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New members appointed to the Council for Science and Technology

Two new members have been appointed to the Prime Minister's Council for Science and Technology.

The Prime Minister has appointed Professor Dame Carol Propper and Professor Keith Ridgway to the Council for Science and Technology (CST). The Council advises the Prime Minister on strategic science and technology policy issues that cut across the responsibilities of individual government departments.

Members include leading figures in the science, and technology and business community drawn from across academia, key high-tech businesses and investors in innovative companies. Presidents of the national academies and a senior UKRI representative serve as ex-officio members.

Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government Chief Scientific Adviser and Co-Chair of CST, said:

Professor Carol Propper and Professor Keith Ridgway both bring extensive expertise to the Council for Science and Technology. Their knowledge of the research and innovation landscape will be invaluable in supporting the Council’s role in providing advice on the government’s high-level priorities for science and technology and exploring the opportunities for achieving national goals through emerging technologies.

Lord Browne of Madingley, Co-Chair of CST, said:

The Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology provides expert advice at the heart of government and is served by a range of individuals with world-class expertise. Today, I am pleased to welcome two new members, Professor Carol Propper and Professor Keith Ridgway. Professor Propper is an internationally-acclaimed economist who continues to make a valuable contribution to the study of the social sciences and the interaction between human behaviour and science and technology. Professor Ridgway brings a wealth of experience from the manufacturing sector and has spent many years working to bring industry and academia closer together. I look forward to the valuable contributions they will make to our work.

More information

Professor Carol Propper is Professor of Economics at Imperial College Business School in the Department of Economics and Public Policy. Her research focuses on financial and non-financial incentives for the quality of healthcare and healthcare productivity. Carol was previously President of the Royal Economic Society, Chair of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) ESRC Research Grants Board 2005-09, member of the ESRC Council 2005-09, member of the Royal Economic Society Council 2000-2005, and a member of President Macron of France’s expert commission on major economic challenges.

Professor Keith Ridgway is the Senior Executive of Manufacturing at the University of Strathclyde. Keith was the co-founder of the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) at the University of Sheffield and established the Nuclear AMRC and AMRC Training Centre. In 2019 he joined the University of Strathclyde as the Executive Chair of the Advanced Forging Research Centre and established the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland. In September 2020, he was appointed as the Chair of Industry Wales, an arms-length Welsh government body.

The Council’s current work programme includes developing advice for government on:

  • government action to support translation of engineering biology research into benefits for society
  • the role of international science and technology partnerships to achieve national goals
  • Science and technology in the creative industries
  • UK Space and satellite capabilities

See more details on CST and its members.

Published 8 March 2023