence� Drive entrepreneurship� Diversify products and markets� Develop innovative cultures� Influence policy to stimulate innovation

Our charitable arm, the New Engineering Foundation, supportsvocational scientific and technical skills development at strategiclevel. In addition, our Institute of Innovation and KnowledgeExchange is a professional body and “do tank”, led by theInnovation Council to support the role of innovation in society.

Nesta

Contact: Cordia LewisHead of External Affairs and Events1 Plough PlaceLondon EC4A 1DETel: 020 7438 2697Fax: 020 7438 2501

Nesta is the UK’s innovation foundation with a mission tohelp people and organisations bring great ideas to life.We do this by providing investments and grants andmobilising research, networks and skills.

Nesta doesn’t work alone. We rely on the strength of thepartnerships we form with other innovators, communityorganisations, educators and investors too.

We are an independent charity and our work is enabledby an endowment from the National Lottery.

Nesta Operating Company is a registered charity inEngland and Wales with a company number 7706036and charity number 1144091. Registered as a charity inScotland number SC042833. Registered office: 1 PloughPlace, London, EC4A 1DE.

www.nesta.org.uk

sip SPRING 2013 4/2/13 12:24


The Nutrition SocietyContact: Frederick Wentworth-Bowyer,Chief Executive, The Nutrition Society,10 Cambridge Court, 210 Shepherds Bush RoadLondon W6 7NJTel: +44 (0)20 7602 0228Fax: +44 (0)20 7602 1756Email: [email protected]

Founded in 1941, The Nutrition Society is the premierscientific body dedicated to advance the scientific studyof nutrition and its application to the maintenance ofhuman and animal health.

Highly regarded by the scientific community, the Societyis the largest learned society for nutrition in Europe.Membership is worldwide and is open to those with agenuine interest in the science of human or animalnutrition. Principal activities include:

1. Disseminating scientific information through itsprogramme of scientific meetings and publications

2. Publishing internationally renowned scientific learnedjournals, and textbooks

3. Promoting the education and training of nutritionists

4. Engaging with external organisations and the public topromote good nutritional science

PHARMAQ LtdContact: Dr Benjamin P North PHARMAQ Ltd Unit 15 Sandleheath Industrial Estate Fordingbridge Hants SP6 1PA. Tel: 01425 656081 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.pharmaq.no

PHARMAQ is the only global pharmaceutical companywith a primary focus on aquaculture. We provideenvironmentally sound, safe and efficacious healthproducts to the global aquaculture industry throughtargeted research and the commitment of dedicatedpeople. Our product range includes vaccines, anaesthetics,antibiotics, sea lice treatments and biocide disinfectants.We also recently acquired a diagnostics company,PHARMAQ Analytiq, which offers a range of diagnosticsservices that help to safeguard fish welfare and improveproductivity in the global aquaculture industry.

Contact: Dr Philip WrightChief Executive Hodgkin Huxley House30 Farringdon LaneLondon EC1R 3AWTel: +44 (0) 20 7269 5711E-mail: [email protected]: www.physoc.org

The Physiological Society brings together over 3000scientists from over 60 countries. Since itsfoundation in 1876, our Members have madesignificant contributions to the understanding ofbiological systems and the treatment of disease. TheSociety promotes physiology with the public andParliament alike, and actively engages with policymakers. It supports physiologists by organisingworld-class conferences and offering grants forresearch. It also publishes the latest developments inthe field in its two leading scientific journals, TheJournal of Physiology and Experimental Physiology.

Prospect

Contact: Sue Ferns, Director of Communications and Research,New Prospect House8 Leake St, London SE1 7NNTel: 020 7902 6639 Fax: 020 7902 6637E-mail: [email protected]

Prospect is an independent, thriving and forward-looking trade union with 120,000 members acrossthe private and public sectors and a diverse range ofoccupations. We represent scientists, technologistsand other professions in the civil service, researchcouncils and private sector.

Prospect’s collective voice champions the interests ofthe engineering and scientific community to keyopinion-formers and policy makers. Withnegotiating rights with over 300 employers, we seekto secure a better life at work by putting members’pay, conditions and careers first.

Contact: Iffat MemonPublic Affairs ManagerThe Royal Academy of Engineering3 Carlton House TerraceLondon SW1Y 5DGTel: 020 7766 0653E-mail: [email protected]: www.raeng.org.uk

Founded in 1976, The Royal Academy of Engineeringpromotes the engineering and technological welfareof the country. Our activities – led by the UK’s mosteminent engineers – develop the links betweenengineering, technology, and the quality of life. As anational academy, we provide impartial advice toGovernment; work to secure the next generation ofengineers; and provide a voice for Britain’sengineering community.

Contact: Director’s Office, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond,Surrey, TW9 3ABTel: 020 83325112 Fax: 020 83325109Email: [email protected]: www.kew.org

RBG Kew is a centre of global scientific expertise in plantand fungal diversity, conservation and sustainable use,housed in two world-class gardens. Kew is a non-departmental public body with exempt charitable statusand receives approximately half its funding fromgovernment through Defra. Kew’s Breathing PlanetProgramme has seven key priorities:

• Accelerating discovery and global access to plant andfungal diversity information

• Mapping and prioritising habitats most at risk• Conserving what remains• Sustainable local use of plants and fungi• Banking seed from 25% of plant species in the

Millennium Seed Bank Partnership• Restoring and repairing habitats• Inspiring through botanic gardens

Kew’s mission is to inspire and deliver science-based plantconservation worldwide, enhancing the quality of life.

Royal BotanicGardens, Kew

The RoyalInstitutionContact: Dr Gail CardewDirector of Science and EducationThe Royal Institution21 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4BSTel: 020 7409 2992 Fax: 020 7670 2920E-mail: [email protected]: www.rigb.org, www.richannel.orgTwitter: ri_science

The core activities of the Royal Institution centrearound four main themes: science education,science communication, research and heritage. It isperhaps best known for the Ri Christmas Lectures,but it also has a public events programme and anonline science short-film channel, as well as a UK-wide Young People’s Programme of science andmathematics enrichment activities. Internationallyrecognised research programmes in bio- andnanomagnetism take place in the Davy FaradayResearch Laboratory.

The Royal SocietyContact: Dr Peter CotgreaveDirector of Fellowship and Scientific AffairsThe Royal Society, 6-9 Carlton House TerraceLondon SW1Y 5AG.Tel: 020 7451 2502 Fax: 020 7930 2170Email: [email protected]: www.royalsociety.org

The Royal Society is the UK academy of science

comprising 1400 outstanding individuals

representing the sciences, engineering and

medicine. It has had a hand in some of the most

innovative and life-changing discoveries in scientific

history. Through its Fellowship and permanent staff,

it seeks to ensure that its contribution to shaping

the future of science in the UK and beyond has a

deep and enduring impact.

The Royal Societyof ChemistryContact: Parliamentary Affairs ManagerRoyal Society of Chemistry, Burlington HousePiccadilly, London W1J 0BATel: 020 7440 3306Fax: 020 7440 3393Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.rsc.orghttp://www.chemsoc.org

The Royal Society of Chemistry is a learned,professional and scientific body of over 48,000members with a duty under its Royal Charter “toserve the public interest”. It is active in the areas ofeducation and qualifications, science policy,publishing, Europe, information and internetservices, media relations, public understanding ofscience, advice and assistance to Parliament andGovernment.

sip SPRING 2013 4/2/13 12:24


Society of Maritime IndustriesContact: John MurraySociety of Maritime Industries28-29 Threadneedle Street,London EC2R 8AYTel: 020 7628 2555 Fax: 020 7638 4376E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.maritimeindustries.org

The Society of Maritime Industries is the voice of the

UK’s maritime engineering and business sector

promoting and supporting companies which

design, build, refit and modernise ships, and supply

equipment and services for all types of commercial

and naval ships, ports and terminals infrastructure,

offshore oil & gas, maritime security & safety,

marine science and technology and marine

renewable energy.

Societyof Biology

Contact: Dr Stephen BennDirector Parliamentary AffairsCharles Darwin House12 Roger StreetLondon WC1N 2JUTel: 020 7685 2550E-mail: [email protected]

The Society of Biology has a duty under its RoyalCharter “to serve the public benefit” by advisingParliament and Government is a single unified voicefor biology: advising Government and influencingpolicy; advancing education and professionaldevelopment; supporting our members, andengaging and encouraging public interest in the lifesciences. The Society represents a diversemembership of over 80,000 - including, students,practising scientists and interested non-professionals - as individuals, or through learnedsocieties and other organisations.

Contact: Dariel BurdassHead of CommunicationsSociety for General MicrobiologyMarlborough House, Basingstoke Road,Spencers Wood, Reading RG7 1AG.Tel: 0118 988 1802 Fax: 0118 988 5656E-mail: [email protected]: www.sgm.ac.uk

SGM is the largest microbiological society inEurope. The Society publishes four journals ofinternational standing, and organises regularscientific meetings.

SGM also promotes education and careers inmicrobiology, and it is committed to representmicrobiology to government, the media and thepublic.

An information service on microbiological issuesconcerning aspects of medicine, agriculture, foodsafety, biotechnology and the environment isavailable on request.

UniversitiesFederation for Animal WelfareContact: Dr James KirkwoodChief Executive and Scientific DirectorThe Old School, Brewhouse HillWheathampstead, Herts. AL4 8AN.Tel: 01582 831818. Fax: 01582 831414.Email: [email protected]: www.ufaw.org.uk Registered in England Charity No: 207996

UFAW is an international, independent scientificand educational animal welfare charity. It works toimprove animal lives by:

• supporting animal welfare research.

• educating and raising awareness of welfareissues in the UK and overseas.

• producing the leading journal Animal Welfareand other high-quality publications on animalcare and welfare.

• providing expert advice to governmentdepartments and other concerned bodies.

Contact: Chris EadyThe Welding Institute, Granta Park, GreatAbington, Cambridge, CB21 6AL

Tel: 01223 899614Fax:01223 894219E-mail: [email protected]: www.twi.co.uk

The Welding Institute is the leading engineeringinstitution with expertise in solving problems in allaspects of manufacturing, fabrication and whole-lifeintegrity management.

Personal membership provides professionaldevelopment for engineers and technicians, andregistration as Chartered or Incorporated Engineer, orEngineering Technician.

Industrial membership provides access to one of theworld’s foremost independent research and technologyorganisations.

TWI creates value and enhances quality of life forMembers and stakeholders through engineering,materials and joining technologies.

Society of Cosmetic Scientists

Contact: Gem Bektas,Secretary GeneralSociety of Cosmetic ScientistsLangham House WestSuite 5, Mill Street, Luton LU1 2NATel: 01582 726661Fax: 01582 405217E-mail: [email protected]: www.scs.org.uk

Advancing the science of cosmetics is the primaryobjective of the SCS. Cosmetic science covers a widerange of disciplines from organic and physicalchemistry to biology and photo-biology, dermatology,microbiology, physical sciences and psychology.

Members are scientists and the SCS helps themprogress their careers and the science of cosmeticsethically and responsibly. Services includepublications, educational courses and scientificmeetings.

Society forAppliedMicrobiologyContact: Philip WheatSociety for Applied MicrobiologyBedford Heights, Brickhill DriveBedford MK41 7PHTel: 01234 326661Fax: 01234 326678E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.sfam.org.uk

SfAM is the oldest UK microbiological society andaims to advance, for the benefit of the public, thescience of microbiology in its application to theenvironment, human and animal health, agricultureand industry.

SfAM is the voice of applied microbiology withmembers across the globe and works in partnershipwith sister organisations to exert influence onpolicy-makers world-wide.

sip SPRING 2013 4/2/13 12:24


Biotechnologyand BiologicalSciences Research Council(BBSRC)Contact: Matt GoodeHead of External RelationsBBSRC, Polaris House, North Star AvenueSwindon SN2 1UH. Tel: 01793 413299E-mail: [email protected]: www.bbsrc.ac.uk

BBSRC invests in world-class bioscience researchand training on behalf of the UK public. Our aim isto further scientific knowledge to promoteeconomic growth, wealth and job creation and toimprove quality of life in the UK and beyond. BBSRCresearch is helping society to meet majorchallenges, including food security, green energyand healthier, longer lives and underpins importantUK economic sectors, such as farming, food,industrial biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.

Research Councils UKContact: Alexandra SaxonHead of CommunicationsResearch Councils UKPolaris HouseNorth Star AvenueSwindon SN2 1ET

Tel: 01793 444592E-mail: [email protected]: www.rcuk.ac.uk

Each year the Research Councils invest around £3 billion in research covering the full spectrum of academicdisciplines from the medical and biological sciences to astronomy, physics, chemistry and engineering, socialsciences, economics, environmental sciences and the arts and humanities.

Research Councils UK is the strategic partnerships of the seven Research Councils. It aims to:

• increase the collective visibility, leadership and influence of the Research Councils for the benefit of theUK;

• lead in shaping the overall portfolio of research funded by the Research Councils to maximise theexcellence and impact of UK research, and help to ensure that the UK gets the best value for money fromits investment;

• ensure joined-up operations between the Research Councils to achieve its goals and improve services tothe communities it sponsors and works with.

Contact: Sarah Cooper, Public Affairs Manager, EPSRC, Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon SN2 1ETTel: 01793 442892E-mail: [email protected]:www.epsrc.ac.uk

EPSRC is the UK’s main agency for funding researchin engineering and physical sciences, investingaround £800m a year in research and postgraduatetraining, to help the nation handle the nextgeneration of technological change.

The areas covered range from informationtechnology to structural engineering, andmathematics to materials science. This researchforms the basis for future economic development inthe UK and improvements for everyone’s health,lifestyle and culture. EPSRC works alongside otherResearch Councils with responsibility for other areasof research.

MedicalResearchCouncilContact: Louise Wren, Public Affairs andStakeholder Engagement ManagerOne Kemble Street, London WC2B 4AN.Tel: 020 7395 2277E-mail: [email protected]: www.mrc.ac.uk

Over the past century, the MRC has been at the forefrontof scientific discovery to improve human health. Foundedin 1913 to tackle tuberculosis, the MRC now investstaxpayers’ money in the highest quality medical researchacross every area of health. Twenty-nine MRC-fundedresearchers have won Nobel prizes in a wide range ofdisciplines, and MRC scientists have been behind suchdiverse discoveries as vitamins, the structure of DNA andthe link between smoking and cancer, as well asachievements such as pioneering the use of randomisedcontrolled trials, the invention of MRI scanning, and thedevelopment of therapeutic antibodies. We also workclosely with the UK’s Health Departments, the NHS,medical research charities and industry to ensure ourresearch achieves maximum impact as well as being ofexcellent scientific quality.

NaturalEnvironmentResearch CouncilContact : Judy ParkerHead of CommunicationsNERC, Polaris House, North Star Avenue,Swindon SN2 1EUTel: 01793 411646 Fax: 01793 411510E-mail: [email protected]: www.nerc.ac.uk

The NERC invests public money in cutting-edge research,training and knowledge transfer in the environmentalsciences – through Universities and our own researchcentres. We work from the poles to the ocean depthsand to the edge of space, researching critical issues suchas biodiversity loss, climate change and natural hazards.Through collaboration with other science disciplines,with UK business and with policy-makers, we deliverknowledge and skills to support sustainable economicgrowth and public wellbeing – reducing risks to health,infrastructure and supply chains, and the naturalenvironment on which we all depend.

Science &TechnologyFacilities CouncilMark FosterPublic Affairs ManagerRutherford Appleton LaboratoryHarwell Science & Innovation CampusDidcot OX11 0QXTel: 01235 778328 Fax: 01235 445 808E-mail: [email protected]: www.stfc.ac.uk

The Science and Technology Facilities Council is one ofEurope’s largest multidisciplinary research organisationssupporting scientists and engineers world-wide. TheResearch Council operates world-class, large-scaleresearch facilities and provides strategic advice to theUK Government on their development. The STFCpartners in two of the UK’s Science and InnovationCampuses. It also manages international researchprojects in support of a broad cross-section of the UKresearch community, particularly in the fields ofastronomy, nuclear physics and particle physics. TheCouncil directs, co-ordinates and funds research,education and training.

Economic andSocial ResearchCouncilContact: Jacky Clake, Head of Communications,Economic and Social Research Council,Polaris House, North Star Avenue,Swindon SN2 1UJTel: 01793 [email protected]://www.esrc.ac.uk

The ESRC is the UK’s leading research and trainingagency addressing economic and social concerns.We pursue excellence in social science research;work to increase the impact of our research onpolicy and practice; and provide trained socialscientists who meet the needs of users andbeneficiaries, thereby contributing to the economiccompetitiveness of the United Kingdom, theeffectiveness of public services and policy, andquality of life. The ESRC is independent, establishedby Royal Charter in 1965, and funded mainly bygovernment.

sip SPRING 2013 4/2/13 12:25


THE PARLIAMENTARY ANDSCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE

Tel: 020 7222 [email protected]

Tuesday 26 February 17.30Space Weather: Extreme Space Weather;impacts on engineered systems andinfrastructureSpeakers: Professor Paul Cannon FREng,Senior Fellow, Radio Science and Systems,QinetiQ; David Wade, Space Underwriter,Atrium Space Insurance Consortium; andChris Train, Network Operations Director,National Grid.

Monday 18 MarchSET for BRITAIN

Thursday 21 March 10.00National Science and Engineering WeekSeminarThe theme is Speed

Dates for future meetings:Tuesday 23 April 17.30 on SkillsTuesday 14 May 17.30 on Water PurityTuesday 11 June 17.30 on AntibioticsTuesday 9 July 17.30 subject to beconfirmed

_____________________________________

THE ROYAL SOCIETYWebsite: royalsociety.org

The Royal Society hosts a series of freeevents, including evening lectures andconferences, covering the whole breadth ofscience, engineering and technology forpublic, policy and scientific audiences.Highlights in the next few months includethe following. Details of how to attend allthese, plus information on many moreevents can be found on our website atroyalsociety.org/events:

Tuesday 19 February 17:30Making Britain the best place in theworld to do scienceMichael Faraday Prize and Lecture byProfessor Brian Cox OBE

Friday 22 February 13:00Public lecture by Neil Calver on Karl PopperFRS, Peter Medawar FRS and the ‘twocultures’ debate.

Monday 25 February 18:30How can the Arctic help find life on otherplanets?Café Scientifique with Professor LianeBenning

Friday 1 March 13:00Public lecture by Dr Greg Lynall on JonathanSwift’s satires against scientists.

Friday 8 March 13:00Public lecture by Professor Felix Driver on19th century maritime science and thevisual culture of exploration.

Friday 8 March Media training course for scientists

Monday 11 March 18:30Bakerian Prize lecture given by ProfessorDavid Leigh FRS

Monday 11 March and Tuesday 12 March Characterising exoplanets: detection,formation, interiors, atmospheres andhabitabilityScientific discussion meeting organised byProfessor Athena Coustenis, Professor SteveMiller, Professor Peter Read and ProfessorJonathan Tennyson FRS

Thursday 21 March Communication skills course for scientists

Friday 22 MarchConference on the life and work of JohnLubbock FRS, 1st Baron Avebury – Liberalpolitician, scientist, banker, and inventor ofthe bank holiday.

Friday 22 March 13:00Public lecture by Dr Sachiko Kusukawa onscientific image-making in the 17th century.

Monday 25 March 18:30Is growing old an illness?Café Scientifique with Dr Matthew Piper

Monday 15 April and Tuesday 16 April Cellular polarity: from mechanisms todiseaseScientific discussion meeting organised byDr Rafael Edgardo Carazo Salas, Dr AttilaCsikasz-Nagy and Dr Masamitsu Sato

Wednesday 17 April Kavli Lecture by Professor Neil Greenham

Wednesday 17 April and Thursday 18 AprilCell polarity in the Systems Medicine era:the next 10 yearsSatellite meeting organised by Dr RafaelEdgardo Carazo Salas, Dr Attila Csikasz-Nagyand Dr Masamitsu Sato

Friday 19 April 13:00Public lecture by Dr Diane Johnson on thepotential influence of meteorites on ancientEgyptian culture.

Wednesday 1 May - Friday 3 May Space in the brain: cells, circuits, codesand cognitionTheo Murphy international scientific meetingorganised by Dr Tom Hartley, Professor JohnO’Keefe FRS, Professor Neil Burgess and DrColin Lever.

Friday 3 May 13:00Public lecture by Dr Neil Tarrant on 16thcentury science and the church.

Monday 13 May and Tuesday 14 May eFutures: beyond Moore’s LawScientific discussion meeting organised byProfessor David Cumming, Professor SteveFurber CBE FREng FRS and ProfessorDouglas Paul

Wednesday 15 May and Thursday 16 May eFutures: beyond Moore's Law – satellitemeetingSatellite meeting organised by ProfessorDavid Cumming, Professor Steve FurberCBE FREng FRS and Professor Douglas Paul

Wednesday 29 May Croonian Lecture by Professor FrancesAshcroft FRS

Details of these, and further events in press,will be available on our website atroyalsociety.org/

SCIENCE DIARY

sip SPRING 2013 4/2/13 12:25

Published by the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee, 3 Birdcage Walk, London SW1H 9JJ.Published four times a year. The 2013 subscripton rate is £80. Single numbers £20. ISSN 0263-6271All enquiries, including those from members wishing to take the front or back covers, advertise in the journal or appear in the directory toMrs Annabel Lloyd, Tel 020 7222 7085Copyright ©2013 by Parliamentary and Scientific Committee. All rights reserved. None of the articles in this publication may bereproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying recording orotherwise without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.Typeset and printed by The Bridge Press.

OFFICERS OF THE PARLIAMENTARY& SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE

President: The Rt Hon the Lord Jenkin of Roding

Chairman: Mr Andrew Miller MPDeputy Chairman: Mr Tom Blenkinsop MPHon Treasurer: The Lord Willis of

KnaresboroughHon Secretary: Mr Stephen Mosley MPVice-Presidents: Dr David Dent

Professor Peter SaundersMr Robert FreerDr Douglas Naysmith

Dr Desmond TurnerMr Paul RidoutMr Philip Greenish CBEMr John Slater

Advisory Panel: Dr Stephen BennMr David YoudanDr Stuart Taylor

Secretariat: Professor Alan MalcolmMrs Annabel Lloyd

3 Birdcage WalkLondon SW1H 9JJT: 020 7222 7085F: 020 7222 7189

www.scienceinparliament.org.ukEditor: Professor Alan MalcolmEditorial Assistant: Annabel Lloyd

The production of this issue has been supported bycontributions from the Institution of Chemical Engineers, theCouncil for the Mathematical Sciences, NEF: the InnovationInstitute and those organisations who have entries in theScience Directory (pages 51-58).

sipSCIENCE IN PARLIAMENT

THE ROYAL INSTITUTION21 Albemarle StreetLondon W1S 4BS.

All events take place at the Royal Institution.Details of future events can be found atwww.rigb.orgFor more information and to book visitwww.rigb.orgThere is a charge for tickets. Members gofree.

Thursday 21 February 19.00-20.30Anatomies: the human body, its partsand the stories they tellHugh Aldersey-Williams.

Friday 22 February 20.00-21.15Strange materialWhat materials innovations are on thehorizon? Mark Miodownik investigates.

Wednesday 6 March 19.00-20.30Business success: what’s luck got to dowith it?Debate to determine if businesses succeedby being in the right place at the right timeor through sheer determination. Hosted byVivienne Parry, with Richard Wiseman,Matthew Syed, Stephann Makri and SarahCurran.

Wednesday 13 March 19.00-20.30Project sunshine: how science can usethe Sun to fuel and feed the world Professor Tony Ryan, University of Sheffield.

Monday 18 March 19.00-20.30The Internet tells us nothingThe Internet is not just a series of tubes (orphysical networks); it’s also a series of ideas.Celebrated author Evgeny Morozovdiscusses.

Friday 22 March 20.00-21.15The race to be the ‘cell therapy nation’Fierce competition to be the ‘cell therapynation’ is under way. Chris Mason explainswhy.

Tuesday 16 April 19.00-20.30Creation: the origins and future of lifeAdam Rutherford.

Wednesday 24 April 19.00-20.30The quantum UniverseJoin Jeff Forshaw to talk about the realscience and the profound theory that allowsfor concrete, yet astonishing predictionsabout the world.

Friday 26 April 20.00-21.15Our dynamic SunHelen Mason will explore what causes solaractivity and what we are learning about theSun from space observations.

SET for BRITAINPresentations by Britain’s Early-Stage Researchers

In Science, Engineering, and Technologyat the House of Commons

Monday, 18th March 201312.30 pm - 2.30 pm

Physical Sciences Exhibition (Chemistry and Physics)3.30 pm – 5.30 pm

Engineering Exhibition6.30 pm – 8.30 pm

Biological and Biomedical Science

sip SPRING 2013 4/2/13 12:25

sip SPRING 2013 4/2/13 12:25