CaSE at the 2017 party conferences

Read a summary of CaSE’s activities and political engagement over the party conference season this Autumn.

Over the last month CaSE has attended Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat party conferences, engaging in a wide-range of panel events and one-on-one meetings.

It all started in late September when Executive Director Dr Sarah Main headed down to Bournemouth to take part in a panel event at Liberal Democrat party conference. The event, entitled ‘Tomorrow’s world: are our science and innovation plans fit for purpose? was organised by Prospect and Sarah spoke alongside the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Lord Fox.

A week later, Deputy Director Naomi Weir journeyed further along the south coast to Brighton for Labour party conference. Over a busy two days Naomi took part in a Brexit roundtable with Clare Moody MEP and Paul Blomfield MP, as well as holding one-on-one meetings with Alex Mayer MEP and Daniel Zeichner MP. Naomi also attended a National Academies breakfast event on R&D, a Fabian roundtable on the industrial strategy, a Centre for Progressive Capitalism event on the technical skills challenge of Brexit, and a digital tools roundtable organised by the BioIndustry Association and the Association of Medical Research Charities

Then in October CaSE Director Dr Sarah Main travelled to Manchester for Conservative party conference and another packed schedule. Sarah spoke on several panel events, including a BioIndustry Association event on innovation as the UK leaves the EU, and a Policy Exchange event ‘A nuclear reactor in every town?’ Sarah also held meetings with senior representatives from the British Heart Foundation and the Epilepsy Society.

Sarah also attended a HEPI event on the industrial strategy, a CBI and BVCA discussion on growth and prosperity, a Centre for Social Justice event on productivity, and the National Academies breakfast event on delivering growth and prosperity for the UK. The National Academies held breakfast events at all three party conferences and they were all chaired by CaSE Chair Professor Graeme Reid. You can read a seperate blog regarding his thoughts on how research and innovation featured in this years political party conferences here.