April 2020
Price: £95 PLUS VAT
Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
Note that due to COVID-19 restrictions this conference will be conducted online.
The format will mirror physical conferences organised by the Forum with speakers presenting via webcam, accompanied by slides if they wish.
The conference will be chaired and there will be opportunities for delegate questions and comments.
We will be contacting all participants in advance of the conference with full information and guidance on how to take part.
This conference focuses on priorities for science and innovation in the UK - and will examine the direction of policy as the Government moves forward with its agenda of investment in science, innovation and related areas.
The conference is bringing together businesses, research institutes, academic publishers, embassies and universities as well as key policymakers.
Stakeholders and policymakers will discuss how funding should be directed, with pledges in the recent Budget to increase public research and development expenditure to £22bn in 2024/25 - and a series of other specific spending commitments such as £800m to create a UK version of the US Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA).
Speakers
There will be keynote contributions from:
- Mike Biddle, Programme Director, Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, Innovate UK;
- Lorna Dukes, Head of Education and Knowledge Exchange Policy, IPO;
- Dr Sarah Main, Executive Director, Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE);
- David Rogers, Deputy Director, Investment Strategy, UKRI; and
- Beth Thompson, Head of Policy and Advocacy, UK and EU, Wellcome Trust.
Further confirmed speakers include: Tamsin Mann, PraxisAuril; Mark Marfé, Pinsent Masons; Katie Mills, Schneider Electric; Andrew Muir, UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund and Early Advantage Fund and Midven; Professor Mike Trenell, National Institute for Health Research Innovation Observatory and Alice Hu Wagner, British Business Bank.
The agenda
- The way forward for science and innovation funding;
- The UK’s future role within the international science and innovation community;
- Science spending - current and new public funding streams, leveraging private and third sector investment, and where Britain can lead on emerging technologies;
- Protecting the content of research in an open research landscape;
- Maximising the UK research base commercially - improving IP management, supporting spin-outs and overcoming barriers to strengthened university-industry partnerships; and
- Priorities for supporting continued investment and innovation in STEM research.
Policy officials taking part in this conference
Westminster Higher Education Forum conferences typically attract strong interest from policymakers. We expect that amongst those taking part in this conference will be officials who have reserved places representing: BEIS; DCMS; Defence Science and Technology Laboratory; Defra; Department for International Trade; Department for Transport; DHSC; Foreign & Commonwealth Office; Government Office for Science; HMRC; HM Treasury; Innovate UK; Intellectual Property Office; MHCLG; National Audit Office; Nuclear Innovation Research Office; Office for AI; UKRI and the Welsh Government.
