30/11/09 Nick Dusic met the Times newspaper

30/1//09 CaSE attended a Times Higher Education debate at the Wellcome Trust on the future of UK science, led by Lord Drayson

30/11//09 Hilary Leevers met with Michael Speet at Breast Cancer Campaign

27/1//09 CaSE met with Unilever

26/11/09 CaSE attended NESTA’s launch of the pilot version of the Innovation Index with Lord David Currie, Chair of the Index Advisory Board, Stian Westlake, NESTA's Policy & Research Unit and Sir John Chisholm, NESTA's Chairman. During questions, Hilary Leevers emphasised the importance of making sure that the index does not detract from the goal of lifting R&D investment to more internationally competitive levels.

25/11/09 Department of Health R&D Budget at risk
CaSE has responded to the Secretary of State for Health's announcement that the DOH will be 'reprioritising' millions of pounds from health research and development to pay the costs of the government's new Social Care Bill. Speaking in the Times newspaper, CaSE Director Nick Dusic, said: “This is extremely disturbing as the NHS budget was supposed to be ringfenced to protect long-term investment into the health needs of this country. In any department any raid on the R&D budget is supposed to be discussed first with the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser. If they’ve breached this process it’s an extremely worrying development that needs to be looked into.”
Read the Times article

24/11/09 Nick Dusic was a panelist with Ian Diamond and Sandra Nutley to discuss and debate impact at the NESTA crucible

24/11/09 Hilary Leevers attended a roundtable Reform lunch with David Laws MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, on education policy

23/11/09 Cambridge Science Policy Debate
CaSE attended the Cross-Party Debate on UK Science Policy at Robinson College, Cambridge, between Lord Drayson (Minister for Science & Innovation), Adam Afriyie MP (Shadow Minister for Science & Innovation) and Dr Evan Harris MP (Liberal Democrat Science Spokesman).The debate was chaired by Professor Ian Leslie, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research at the University of Cambridge and organised by Cambridge Network. CaSE Assistant Director Hilary Leevers asked the panel what they would like to see as their crowning achievement as science minister. Mr Afriyie said he would like to see science "integrated into early states of policymaking process". Dr Harris said that he would like to see every science A level and GCSE lesson taught by a teacher with a degree in the subject. Lord Drayson said that he would like to see through the ten year spending plan, maintaining the ring-fenced science budget. CaSE looks forward to developing this discussion further at the science policy debate between the three science spokesmen, to be held at the Institution of Engineering and Technology on January 13.
Register for the January 2010 debate.
CaSE's notes on the Cambridge debate, November 2009
Watch the video at Cambridge Network

CaSE will be holding their own science policy debate between the three science spokesmen on January 13 at the Institution of Engineering and Technology. Register here.

23/11/09 Hilary Leevers met with SCORE

19/11/09 CaSE attended a Sense About Science evening reception

19/11/09 Nick Dusic had a meeting with the Science Media Centre

18/11/09 Children, Schools and Families Bill
The Children, Schools and Families Bill was announced in today’s Queen’s Speech. The Campaign for Science & Engineering calls on politicians to ensure that the Bill includes a statutory duty for all schools to offer interested and able students three separate biology, physics and chemistry GCSEs (triple science). Dr Hilary Leevers, Assistant Director of CaSE, commented: “Current targets and entitlements have failed to make sure that schools teach triple science. The Children, Schools and Families Bill must go further by including a statutory duty that ensures that all schools offer interested and able students triple science. The government has a legislative opportunity to deal with this inequality in science education."
Read the press release
Read the briefing for the Queen's Speech Debate

17/11/09 CaSE took part in GO-Science meeting at the Royal Association of Engineers

17/11/09 CaSE met with Sense About Science

16/11/09 CaSE attended the Society of Biology's Science Communication Awards

16/11/09 Nick Dusic met with CBI

16/11/09 Hilary Leevers participated in a workshop hosted by Sir Mark Walport for the Science and Learning Expert Group at the Wellcome Trust.

12/11/09 Hilary Leevers, CaSE Assistant Director, participated in an Agora discussion meeting on the future of universities with Oliver Letwin, Chairman of the Conservative Party's Policy review.

12/11/09 Nick Dusic attended a Times Eureka breakfast event

11/11/09 Hilary Leevers attended a Foundation for Science and Technology debate on a national infrastructure for the 21st century.

11/11/09 Nick Dusic traveled to Edinburgh for Science and the Parliament organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Royal Society Edinburgh.

10/11/09 CaSE met with the British Ecological Society

09/11/09 Nick Dusic met with the Society of Biology

04/11/09 Forced resignation of Professor Nutt
The sacking of Professor Nutt from his position as Chair of the Advisory Council on Misuse of Drugs has raised serious questions about the scientific advisory system. CaSE has produced a briefing on strengthening guidelines on scientific advice following this affair.

03/11/09 CaSE met with Kings College London