UK Academic Salon examines reality of ‘science superpower’ rhetoric

The UK’s reputation as a science superpower remains under threat during a period of extreme economic uncertainty following Brexit and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. This year’s Times Higher Education UK Academic Salon 2021, supported by Huawei, will make the case for meeting the British government’s targeted expenditure of 2.4 per cent of gross domestic product for research and development investment as a means of bolstering its standing within science and innovation, and aiding the UK’s status as a key contender in tackling global challenges.

John Gill, THE’s editor, said: “The UK government has invested significant political capital in its pledge to put science, technology and R&D at the heart of the UK’s economic recovery from the Covid crisis, as it returns to its vision for a global Britain operating outside the European Union. However, scrutiny of those plans is stronger than ever, with a need for reality to match rhetoric if the UK is to not only retain but build its hard-earned reputation as a global powerhouse in research.

“These issues are playing out a time of economic and political stress, and at a time when a return to growth comes with an absolute imperative to put sustainability and the environment at the heart of future plans. But as ever, alongside the challenges will come opportunities, and we will be discussing both at this salon, in an agenda packed with expertise and insight from research, policy and politics, as well as industry.”

The half-day webinar on 12 May, running from 09:00 until 14:00 BST, will comprise a series of academic keynotes, interviews, and panel discussions, touching on the fruitful possibilities of academic-industry partnerships, reaching net zero, and reducing regional inequalities through the government’s commitment to R&D.

“Huawei is very proud of our collaborations with UK academia, which are helping to drive innovation and deliver real outcomes for people in this country, from the speed of your internet connection, to longer-lasting batteries in mobile phones,” said Victor Zhang, vice-president of Huawei.

Mr Zhang and Sir Anton Muscatelli, principal of the University of Glasgow, will deliver keynote addresses, and Mr Gill will lead an interview with Lord Johnson of Marylebone, former minister of universities and science in the British government, on the future of collaboration between China and the UK, as well as a following discussion with Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute, on whether 2.4 per cent is ambitious enough to reach the aspirations associated with increased R&D investment.

Ahead of the COP26 climate conference in November, the first panel discussion at the salon will explore whether the UK is on track to meet its legally binding net zero agreement. Paul Bates, associate director of impact and innovation and COP26 lead at the University of Bristol, and Alyssa Gilbert, director of policy and translation at Imperial College London’s Grantham Institute, will debate how sustainability can be put at the forefront of current and future policy across government and industry, and how academia can be an indispensable tool in this reform.

The following session, oriented around implementing an effective place-based strategy for science and innovation to combat pre-existing regional inequalities that have been accentuated by the pandemic and Brexit, will include contributions from Alice Frost, director of knowledge exchange at Research England, and Robert Huggins, director of research and innovation at the School of Geography and Planning at Cardiff University.

Dame Jessica Corner, pro vice-chancellor for research and knowledge exchange at the University of Nottingham, and Louis Barson, director of science, innovation and skills at the Institute of Physics, will converse in the final panel discussion of the day on much academic and industry collaboration can help the UK realise its potential as a science and technology superpower to support local and international communities against universal threats with the guarantee of sustained investment in the R&D budget.

“We live to encourage innovation, and innovation occurs when different areas of expertise meet. It is born in the cracks between existing points of knowledge. Collaboration is key. The next great idea that will solve one of the big issues facing the planet, be that climate change, digital exclusion or the fairer distribution of opportunity, could come from anyone, anywhere. To turn it into reality will involve everyone, everywhere,” Mr Zhang concluded.

Click here to register free and find out more about the Times Higher Education UK Academic Salon 2021