30/10/08 Meeting with Ian Taylor MP
CaSE's director, Nick Dusic, met with Ian Taylor MP (Conservative Party member of the CaSE Advisory Council) to discuss CaSE's work and Mr Taylor's recent article on "Why a Tory government should make science a priority".
read the article

28/10/08 IoP Roundtable
CaSE's director, Nick Dusic, attended a roundtable discussion in the Houses of Parliament on the impact of fundamental physics research. The meeting was well attended by members from both Houses. CaSE will be following up this theme in its next Opinion Forum on the Impact of the Science and Engineering Research Base in January, which is being co-sponsored by the Institute of Physics.

28/10/08 Sutton Trust Report
CaSE welcomed the publication of the Sutton Trust's report on "Increasing higher education participation amongst disadvantaged young people and schools in poor communities". The report had two recommendations specifically targeted at the core sciences and mathematics, which were to give the subjects greater weight and increased funding through bursaries. These recommendations support CaSE's proposals for Higher UCAS Points for STEM Subjects and a STEM Diversity Bursary Scheme. Commenting CaSE's Director, Nick Dusic, said "It is now time that innovative proposals are put in place to give aspiring young scientists and engineers from disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to go on to higher education".
read the report

24/10/08 CaSE met with QinetiQ.

23/10/08 CaSE met with AstraZeneca.

22/10/08 CaSE met with the Royal Geographical Society (with the IGB)

21/10/08 UK R&D Figures
CaSE Advisory Council Members, Baroness Sharp (Lib Dem) and Lord May (Cross Bench) probed the Government on how it was progressing on meeting the 2.5% of GDP being spent on R&D by 2014 and how the UK compared against other competitor countries in terms of R&D spending. Commenting CaSE's Director, Nick Dusic, said "The Government has made progress in terms of increasing investment in the science base, but there is still a long way to go before the UK is investing at the same level as other countries."
read the debate

16/10/08 CaSE met with BAE Systems.

15/10/08 End of SATS
CaSE welcomed the Secretary of State for Education's announcement that there will no longer be tests at the end of Key Stage 3. CaSE has recommended that the Government takes a step back from testing so that teachers have more space to engage their students in science and mathematics. CaSE has written to the DCSF to seek clarification on how the changes will affect the triple science "entitlement" at GCSE which is determined by achievement at Key Stage 3.

15/10/08 CaSE's director, Nick Dusic, met with the Science, Technology and Mathematics Team at the British Library.

10/10/08 CaSE had meetings with Shell UK and Thales UK.

09/10/08 Shadow Science Minister
CaSE attended a presentation by the Shadow Science Minister, Adam Afriyie, at NESTA.

03/10/08 Energy and Climate Change Department
CaSE welcomed the creation of the new Department for Energy and Climate Change. Commenting on its creation, Nick Dusic, CaSE's director, said "It is critical that the new Department puts science and engineering at the heart of its mission. It needs to appoint a Chief Scientific Adviser, create a Scientific Advisory Council and have a substantial R&D budget."

03/10/08 New Science Minister
CaSE welcomes Lord Drayson as Minister of State, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. Commenting Nick Dusic, CaSE's director, said "The Prime Minister has shown his commitment to science by having Lord Drayson attend Cabinet and sit on the National Economic Committee. Lord Drayson has the opportunity to put science at the heart of decision-making in Government. During these uncertain times it is critical that the Government strengthens its commitment to scientific research and skills. The National Economic Committee has a critical role in ensuring cross-departmental action to make the UK a world leader in science and engineering. We look forward to working with Lord Drayson to make sure that science and engineering are a priority across Government."

02/10/08 Wakeham Review
CaSE welcomed the Wakeham Review of UK Physics. Commenting Nick Dusic, CaSE's director, said "The review makes important recommendations on how to improve both physics and science policy in the UK. It is critical that the Government responds constructively to the report's conclusions."
Read the Review

02/10/08 Dr Hilary Leevers, CaSE's Assistant Director, met with Michael Reiss, Professor of Science Education at the Institute of Education, University of London, to discuss current developments in science education policy.

01/10/08 CaSE's Finance and General Purposes Committee met today.

01/10/08 CaSE on the Today Programme
Nick Dusic, CaSE's director, was on the Radio 4’s Today programme this morning, commenting on the government’s investment in science and their strategies to increase the impact of this investment. CaSE’s next Opinion Forum will be looking at this issue.
Listen to the programme