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We live in uncertain times. This is all too true in the United Kingdom, which is negotiating its exit from the European Union. On the basis of the government's latest [...]

The UK National Measurement Laboratory is working as part of a global effort to standardize measurements on biological materials. The aim is to ensure that disease diagnosis and management is [...]

Author(s): Daniel Cressey More than one year after UK citizens voted to leave the European Union, and close to three months into 'Brexit' negotiations, the British government has finally laid [...]

FUNDING | PEOPLE | RESEARCH | BUSINESS | EVENTS | TREND WATCH | COMING UP FUNDING UK science money The UK government will invest £100 million (US$120 million) over 4 [...]

Author(s): Elizabeth Gibney British scientists are not used to hearing about large increases in national research spending. So when Prime Minister Theresa May promised on 21 November that her government [...]

Plans to downgrade university equality initiatives such as Athena SWAN risk being divisive and must be challenged. Equality and diversity efforts do not 'burden' research Plans to downgrade university equality initiatives such as Athena SWAN risk being divisive and must be challenged., Author Affiliations: Equality and diversity efforts do not 'burden' research -- no matter what the UK government says Universities around the world should take a more active role in the [...]

This paper examines the way in which Earth observation is linked to UK science policy through the 1993 UK science White Paper and subsequent policy statements, and how the central theme of partnership has been developed in practice. An example of crop yield prediction is given to illustrate the strengths and the weaknesses of the approach. The UK science and space strategies are set in the context of the European Strategy for Space and links are made to the US global change research strategy. Keywords: United Kingdom, Earth observation; Science policy; Public policy; Agriculture

This article discusses Britain's creation of three new institutions, the Food Standards Agency, the Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission, and the Human Genetics Commission. The author, maintaining the institutions were developed in response to the mad cow diseases crisis and the growth of the biotechnology industry and genetically modified foods, argues their biggest challenge is capturing the public's trust.

This article examines the representation of the scientists and the sciences on postage stamps in Great Britain and continental Europe between 1951 and 1990. The author maintains that Great Britain represented the sciences on stamps as much as France and West Germany, however, whereas France and Germany typically represented individual scientists Great Britain favored the institutional aspects of science.

This paper analyses Patrick Blackett's role as an adviser on science and technology policy to the Labour Party in the 1950s and 1960s. It highlights his advocacy of an interventionist stance on the part of government by reference to his belief that British industrial performance was being affected adversely by a misallocation of R&D resources in favour of the military-defence sector at the expense of civilian manufacturing industry. This serves as a prelude to an appraisal of Blackett's career as an official adviser on industrial policy to the Labour Governments in office between 1964 and 1970. During that time Blackett fulfilled key roles in the formation of the new Ministry of Technology and the Industrial Reorganisation Corporation. The overall conclusion is that despite Blackett's dual status as the 'father of OR' and the leading scientist of the left, his effectiveness was limited by a naive belief in the relevance of a policy stance validated by reference to his experiences in operational research during the Second World War. It was simply not possible to replicate in a peacetime economy, subject to democratic checks and balances, the extreme centralised control characteristic of total War. Keywords: history of OR; civil industry; civil government

This paper explores the extent of current UK government spending on science and technology placed in its recent historical context. The allocation of this spending across the different arms of government, the primary purposes of the expenditures undertaken and the extent to which the government performs as well as funds R&D are also explored, with some international comparisons analysed. The political and institutional processes that determine the revealed patterns of expenditure in the UK, the rationales behind such spending and the aims and objectives of the main spending departments are discussed, as is the interaction with EU expenditures on science and technology. The effectiveness of or pay-off to government support of this kind is also considered before future spending plans are addressed.

The UK is undertaking research into both electromagnetic (EM) and electrothermal-chemical (ETC) propulsion for future weapon systems. In the EM field, efforts have been concentrated in the railgun armature area. Recent work has tried to reduce the parasitic mass of base-push solid armatures, since this leads directly to lower launch energies and greater overall system efficiency. The aim is to understand the many property requirements needed to allow velocities over 2000 [ms.sup.-1] with full mass payloads. The use of multi-material armatures has been shown to be beneficial both theoretically and through examination of hardware recovered after firings at Kirkcudbright. Conditions at high velocities and energies have been found to be vastly different from those at more moderate levels, and support the UK decision to tackle the problems in these difficult regimes. Recent ETC research effort has spanned the topic from the fundamental to the systems' levels. The fundamental plasma-propellant interactions continue to be studied. Enhanced gas generation rates (EGGR), both during and in some cases after the electrical discharge, have been studied in a wider variety of propellant types and geometries. The scaling of plasma generators has been investigated. A plasma jet type of plasma generator has been operated successfully in open-air at a peak electrical power of 3 GW. The concept of muzzle velocity control of artillery guns known as 'Smart Gun' has also been studied. Analysis indicates that the concept has the potential to significantly improve artillery precision.

With six months to go, uncertainty posed by the decision to leave the European Union is taking its toll.With six months to go, uncertainty posed by the decision to leave the European Union is taking its toll., Author Affiliations:Brexit is already damaging European science Uncertainty over the future of nuclear research demonstrates the impact Brexit is already having. [see PDF for image]Credit: Andrea Botto/ITERWorker moves parts produced [...]

Policy | Health | Events | Facilities | Awards | Energy | Trend watch | Coming up POLICY Brexit and science An influential group of politicians has urged the UK [...]

The repertory grid method was used to determine what terminology respondents use to distinguish between different applications of genetic engineering drawn from food-related agricultural, and medical applications. Respondents were asked to react to fifteen applications phrased in general terms, and results compared with a second study where fifteen more specific applications were used as stimuli. Both sets of data were submitted to generalized Procrustes analysis. Applications associated with animals or human genetic material were described as cawing ethical concern, being unnatural, harmful, and dangerous. Those involving plants or microorganisms were described as beneficial, progressive, and necessary. The results were validated in survey research, which indicated that general applications of genetic engineering were perceived as either positive or negative, whereas specific applications were more highly differentiated in perceptual terms. The results imply that the public debate about genetic engineering must take due account of the complexity of public concerns., Public attitudes have been identified as one of the key determinants of the development, application, and subsequent technological evolution of technology (Advisory Committee on Science and Technology 1990). Recent research [...]

The UK government has adopted a policy called the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) or Public Private Partnership where it solicits private investment to replace public funding. PFI is based on the basic precept that the manner in which the government procures affects the manner in which industry delivers. It works on the idea that savings in cost or enhanced performance can be achieved in public purchasing by shifting the risks to the party best able to handle them and rewarding them for success. PFI is thoroughly analyzed.

The transition to digital television in the United Kingdom offers the possibility for expanded services as well as problems creating problems for equitable competition. Viewer choice could be expanded to as many as 40 broadcast channels, and services such as shopping and banking from home are possible. Competition policy can regulate acquisitions, while such issues as third party access to broadcasting bottlenecks should be controlled by industry regulations.

A wide array of useful electronic resources for academic research in social and economic history is available to UK historians. Among developments in information technology that directly benefit historians are the Arts and Humanities Data Service, the UK Data Archive at the University of Essex and its holdings such as the Qualitative Data Archive and the Resource Centre for Access to Data on Europe. Two other data centers which are funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee are the Manchester Information, Datasets and Associated Services and the Edinburgh Data and Information Access.

The development of new information and communication technologies has been compelling governments all over the world to adopt national information policies. The objectives of these policies are similar all over the world: to develop inexpensive but efficient telecommunications that will link individuals and organizations, and to improve commercial and industrial performance. Two policy mechanisms for achieving these goals, neo-liberal and dirigiste, are compared.

The development of British two-stroke gasoline piston engine during the interwar period was analyzed. During this time, the Aeronautical Research Committee was prioritizing the aircraft diesel engine program. However, such effort to produce engines of very high performance failed. In view of this, historians of technology have exerted considerable effort to explain this issue based on the general theories of technological change.

In attempting to explain the protracted decline of British manufacturing industry in the twentieth century, historians frequently argue that there have been fundamental flaws in the industrial policies pursued by [...]

In the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, the United States devoted great attention to furthering European recovery. Much of the continent lay in ruins. Surviving industrial capacity was [...]

The small railway coal wagon was an early example held up to demonstrate Edwardian Britain's technological stagnation. The small wagons have been blamed for inflated rail freight rates and depressed railway profits. What has been overlooked is that the small wagon was integral to the local coal market. The coal wagon was a substitute for costly distribution and delivery by road transport; although some railway specific costs may have been inflated, beyond the railhead other costs were economized. Seen in the appropriate context the small coal wagon was neither a bad choice nor an oddity.

Significant changes are currently taking place in the European space sector. Cooperation between France and Germany in this area is becoming less significant, while the UK is showing signs of adopting a more open attitude towards Europe. Italy is re-evaluating its approaches to space policy, and is determined not to lose its third place in the European space hierarchy. German space policy will be influenced by a determination to adapt state structures to new requirements.

The founding of the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) influenced the establishment of the UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST). OTA fulfilled a need of national lawmakers for new ways to conduct informed debate and decision making on complex societal issues related to science and technology. POST founders relied greatly on the OTA model in developing and executing their proposals. POST also benefited from its similarities to and differences from the OTA.

The United Kingdom's Forward Plan identifies aims and actions for the UK civil space program. The Forward Plan is the result of a process of consultation involving British National Space Centre (BNSC) partners, industry and academia. The BNSC partnership represents the civil space interests of government departments and aims at maintaining good interaction at all levels across the UK space community. A comprehensive list of the actions agreed upon by the BNSC partners and the government is provided. An overview of the UK space policy is presented.

Political and economic interests affect the policy development and regulation of genetic engineering in the US and Britain. The national governments, transactional corporations, scientists, genetic engineering firms, and other social interests exert significant influence on the policy development. These interests usually neglect the resolution of the technical problems involved. A synthesis of postpluralist and poststructuralist traditions, and the relation between power and discursive practice can be used to understand policy formation.

Technology foresight at a national level has emerged as a prominent instrument of technology policy during the first half of the 1990s. Programmes of this type are not generally seeking to identify future scientific breakthroughs (the so-called 'picking winners' approach). Rather, they are concerned to put in place the infrastructure necessary to recognize and exploit such opportunities when they do emerge. Given the lead times necessary for technological development this necessitates forming views about the future. In this article, the experience to date of one of the most comprehensive national initiatives, the UK Technology Foresight Programme is examined. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

The British media policy debate since 1993 over the 'information superhighway' has centered around the question of infrastructure ownership. Public ownership of infrastructure was suggested by media experts but a dilemma exists in the selection between public and private control. The government proposal of 1995, which is still under consideration, intends to give ownership to all members of the British Media Industry Group.

In spring 1994, for the first time in Britain, there was a prolonged public controversy over the intentional release of a genetically modified organism. The organism was a baculovirus with [...]