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Council for Science and Technology: meeting summary, December 2023

Published 28 February 2024

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/council-for-science-and-technology-meeting-summary-december-2023/council-for-science-and-technology-meeting-summary-december-2023

Attendees

  • Angela McLean (Chair)
  • John Browne (Chair)
  • Julia Black
  • Muffy Calder
  • Suranga Chandratillake (Day 2)
  • Josh Fleming (Day 2)
  • Jim Hall (Day 2)
  • Saul Klein
  • Max Lu
  • Jim McDonald
  • Fiona Murray
  • Paul Newman (Day 2)
  • Carol Propper (Day 1)
  • Keith Ridgway
  • Brooke Rogers
  • Paul Stein
  • Paul Stewart
  • Alexandra Jones
  • Ottoline Leyser
  • Kiren Vadher

Apologies

  • Jessica Glover
  • Adrian Smith

Guests

  • Rt Hon Sir John Whittingdale MP, Minister of State for Media, Tourism and Creative Industries and Minister for Data and Digital Infrastructure
  • Sir Peter Bazalgette, Industry Co-Chair of the Creative Industries Council
  • Caroline Norbury, CEO of Creative UK
  • Professor Christopher Smith, Executive Chair of the Arts and Humanities Research Council
  • Professor Frances Corner, Warden (Vice-Chancellor) Goldsmiths, University of London
  • Dr Josh Siepel, Research Lead for Creative Clusters, R&D and Innovation and Access to Finance, Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre
  • Professor Mark Parsons, Director of Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre (EPCC) and Dean of Research Computing, University of Edinburgh
  • Professor Zoubin Ghahramani, Professor of Information Engineering, University of Cambridge
  • Damitha Adikaari, Director of Climate Science and Energy Innovation, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
  • Abbie Maxwell, Deputy Director Climate Nature and Energy, International Economics Unit, National Security Secretariat, Cabinet Office
  • Professor Paul Monks, Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
  • Sarah Honour, Deputy Director of Climate Science, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Day One

  1. CST hosted an event at the Science Museum with demonstrations from researchers and innovators from across the UK’s creative industries to showcase the diversity of science and technology within the sector.
  2. Members heard from five leading figures in the creative industries who gave their views on the priorities for government to support R&D in the creative industries. The discussion covered the importance of creativity in education; the need for further data on the amount and impact of private and public investment into creative industries R&D; the role of diversity in stimulating innovation; and the importance of clusters in supporting creative R&D across the UK.

Day Two

  1. Professor Dame Angela McLean provided an update on her priorities as Government Chief Scientific Adviser, including her attendance at the AI Safety Summit.
  2. Government observers thanked CST members for their advice ahead of announcements in the Autumn Statement and updated members on government’s progress in delivering the Science and Technology Framework
  3. Members heard from Professor Zoubin Ghahramani and Professor Mark Parsons on the UK’s compute needs for AI. The discussion covered the need for a long-term strategic vision on compute; the role of national infrastructure in supporting the capacity of the UK research ecosystem; and the need to develop and attract talent across the compute pipeline, from chip design and fabrication to data centre management.
  4. Members briefly discussed growing international attention on solar radiation modification (SRM). It was noted that there are currently no formal or robust international governance mechanisms to ensure that SRM research and deployment is transparent, objective, safe, and internationally acceptable. Members agreed a comprehensive assessment of the current state of SRM technologies and future development trajectories, risks, and impacts is needed. Members also recognised the need for an effective regulatory approach that recognises the different levels of risk posed by the different types of SRM technologies and research.
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