£2.5 million funding package for Edinburgh based social science communications centre
Released: 19 February 2010
Embargoed: 00:00 20/02/2010
Established in August 2004, and part of the ESRC Genomics Network (EGN), the Forum has quickly grown into a UK hub for social science knowledge exchange. As well as innovating new ways for scientists, policy-makers and the public to meet and debate how advances in medical research will affect our lives, the Forum works hard at connecting the EGN’s world leading social science research to the UK’s principal decision-makers.
Over the next 3 years, the Genomics Forum will run a programme of national and international activities including a joint conference with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris later this year, specialist short courses, workshops, seminars, public lectures and artist and writer in residence programmes. The Forum will continue to take an active role in relevant science, book and film festivals around the UK – including the Edinburgh International Book Festival - and other public engagement activities, and it has just launched its Bright Ideas programme providing an exciting opportunity for individuals to spend a period of time - anything between a few days and two months – working in residence with us.
Professor Steve Yearley, Director of the ESRC Genomics Forum stated,
“Perhaps as never before, the social and life sciences are entangled and intertwined. For example, UK regulators are currently considering what to do about direct-to-consumer genetic tests of dubious medical utility, health service managers are deciding whether to divert scarce funds towards screening and treatments 'personalised' according to people's genetic make-up. Plant scientists are wondering what kinds of innovation may lead to more efficient sources of biofuels. And the new field of synthetic biology promises potentially huge environmental benefits, but also raises the spectre of unknown environmental risks.
“All of these projects have key social and economic dimensions, and many pose direct ethical challenges or raise new questions for regulation and legal control. In recent years the ESRC has invested many millions of pounds in research examining these socio-economic realities. We view it both as our responsibility, and as an exciting opportunity, to make a leading contribution to national discussions about the future applications of life-sciences technologies.”
ENDS
Further Information
Professor Yearley is available for interview –please contact:
Emma-Elizabeth Capewell, Press Officer 0131 651 4746/ emma.capewell@ed.ac.uk
Contact name: Emma-Elizabeth Capewell, Press Officer 0131 651 4746/ emma.capewell@ed.ac.uk
Note to Editors:
1. The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is the UK's largest organisation for funding research on economic and social issues. It supports independent, high quality research which has an impact on business, the public sector and the third sector. The ESRC's planned total expenditure in 2009/10 is £204 million. At any one time the ESRC supports over 4,000 researchers and postgraduate students in academic institutions and independent research institutes.
2. The ESRC Genomics Policy and Research Forum was established in August 2004 and is based at the University of Edinburgh. The Forum is an innovative knowledge exchange organisation pioneering new ways to promote social research on the contemporary life sciences. As part of the ESRC Genomics Network (EGN), the Forum acts to integrate the diverse strands of social science research within and beyond the EGN; to develop links between social scientists and scientists working across the entire range of genomic science and technology; and to connect research in this area to policy makers, business, the media and civil society in the UK and abroad.
3. The ESRC Genomics Network (EGN), a £25 million investment by the Economic and Social Research Council examining the numerous aspects of the social and economic significance of genomics. The EGN spans 5 universities and involves over a hundred researchers, PhD students and support staff, as well as a rotating cast of visiting research fellows. Other centres in the network are Cesagen (Lancaster and Cardiff Universities), Egenis (Exeter University) and Innogen (Edinburgh and the Open Universities). The EGN conducts social science research into a wide variety of genomic developments including plant genomics, synthetic biology, genomics and healthcare systems and genomics and identity.
4. ESRC Genomics Forum Bright Ideas Programme provides an exciting opportunity for individuals to spend a period of time - anything between a few days and two months - in residence at the Forum.With comfortable, modern offices on Edinburgh's Royal Mile, we offer our visitors time and space to undertake a programme of work tailored to their own interests that can also contribute in some way to the Forum's aims and objectives. The scheme is open to anyone concerned with the social dimensions of genetics, genomics and the new life sciences, whether natural or medical scientists, medical practitioners, social scientists, artists, writers and musicians, policy makers and others working in public service and civil society, and individuals from the worlds of industry and commerce. For more information on the kinds of activities that might be undertaken visit www.genomicsnetwork.ac.uk/forum
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