Science and Innovation Network
Strong science and innovation policies must be at the heart of
any sustainable UK strategy for economic recovery. To be a
global hub for business the UK needs also to be networked with the
best science and technology. Global challenges such as climate
change require the ability to engage other governments with sound
science and find more innovative solutions
internationally. International collaboration is fundamental to
our endeavours in these areas. For these reasons, the Department
for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)
and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) jointly fund a
network of Science and Innovation Officers overseas.
The Guiding Principles
The work of the network is guided by the following
objectives:
Influence
- Science and innovation policies of governments, businesses and
academia influenced to benefit the UK through lobbying and
deployment of robust scientific evidence
- UK policy development informed through identifying good
practice internationally.
Opportunity
- International science collaboration of best with best
facilitated to the benefit of the UK.
- International innovation collaboration facilitated to augment
UK capabilities.
In addition to using diplomacy to benefit UK science, science
can be used to benefit diplomacy, sometimes giving common ground
for engagement even when international relationships may stall in
other areas.
Our role in transnational education (TNE)
The distinct role of the Science and Innovation Network
complements the work of other key partners such as UK Trade &
Investment (UKTI), the British Council,
Research Councils UK (RCUK) and the Department for
International Development (DFID). These and other
partners are central to the setting of priorities. They are
consulted and included in the development of business plans.
The S and I Network SIN teams are often co-located with main
partners and in some cases have dual roles, for example, dividing
their time between SIN and UKTI priorities. An example of
this close collaboration with partners was the US SIN team working
closely with UKTI on a Trade mission to the UK that resulted in
four US companies establishing a UK presence on the Harwell Science
and Innovation Campus.
The Science and Innovation Network seeks to foster strategic
partnerships across government. This is exemplified through
its work with the UK Government Office for Science in particular,
in promoting the international dissemination and impact of the
Foresight Programme's major reports. This has led to the
development of valuable opportunities to showcase UK scientific
excellence. It has also helped forge productive international
research and policy links that focus, for example, on the long-term
sustainable management of flood risk and public health.
Contact details
Visit our website and
click
here for all of our key contacts around the world.