Scientific Advice in Government
 

For the first time since the 2009 sacking David Nutt the government is updating its official Code of Practice for Scientific Advisory Committees (CoPSAC). The consultation process is just ending, and we're expecting the new document to be finalised over the coming weeks and months.

Over the past month CaSE has met and been closely engaged with the Government Office for Science within the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) as they update CoPSAC. In an article for the New Scientist S-Word blog CaSE Director Imran Khan sets out CaSE's main asks, including greater transparency regarding the media, ensuring independence of scientific advice and limits set on ministerial pressure or interference. 

You are invited to join us for the CaSE Distinguished Lecture 2011, kindly hosted by the Royal Institution. Please register for the lecture here.

The lecture will followed by a drinks reception. Due to limited space, entry to the reception will be offered on a first come, first served basis.
 

Following October's Spending Review and December's Science Budget Allocations, CaSE Director Imran Khan has written an article setting out what impact the funding cuts will have on the science and engineering landscape across a range of issues, including the research base, capital spending, MSc courses, diversity, and spending by other departments.

The effects of funding allocations for universities are analysed in detail by Becky Purvis of the Association of Medical Research Charities in a post on the CaSE blog.

Devolved Elections 2011
 

CaSE is currently preparing its work for the 2011 devolved elections. Our goals for these elections are to engage with the party hierarchy on science and engineering prior to the election and ultimately, to make science and engineering election issues. As part of our approach we will be:
 

• Producing devolved policy working papers, to provide the rationale for our campaign work in the regions
• Writing to the leaders of the parties and circulating their responses
• Contacting Prospective Parliamentary Candidates asking them to engage with science and engineering issues
• Encouraging people to contact their local candidates and the raise the profile of science and engineering. The Royal Society of Chemistry will be holding a series of election debates in Wales and Scotland which will be webcast live for people to watch.
• Working with other organisations in the regions and seeking to provide an information hub for the science and engineering policy community during the elections

For further details on this and all of CaSE's devolved election work, please visit the CaSE Blog. The devolved section is currently under construction and will be going live very soon. In the meantime you can follow us on Twitter or subscribe to our blog alerts. 

If you would like any further information or wish to get involved you can also contact us directly. 

Golden Hellos
The Department for Education has announced that they are scrapping the 'golden hello' scheme, which saw science and maths teachers receive a one-off payment of £5,000 when they began teaching.  

Golden hellos are intended to help address the continuing and severe shortage of science and maths teachers. CaSE Director Imran Khan said on the issue: "Michael Gove has said that he wants 'the very best people to continue to come into teaching' - but waving goodbye to golden hellos could make that harder." 

Education Bill
CaSE will be monitoring the Bill's passage to try to ensure that the teaching of science, technology and mathematics is protected in all schools and will be lobbying the Department for Education directly. We will be writing to the Department shortly - see our blog for updates.

CaSE is campaigning for well-defined and funded strategies to improve diversity.

We've been particularly concerned at the funding cut to the UK Resource Centre for Women, and CaSE Director Imran Khan has asked BIS to show how this fits in with the need to improve the representation of women in science and engineering, as well as raising the issue with parliamentarians.

CaSE Assistant Director Hilary Leevers has led on encouraging the scientific learned societies to take a unified approach on providing a central resource for disabled scientists and engineers, as there currently is not one. We're hopeful that the resulting site will be launched shortly.

• Loughborough University
• Oxford Instruments
• University of Plymouth
• Prospect

• Quango Reform. CaSE is monitoring the government's reform of Non-Departmental Public Bodies, particularly changes to key scientific bodies, and how this ties in to the Code of Prcatice for Scientific Advisory Committees (see first item).
• Non-EU Migrant Cap. CaSE is continuing to review the proposed changes to Tier 1 migration and will also be working to ensure that Tier 4 (students) visa reforms reflect the needs of the STEM community too.    
• Science Question Time is an exciting new joint venture between ourselves, the Biochemical Society and staff at Imperial College London. At the inaugural event on 16th February, we're inviting speakers, which include Sir Mark Walport, and the audience to discuss the broad challenges facing the science sector in this spending review period. Spaces are free, but limited - register via the link above.
• PolicyNet. CaSE Director Imran Khan will be interviewing the Chair of the Science & Technology Select Committee Andrew Miller MP on 14th February at a PolicyNet event at the Royal Academy of Engineering.
   

• House of Commons S&T Committee - Winding Down the Forensic Science Service
  Deadline: 14th February
• House of Commons S&T Committee - Astronomy and Particle Physics in the UK
  Deadline: 16th February
• Building A Smarter Scotland - Towards A Sustainable Scottish Solution for the Future of Higher Education
  Engage for Education Discussion Events
  Deadline: 25th February
• Independent Review of Intellectual Property Framework
  Deadline: 1st March
• HEFCE - Consultation on changes to information published by institutions
  Deadline: 7th March
• House of Commons S&T Committee - Peer Review
  Deadline: 10th March
• House of Commons S&T Committee - Science and Research Budget Allocations
  Deadline: 27th April