Cambridge graduate students discuss the policy implications of their research

This report was prepared by Harry Armstrong, SymBLS organiser

On 18 September, Cambridge University hosted the Cambridge Biological and Life Sciences Symposium (SymBLS) at Peterhouse, which brought together Cambridge graduate students working in the broad disciplines of biological and life sciences, to present their research to an audience from academia, business and government. Three distinguished keynote speakers; Sir Mark Walport (Director of the Wellcome Trust and incoming UK Government Chief Scientific Adviser); Professor Douglas Kell (CEO, BBSRC); and Professor James Wilsdon (Professor of Science and Democracy, SPRU) gave talks on the relationship science and policy. This one day symposium provided an exciting opportunity for the attendees to engage with science, policy and the policy makers themselves.

The symposium opened with a great talk from James Wilsdon, professor of science and democracy at SPRU, who introduced the audience to the world of science and policy providing both ideas and practical solutions for graduates who want to engage further in the policy process. With reference to The Honest Broker, James expanded on the different positions one can fulfil in the space between science and policy.

This first talk really set the scene for the attendees, many of whom had not previously considered the relationship between science and policy, let alone their position within it. It laid the foundations for the later talks, informal conversations and further opportunities in policy being presented.

Poster sessions provided participants with an opportunity to present their data, not only to other students, but to the speakers and attendees from business and government. These sessions were very engaging and highly valuable to both the graduates and policy makers, who each took away a greater appreciation of the work carried out in both academia and government. The graduate students immensely enjoyed having the opportunity to present their work to an engaged, less specialised audience from government and to be exposed to a completely different way of thinking.

The government and business attendees particularly enjoyed connecting, and in some cases reconnecting, with cutting edge research being done by the graduates at Cambridge University. "it was great to chat with students and other government colleagues alike and get back in touch with the ‘pure’ science", commented Tabitha Dale from Defra, "I’m a microbiologist, so many of the student talks were right up my street!"

Sessions and the discussions throughout the day provided an opportunity for government attendees to hear about research that could have particular relevance to policy in the long run. One of the graduate talks looked into understanding the mechanisms of circadian clocks in plants, an area which is of interest to the department of transport in ensuring train safety during drivers’ night shifts.

"The presentations and the conversations that I had with some of the presenters, the poster designers, and other postgrads attending the event brought home to me the cutting edge nature of the research being done by young research teams in Cambridge, and the passionate enthusiasm they have for their work – immensely impressive" said, Graham Pendlebury, CSaP Policy Fellow and Director of Greener Transport and International in the Department for Transport, "There were also fields of research that I could see had real relevance for government & industry as they develop."

The second keynote speaker, Douglas Kell talked about his role as the head of the BBSRC and the importance of questioning preconceived ideas so as not to rely on unsupported established facts – a vital philosophy for both science and policy alike. Further opportunities to get involved in policy were presented to graduates most notably in the form of the CSaP Professional Development Policy Seminars, and the new Cambridge society, CUSPE (Cambridge University Science and Policy Exchange). Many graduates showed great enthusiasm for following up on these opportunities and getting involved.

Sir Mark Walport ended the one day symposium with a very well received talk on the amazing advancement in science and technology, the future of funding from the Wellcome trust for the researches at all levels, the myriad of opportunities that are available to early career researches as well as policy, open access journals and his future position as the UK Government Chief Scientific Adviser.

Discussions continued well into the night with the wine reception and networking followed by a dinner for the graduate speakers, keynotes and members of government. This was a very successful event from all sides and one which would be wonderful to replicate and improve upon in the future. Douglas Kell, Chief Executive of the BBSRC commented: "I really enjoyed meeting and speaking with so many extremely bright young people!"

Banner image from Flickr