Andrew Griffith, former Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation, delivered the opening address of the Centre for Science and Policy’s (CSaP) 2024 Annual Conference and this was followed by a conversation between Hetan Shah (British Academy), Alicia Greated (Campaign for Science and Engineering), Hayaatun Sillem (Royal Academy of Engineering), and Rob Doubleday (CSaP).

The UK has been had a leading position within the quantum space in part due to investments in the underpinning R&D over the past decade, however, we occupy a dynamic global landscape and other nations are developing their own national strategies and infrastructure and are emerging as players in the quantum race. Where then does the UK want to go next and what is its level of ambition?

The need to redevelop the UK’s housing stock is one of the most pressing challenges facing the nation today. Housing accounts for 16% of the UK’s total carbon emissions, making it the second highest sector overall, after surface transport.

Professor Anna Vignoles (Director, Leverhulme Trust) chaired a discussion with Dr Kevin Martin and Dr Imogen Casebourne from the Digital Education Futures Initiative (DEFI), University of Cambridge to unpack just how AI could transform the educational experience.

Professor Madeline Lancaster discussed the exciting area of organoids—biological models that aid the understanding of human development and disease.

In May 2024, the Cambridge Zero Policy Forum hosted a seminar with David Craig, Co-Chair of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and Advisory Council Member of the Sustainable Markets Initiative launched by His Majesty King Charles III.

This Cambridge Zero Policy Forum workshop was aimed at guiding the development of a report for ministers and policy makers at His Majesty’s Treasury, asking: Is supporting green investment for the UK really a growth strategy?

This Cambridge Zero Policy Forum lunchtime seminar with Professor Tim Benton, Director of the Environment and Society Centre at Chatham House, focused on the challenges and opportunities facing the global food system in the context of the climate and biodiversity crises.

CsaP’s Continuing Policy Fellows met with Professor Michael Kenny, Inaugural Director of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at Pembroke College. Professor Kenny led a roundtable discussion based on his book Fractured Union: Politics, Sovereignty and the Fight to Save the UK.

CSaP has collaborated with the Bioscience Impact Team at the University of Cambridge to publish recommendations for researchers on engaging with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).