Neutral platform for debate of policy issues, Discussions and workshops on relevant issues, Support service to Learned and Professional Societies, Foundation Future Leaders Programme for mid-career professionals, Podcast exploring links between science & technology and policy

How can R&D collaboration with Africa support an agenda for sustainable growth in the UK and beyond?
June 11, 2025 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM

The UK benefits hugely in scientific and cultural terms from international collaboration in R&D. Traditionally, though, it has looked to its R&D links with more developed nations to support its own economic development, and supported collaboration with developing nations through Overseas Development Assistance. With the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office currently developing a new strategy for the UK working with Africa, how, if at all, can UK R&D collaboration with African nations support the UK growth agenda alongside meeting core in-country development objectives? In the year in which South Africa is chairing the G20, are there priority areas of collaboration (for example in renewable energy) which can bring economic benefits to both the UK and African countries, and underpin a prosperous Africa? And how might this shape our view of ODA funding for R&D?

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Exascale computing for research and the implications of quantum computing, AI and Net Zero
May 29, 2025 3:30 PM - 3:30 PM

The UK has provided a succession of increasingly powerful high-performance computing facilities for UK researchers for many years. Do recent developments in AI change what researchers might need in terms of high performance computing? What are the implications of any future provision of exascale computing of expected developments in quantum computing? And how can the environmental impact of exascale computing be reduced? As decisions on new investments in high performance computing come due, these are some of the issues we hope to explore in this event being organised by the Foundation for Science and Technology. This event is being held in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, which is the home of UK national high performance computing research systems such as ARCHER2, Cirrus and DiRAC-Tursa.

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Decarbonising the built environment and delivering the Warm Homes Plan - the role of social science and engineering
May 21, 2025 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM

Amongst the huge number of separate activities needed to reach net zero, decarbonising the built environment is one of the most challenging, particularly domestic homes - with millions of separate owners, and with retrofit a much bigger part of the problem than new build. With a policy backdrop of the government's Warm Homes Plan, how can social science and engineering contribute to solving this huge challenge?

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