- Science policy ×
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Microbe Talk - Conversations on Collaboration: Sir Paul Nurse on collaborative working and Horizon Europe
October 20, 2023
In this episode of Microbe Talk, our Policy and Engagement Officer Katie chats to Sir Paul Nurse, Director of the Francis Crick Institute and former President of the Royal Society. He was awarded the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of protein molecules that control the division of cells in the cell cycle and has since received over 70 honorary degrees. In this episode, Katie and Paul talk about the importance of collaboration and co-working in science, and discuss the UK’s recent re-association with Horizon Europe, the EU funding programme for research and innovation.
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Opinion: The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill
May 2, 2023
The new Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill has now become law, which will enable the development and marketing of genome-edited organisms in England. But what does this mean for microbiology? In this blog, Professor Peter Lund shares his thoughts.
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The biggest ever bird flu outbreak: what you need to know
October 18, 2022
In this episode of Microbe Talk, Charlotte talks to Dr Ian Brown about what makes this year’s bird flu outbreak bigger and more worrisome than before.
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Foreign aid cuts: now is not the time to step back
May 17, 2021
The UK is facing severe financial pressures because of COVID-19 and its impact on the economy. As a result, the UK government has decided to reduce the funds available for Official Development Assistance (ODA), which includes research projects funded via UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) from the ODA budget. In this blog, Eva Scholtus discusses the impact of these cuts.
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‘A Sustainable Future’ online focus groups
February 11, 2021
In June and July 2020, as part of the ‘A Sustainable Future’ project, the Policy team ran a series of online focus groups to explore the challenges and opportunities for microbiology in the fields of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the circular economy and soil health. Over the course of three weeks, the online focus groups collectively brought together 105 people including microbiologists, non-microbiology researchers, industry and policy representatives, who discussed what more could be done if there were fewer barriers, and the interventions needed to achieve a sustainable future. Here, early-career researchers Laura and Quentin discuss their experience of the focus groups.
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The Westminster Food and Nutrition Forum
July 20, 2020
On the 23 June, Hannah Norman, Policy Officer at the Microbiology Society, virtually attended the Westminster Food and Nutrition Forum. This event involved a discussion from policy makers and stakeholders on the future of UK agricultural policy. Here, Hannah discusses the experience.
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The 2020 Policy Forum for Wales
May 21, 2020
In April, Lauren Kerr, PhD candidate at Cardiff University virtually attended the Policy Forum for Wales. The event discussed how Welsh policy-makers aim to attract and retain a strong workforce, and the role research plays in this. Here, Lauren discusses the event.