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.
The surprising role of voluntary standards in AI regulation
- 23 February, 2024
- Business, Technology
- Dr Matilda Rhode
The upcoming Foundation of Science and Technology event asks “Can AI be regulated and if so, how?” Regulation is one of the key tools that governments can use to compel private sector behaviour and AI has rapidly become focal topic when it comes to the impact of private sector technologies on society.
Read MoreRegulating AI in the EU and the UK -a legal view
- 21 February, 2024
- Technology
- Sarah Pearce, Partner at Hunton Andrews Kurth
To date, privacy laws have been a key source for AI regulation, particularly in the EU and the UK. Both have highly developed privacy rules, specifically the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the GDPR as incorporated into the laws of the UK. However, privacy laws alone are not sufficient to fully regulate the use of AI. In 2023, significant advances were seen in the approaches proposed in the EU and the UK for regulating the use of AI, and in 2024, this looks set to continue.
Read MoreThe power of conversation
- 2 February, 2024
- General
- Charlotte Raynsford - Communications Officer at The Foundation for Science and Technology
In a world of polarised views and fast changes, there is a quiet power in sharing knowledge. Championing the art of conversation can support the foundations of change and progress.
Read MoreThe Round Table of Sustainability
- 10 October, 2023
- Environment
- Jaclyn Estrin
In the wake of COP 27, "we have reached an inflection point where the chasm between action and inaction can set the planet on divergent paths," writes Jaclyn Estrin. At her round table, international governments are not the sole agents responsible for fighting climate change.
Read MoreHow Animals With Human Brain Cells Could Help Treat Diseases
- 7 September, 2023
- Environment, Technology
- Emily Newton
Chimeric research is an exciting topic in the scientific community, to say the least. There are opposing views about it being a helpful tool for understanding diseases and discovering treatments.
Read MoreAI and Manufacturing Are Becoming Inseparable and It's Changing Smart Factories
- 22 July, 2023
- Emily Newton
What can today’s leaders expect by choosing AI? How are some companies already benefiting from the technology?
Read MoreREFlecting research culture
- 22 June, 2023
- Business, General, Technology
- Grace Gottlieb
An analysis on the FRAP outcomes, particularly around the ‘people, culture and environment’ element. This is in advance of the event on Wednesday 5 July, UCL, in partnership with the Foundation for Science and Technology, the Research on Research Institute and Research England, will host an open forum on The Emerging Shape of REF 2028.
Read MoreHow Retailers Can Use AI to Optimize Inventory Management
- 19 June, 2023
- Business, General, Technology
- Emily Newton
Can retailers optimize operations with AI inventory management? Its unique capabilities position this emerging technology as a transformative tool in the industry. Leaders could alter their processes through data collection and algorithmic decision-making.
Read MoreHouse of Lords Debate on the Government's Science and Technology Superpower Ambitions
- 9 June, 2023
- Business, General, Technology
- Lord Holmes
A reflection by Lord Holmes on a debate in the Lords on the Science and Technology Select Committee report on delivering a UK science and technology strategy, "Science and technology superpower": more than a slogan?, published last year.
Read MoreNurse Review of RDI landscape 2023 – a medical research charity sector view
- 26 May, 2023
- Business, Education, General, Technology
- Mehwaesh Islam and Catriona Manville
The AMRC is a membership organisation representing over 150 charities of various sizes who all fund research; from household names such as Cancer Research UK, Wellcome and British Heart Foundation to smaller charities who invest in specific areas of unmet need. AMRC members are a significant funder of medical research in the UK, spending £15 billion over the past decade. In this blog, we provide our reflections on the recommendations made in the Nurse review of the research landscape and the difference they can make to medical research which we hope will ultimately lead to patient benefit.
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