Last week I was in Scotland to host a meeting of some of our member charities about how we might support their work to ensure science and research is firmly on the agenda of the Scottish Assembly. Held in a curtained-off room in a Starbucks cafe I couldn't help wonder whether this was how it felt in … Continue reading Medical research in Scotland
AMRC
A Wellcome round-up to the research week
While the Home Office struggles to recover from its Nutt allergy the rest of us have been busy funding and promoting good science. Our communications officer, Sara, tells me that if I use more searchable terms in my blog headlines I will get more visitors. 'What, more than the million or so I receive each day?' I said. Anyway, … Continue reading A Wellcome round-up to the research week
An Open Letter to David Cameron
Dear David, I was pleased to read your speech at the Royal College of Pathologists earlier this week setting out your vision for the NHS and your five priorities for a Department of Public Health were you to form the next Government. Many us will be pleased to see you and your front bench colleagues … Continue reading An Open Letter to David Cameron
Filling the void
It's not like me to blog twice in as many days. However, this is just a short piece you will no doubt be pleased to know. All I wanted to do was alert you to the launch of the 'Research Mental Health' Declaration and campaign yesterday. The initiative is aimed at pushing the need for … Continue reading Filling the void
Time to open up about industry
Every so often a story and resulting furore crops up in the media about charities, patient groups and their closeneness to industry and, in particular, pharmaceutical companies. Journalists and the public will quite rightly ask: is it in the public interest? I can well remember my first encounter with big pharma in my early days … Continue reading Time to open up about industry
Recession profiteering v drop-down menu
An email popped into my inbox last night advertising yet another conference aimed at helping, guiding, supporting charities and other organisations survive, weather, capitalise on the recession, economic downturn, credit crunch. The terms are interchangeable of course. But you won't have much loose change left afterwards that's for sure. The invitation I got yesterday cost over … Continue reading Recession profiteering v drop-down menu
Research of rare quality
The Government's Office for the Strategic Co-ordination of Health Research (OSCHR) will at some point in the next few months publish its 'National Ambitions' for health research. Since communications has never been one of OSCHR's strengths it has been close to impossible to discern quite what this thing will look like, if and when it … Continue reading Research of rare quality
Not another article about partnership
The term 'partnership' is now scattered liberally through the narrative we all use for the way in which we work - either as organisations or as individuals. The highly inventive among us occasionally substitute it with 'collaboration' or even the more arcane 'working together,' but partnership is in the ascendant in every sense. But I am beginning to … Continue reading Not another article about partnership
Sums and summitry
Yesterday 30 top scientists called for a tripling of Government expenditure on research into dementia - you may have heard some of them being interviewed on news programmes during the day. Their call was timed to coincide with a day-long summit organised by the Department of Health and Medical Research Council (MRC) which brought together … Continue reading Sums and summitry
'….and charities'
A huge tome literally fell into my lap this morning. So heavy was the 151 page brochure from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) that it broke through the botton of the envelope in which it was sent. Coincidentally as I began to flick through its glossy pages this morning, the Office for … Continue reading '….and charities'
Charities and the media
Today I hotfooted it (literally in the 30c+ heat!) to the World Conference for Science Journalists (WCSJ) taking place at Central Hall in London. I was taking part in a debate on the question: 'Is the growing influence of PR on science journalism in the public interest?' The other speakers included Ben Goldacre from the … Continue reading Charities and the media
Continental drift or moving target?
Science would seem to be on the move again. Last week's reshuffle saw the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) - including the science portfolio - merge with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) to become the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) under Lord Mandelson. Its worth reminding ourselves at this … Continue reading Continental drift or moving target?
Science in Europe
Hats off to the Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE) who were the only science organisation as far as I know to approach the political parties about their policies on science ahead of this week's European elections. And no, I am not just saying that because I happen to sit on CaSE's Executive Committee. There … Continue reading Science in Europe
Charities in the recession part 2
I was quite pleased with the media coverage that we got yesterday for our press briefing on the effects of the economic downturn on medical research charities. I felt that we had got the difficult news out but had also managed to convey some positive messages about what our members are doing and what the public and … Continue reading Charities in the recession part 2
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