FST BLOG
We welcome blogs on issues across Science, Technology, Research and Innovation, and on the activities of the Foundation. To publish a blog on this site, please email communications@foundation.org.uk.
Note: The Foundation for Science and Technology is strictly neutral. Any views expressed in these blogs are those of the authors and not of the Foundation.
How social sciences are essential in the UK's net zero transition
- 21 May, 2025
- Environment, Technology
- Professor Karen Bickerstaff
In this piece, Professor Karen Bickerstaff, Leverhulme Trust Research Fellow and Lead on the ACCESS (Advancing Capacity in Climate and Environment Social Science) report Making a Net Zero Society – Follow the Social Science, highlights how the social sciences offer essential perspectives to support a rapid transition to a net zero UK.
Read MoreSHAPEing the Decarbonisation Transition in the Built Environment - Balancing Efficiency and Resilience
- 9 May, 2025
- Education, Environment, General, Technology
- Dr Jill Zhao
The integration of SHAPE research in UK’s route to Net Zero is essential for addressing the complex challenges of decarbonising the built environment. SHAPE research contributes to understanding how policies are received by the public, how they align with cultural norms, and how they can be framed to foster engagement and compliance.
Read MoreHow We Can Use Advanced Materials to Make the UK a Key Link in the Global Semiconductor Supply Chain
- 11 April, 2025
- Business, Technology
- John Tingay
Global supply chains are growing more complex and more fraught, and evidence for that trend is particularly acute in the case of semiconductors. The tiny ‘chips’ encapsulate a world of material, economic and political concerns. However, by investing in advanced materials, there is an opportunity for the UK to establish a substantial foothold in future supply chains.
Read MoreHow Learned and Professional Societies can play a role in evidence-based knowledge sharing
- 21 March, 2025
- Education, General
- Simon Napper
As the proliferation of views, all claiming to be authoritative, has grown over time, so has the need for trustworthy analysis and verification of facts. As guardians of expertise and best practice, Learned and Professional Societies can play a key role in this.
Read MoreAn atom’s eye view inside materials: from cells to circuit boards, and meteorites to magnets
- 7 February, 2025
- Technology
- Dr Rosie de Laune
The UK’s ISIS neutron and muon source has welcomed over 60,000 scientists since it began operations in 1984. The variety of ISIS research is demonstrated in this blog through the perspective of three ISIS scientists who have been fellows of the Foundation Future Leaders (FFL) programme.
Read MoreThe Rise of AI: Opportunities and risks
- 24 January, 2025
- Annabelle, a year 10 student at Invicta Grammar School
AI is revolutionising our world offering incredible opportunities while posing significant risks. This blog investigates the opportunities of an AI driven society and how to mitigate the risks associated.
Read MoreThe Silman Fund - Supporting diversity at our events
- 13 January, 2025
- General
- Gavin Costigan
In the spirit of widening participation to our events, The Foundation is launching 'The Silman Fund'. Our CEO, Gavin Costigan explores how it works and why it is important.
Read MoreSelling Less of the Family Silver: the Key Challenge for Industrial Policy
- 26 November, 2024
- Business, Technology
- David Connell, Senior Research Associate, Centre for Business Research, Cambridge Judge Business School
The Industrial Strategy Green Paper, with its strong sectoral approach, represents a vital opportunity to revitalise the UK economy. But it has nothing to say about the key barrier to achieving this, the early trade sale of many of our most promising science and technology based companies to foreign corporations, and the truncation of further entrepreneurial growth in the UK.
Read MoreChanging how we think about ageing: Joining up medical sciences, social sciences and the humanities
- 23 October, 2024
- General
- Martina Zimmermann
Achieving attitudinal change to ageing would have far-reaching implications for how we retire, treat and care for older people, fund research and care, and understand intergenerational relations.
Read MoreBuilding bridges between schools and employers
- 24 September, 2024
- Education
- Christina Astin
This is the story of a smart 15-year-old girl who used to want to be a scientist. Let’s call her Amra. Her science lessons tend to be full of facts to memorise without time to understand and few opportunities to do hands-on experiments. She has never visited a workplace and the engineer who visited the school two years ago switched her off because he pitched his talk too high. What can be done to build bridges between the school and employers to help unlock the potential of students like Amra and plug the skills gap?
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