Baroness Blackwood appointed Chair of the Government's new Health Data Research Service. Extensive experience as Chair of Genomics England and Oxford Uni Innovation, and as a Minister - seems like a canny appointment for a role that will require both technical expertise and political nous.

📢 Ahead of the Budget next week, we've published a paper calling for the Government to both invest in and reform the Charity Research Support Fund (CRSF) – a critical funding stream that enables vital charity-funded research in universities. Read our paper (PDF download) ⤵️ ICR.ac.uk/CRSF

Maintenance grants for those who need it is great, but the international students levy is a terrible way to fund it. This income is already subsidising lifesaving research and domestic students, so you can't just siphon it off without an impact. A few immediate questions:

Useful from @hepi-news.bsky.social showing the impact of the proposed international student levy. While Govt attention focuses on institutions in crisis, this shows the damage this would do to some of our most successful universities, likely leading to a general reduction in the UK's R&D capacity.

Steve Bates, prev CEO of BIA, appointed in new role as Exec Chair of OLS, hot on the heals of various pledges in the LSSP seeking to bolster OLS and Life Sciences Council. Clearer assertion of OLS's role across the three depts it straddles and greater transparency in the LSC essential first steps.

Delighted to release BFPG’s 2025 Annual Public Opinion Survey. The survey highlights a watershed moment in UK foreign policy, as Britons turn their back on the ‘Special Relationship’ and pivot dramatically back to Europe. Here are 10 key findings. Full report here - bfpg.co.uk/2025/07/2025...

📢 NEW: BFPG’s 2025 Annual Survey on UK public opinion on foreign policy finds Britons’ support for the special relationship is collapsing as Britons instead turn towards Europe. Read the full report here: bfpg.co.uk/2025/07/2025... (1/6)

A cursory look into any major medical research funders portfolio/pipeline shows how detached from reality it is. Huge part of it, imo, is the inability to separate LLMs from wider developments, alongside views of LLMs that were shaped several models ago and by Google's horrendous summary function.

New DSIT Perm Sec announced. Currently DG for Digital Tech and Telecoms, with previous experience spanning DLUHC, DfE and the Social Market Foundation. www.gov.uk/government/p...

Inconsiderate not to wait for me to finish my morning coffee, but we have an Industrial Strategy: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/685854...

Since DSIT was established, I've been really impressed with their comms - clearer and more creative than any other department I've seen. Today's DSIT Download, summarising the Spending Review and London Tech Week announcements case in point: www.linkedin.com/pulse/dsit-d...

The complex, non-linear process of translating scientific breakthroughs into patient impact is much discussed but often misunderstood. See below a new explainer from @crukpolicy.bsky.social setting this process out, outlining where the key barriers are, and looking at how we can tackle them.

This was my biggest eyebrow raise so far - virtually the only mention of universities in the doc, and does not sound like the money is staying in the system.

This is a pivotal moment for cancer research and the wider UK R&D environment. Today, building on insights from our research community, we have outlined 5 steps Govt must take to strengthen cancer research and continue delivering life-saving discoveries. news.cancerresearchuk.org/2025/06/05/5...

Great new report from @britishacademy.bsky.social. In recent years, there's been a broad consensus (in UK policy circles) of R&I investment benefits, but the US shows this can be fragile. Better data/evidence, stable industrial policy and a focus on system enablers are needed to futureproof this.

Exciting new study, with the UK arm funded by CRUK, on the implications of exercise on cancer recurrence:

If it saved the Graduate Visa, then it might be a price worth paying, but you have to hope that 'we will explore' gives them an off ramp for when they realise the money they're trying to levy doesn't exist/is already being invested into domestic skills by stopping many Uni's from going bust.

NEW: BFPG is delighted to release the UKSPG’s latest report - ‘Strengthening UK Soft Power: Strategic Recommendations’ - which explores how the UK can better leverage its soft power in support of its international ambitions. bfpg.co.uk/2025/05/stre...

New version of the S&T Framework published by DSIT today. Content/focus broadly similar, if pretty substantially stripped back and aligned with ongoing Govt activity and priorities.

#InTheNews: Read in @reuters.com about how high UK visa fees for scientists are impacting our research institutes and our mission to beat cancer 👇 www.reuters.com/world/uk/hig...

Excellent news today, with the announcement of £500m from Govt and £100m from Wellcome to develop a new Health Data Research Service. Wonderful to see the scale of ambition and funding match the opportunity presented by health data research.

See our new report on how industrial strategy can help identify and strengthen UK life sciences clusters. With public finances stretched, the criteria we have developed can help R&I funding deliver maximum X-govt impact. I would particularly encourage people to read the impactful case studies.

Clusters are key to boosting UK R&D activity, driving growth and most importantly helping us reach our mission of beating cancer sooner. Our latest report highlights how UK, devolved and local governments can develop more world-class research clusters. bit.ly/4kKS2Ix%E2%A...

Lovely to be sharing the work we’ve done to deliver a thriving life sciences system on another channel. With the industrial strategy and NHS 10 Year Plan coming, the work continues!

[1/5] Today, we’re spotlighting our science policy work. 🧬 Science is at the heart of everything we do and we work to influence government policy to build a world-leading science ecosystem—moving the most exciting discoveries from bench to bedside!

Govt is going to have to break its tax promises eventually, just a case of how many different areas of spending suffer before they do - suspect aid is just the first. Dramatic change in the international environment could have been leveraged to do so; I suspect Govt may live to regret not doing so.

With so many economic headwinds coming across the Atlantic, we can't afford to miss the opportunity to attract global science and tech talent. The industrial strategy and immigration white paper need to make the UK's offer as attractive as possible, starting by tackling extortionate visa fees.

London could use the productivity uplift tbf (as per Centre for Cities Outlook 2025)

Useful read, and particularly pertinent to UK discussion as we head towards the CSR and with Vallance making clear at the Science select committee the importance of making credible claims on RoI and economic growth when advocating for earlier stage research. mattsclancy.substack.com/p/government...

Calling all UK-based cancer researchers! My wonderful colleagues in CRUK policy would love your input #survey If you work/study in cancer research, your insights will help shape our evidence-based calls to government Don’t miss out - fill it in today! Thank you! 👉 survey2.yougov.com/vF1B0h93v8PSPL

Amazing work highlighted from CRUK’s Cambridge Institute this #WorldCancerDay Through the Cancer Plan (formally announced today) and the industrial strategy Government must take the chance to turbocharge cancer research, and support more groundbreaking discoveries like those highlighted below!

Letter from the Lords S&T committee to the Home Sec and Chancellor today. We're in a global competition for talent in science and technology - the UK’s visa and immigration policy needs to adapt. Great to see CRUK analysis feature heavily. committees.parliament.uk/publications...

This is great! Europe's largest biomedical research cluster, including the @cruk-ci.bsky.social, is an incredible national asset and infrastructure investment is essential to build on that to deliver growth and patient impact www.gov.uk/government/n...

Such an annoying critique of big infrastructure plans - 'but it'll take years for it to be built/make a difference'. Yes! That's why stuff needs to get started & why governments need to look beyond one political cycle. Otherwise we just end up 20 years later in the same position.

Thank you to all who joined us earlier for a fascinating and very open discussion on the implications of Donald Trump's re-election, for both the UK-US relationship and wider global dynamics. Particular thanks to our great speakers, Dame Emily Thornberry MP, Leslie Vinjamuri and Michael Martins.

We should be throwing up lab space in places like Cambridge and Tatton Park at a vast rate. Biggest opportunity to recruit scientific talent since the 1930s.

Exciting day as it's announced we're leading a £10m Cancer Data Driven Detection initiative to transform cancer risk assessment and target early detection & prevention more precisely. news.cancerresearchuk.org/2025/01/22/1...

This is brilliant and tackles head on some of the more incurious reactions to the PMs speech on Monday. You don't have to be a tech utopian to see the tangible positive impact AI can have in Government, when used effectively.

The transformation in UK lung cancer R&D in the last decade has been extraordinary - from stagnant investment and a fragmented community, to some of the most exciting science in cancer research. As Govt aims to leverage R&D for their missions, they should look at the principles that guided this:

Mission based funding is driving decision making across Government. At CRUK, we have been funding in this way for a long time - our transformation of the lung cancer R&D environment being a prime example. I wrote about what Govt can learn from our approach. news.cancerresearchuk.org/2025/01/13/m...

Finding 2025 too grim? Here are seven massive, positive things we achieved in cancer policy in 2024, and a link to become a Campaigns Ambassador for @cancerresearchuk.org and help us end 2025 making more progress towards ending cancer, sooner: news.cancerresearchuk.org/2024/12/27/2...

I’m thankful for the top ten scientific developments that improve health: Vaccines Antibiotics & antimicrobials Clean water, sanitation, & hygiene Food safety & fortification innovations Modern agriculture methods Public health education campaigns 1/