SEB Bulletin January 2006 - From the President's Desk
As practising research biologists, we in the SEB are all aware of the challenges that face our subject as the public becomes more exercised about the ethical issues that arise from topics such as stem cells, GM crops and animal experimentation. Yet academic biology in the UK has lacked a national organisation to lobby on its behalf in the way that the Institute of Physics and the Royal Society of Chemistry do for their subjects. Part of this role was taken by the Institute of Biology but, although large, the IoB has never had the same status among University-based researchers that the IoP and RSC enjoy. To remedy this, the IoB and many of the leading biologically-based learned societies formed the Biosciences Federation (BSF) to provide an effective umbrella organisation to lobby on behalf of research-led biology and to improve public engagement on major biological issues. The SEB has been an enthusiastic supporter of the BSF as it fulfils a role that we cannot, as a Society, easily undertake.
Since its inception, the BSF has become recognised as an important and increasingly-influential national voice for biology in the UK and on 16 November I attended the launch of its document Science Policy Priorities 2005-2009 (available at www.bsf.ac.uk/responses/Priorities.pdf)This event was held at Portcullis House opposite Westminster Place in London and was hosted by Dr Doug Naysmith, MP for Bristol North West and an immunologist who was a Lecturer at Bristol University until 1997. Speeches were given by Sir Tom Blundell, President of the BSF, and Lord Sainsbury, Minister of Science. The presence of Lord Sainsbury attests to the recognition the BSF now has and that it is now beginning to fulfil the role it was formed for. The Report deals with issues such as:
- Attracting and retaining world class scientists
- Stimulating public enthusiasm for science
- Ensuring public policy is underpinned by sound science
- Promoting the commercialisation of science
- Ensuring strategic science provision in higher education
- Fostering closer links within the European science base
The day after the launch I attended another meeting to discuss how the BSF can be provided with the budget it needs to become more professional and proactive. This is likely to result in a request for bigger financial contributions from the larger, well-funded learned societies such as the SEB, Biochemical Society and Physiological Society. If this is what we have to pay for better representation of our subject in the corridors of power and to increase public understanding of the potential implications of leading-edge research, it may be a price worth paying. However, there are important issues to be decided, particularly ensuring that the BSF effectively represents all of biology and not just biomedical sciences, and that it anticipates events rather than responding retrospectively to them. We in the SEB are lucky because our views are taken seriously with the BSF and we have influential voices both in its Education Section (through Sarah Blackford) and its Sustainability Committee (chaired by Peter Lumsden). As the BSF changes, I hope that we can increase our influence and ensure the biology done by the SEB's members is effectively represented at the highest levels. It is certainly something I will be promoting on behalf of the SEB.
Roger Leigh