8 November 2016 Programme
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Programme 8 November 2016 BAFTA, London Huxley Summit Agenda 2016 3 Contents Agenda Agenda page 3 08:30 Registration Chapters page 4 09:00 Chapter 1: State of the nation Trust in the 21st Century page 6 Why trust matters page 8 10:30 Coffee and networking Speakers page 12 11:10 Chapter 2: Who do we trust? Partners page 18 12:20 Lunch and networking Attendees page 19 Round table on corporate sponsored research Round table on reasons for failure 13:50 Chapter 3: Who will we trust? 15:20 Coffee and networking 16:00 Chapter 4: Who should we trust? 17:45 Closing remarks 18:00 Drinks reception A film crew and photographer will be present at the Huxley Summit. If you do not wish to be filmed or photographed, please speak to a member of the team at British Science Association. We encourage attendees to use Twitter during the Summit, and we recommend you use the hashtag #HuxleySummit to follow the conversations. 4 Huxley Summit 2016 Chapters 5 Chapter 1: Chapter 2: Chapter 3: Chapter 4: State of the nation Who do we trust? Who will we trust? Who should we trust? The global events of 2016 have caused Many sections of business, politics and The public need to be engaged and Trust and good reputations are hard many people to question who they trust. public life have had a crisis of public informed on innovations in science won but easily lost. What drives How is this affecting the role of experts trust in recent years, but who do we trust and technology that are set to have consumers’ decision making and how and institutions? How can leaders from with science? And what can we learn a big impact on their lives and the can we drive trust in our businesses across politics, business, science and from the handling of different areas of world around them. With technological and institutions? How can leaders from the arts create a flourishing, creative science and innovation? progress comes a greater need for across politics, business, science and and innovative society, workforce and accountability, for creating public the arts regain the trust of society? How Speakers: economy against this backdrop? discussion and for ensuring a shared can collaboration and innovation drive Lady Barbara Judge, Chair of the vision between power and the people. greater openness, transparency and Speakers: Institute of Directors What experts, institutions and systems economic benefits for both the good of Lord David Willetts, Chair of the Sir David Spiegelhalter, Winton are we going to trust in the future? society and UK plc? British Science Association Professor for the Public Understanding Speakers: Speakers: Professor Alice Roberts, Anatomist of Risk at the University of Cambridge Baroness Martha Lane-Fox, Matt Ridley, Journalist and Author and Broadcaster Julia King, Baroness Brown of Founder of lastminute.com and Sacha Romanovitch, Chief Executive Cambridge DBE, Crossbench member Daniel Susskind, Author and Lecturer Chair of Doteveryone.org.uk of Grant Thornton LLP UK of the House of Lords in Economics at the University of Vinay Gupta, Technologist and Oxford Baroness Onora O’Neill, Dr Julia Shaw, Lecturer in Criminology Policy Analyst Professor of Philosophy at the and Psychology at London South Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical University of Cambridge Bank University Dame Wendy Hall, Professor of Officer for England Computer Science at the University Karen Blackett OBE, Chair of of Southampton MediaCom UK Sir Nigel Shadbolt, Professor of Edwina Dunn, Co-founder of Lunchtime round tables Artificial Intelligence at the University Dunnhumby and Chair of the Corporate sponsored research of Oxford Your Life campaign Speaker: Professor Gillian Leng, Richard Wiseman, Professor of Public Ed Williams, Chief Executive, Deputy Chief Executive, NICE Understanding of Psychology at the Edelman UK Reasons for failure University of Hertfordshire Speaker: Professor Joyce Tait, Director of Innogen Centre, University of Edinburgh Drinks reception with a performance from comedian Matt Forde Chapters 6 Huxley Summit 2016 Trust in the 21st Century 7 Rt Hon. the Lord David Willetts This was a pivotal moment in the During my tenure as Universities and Chair of the British Science Association public’s understanding of - and opinion Science Minister, I sometimes found - on evolution, and arguably one of myself as the only non-scientist at the Association’s biggest historical meetings or events. I like to think of As Chair of the British Science contributions to making science a myself as a rational thinker, champion Association, I am delighted to fundamental part of culture. of evidence, and fascinated by how things connect. I am therefore delighted welcome you to today’s event: Then, evolution was controversial that the Huxley Summit provides a because it was contrary to religious our inaugural Huxley Summit. platform to bring together leaders from orthodoxy. Darwin and Huxley were different sectors – not just science – to The Summit is named after outliers, but ultimately the theory discuss the big challenges we face in of evolution and Darwinian thinking ‘Darwin’s bulldog’, self-taught the 21st century. scientist Thomas Huxley fundamentally changed our society, who argued for Darwin’s and how we view the world and our The Summit comes at an opportune place in it. time, after the EU Referendum and on theory of evolution against the day of the US Election, and I hope Today, the world faces key scientific the Bishop of Oxford, Samuel that we can use today as an opportunity and social challenges that can only be Wilberforce, the famous to question, discuss and agree new ways overcome by different sectors of society, to build trust in science and technology Huxley-Wilberforce debate, business and industry working together to advance society. which took place at the British – challenges that cannot be fixed by Science Association’s annual scientists alone. meeting in Oxford in 1860. The aim of the Huxley Summit is to bring together leaders from both within and beyond science to discuss and debate radical ideas for using science to advance society. This year we are doing that through the lens of trust. We’ve challenged our speakers to embody the spirit of Huxley by questioning and challenging us all on the issue of trust in experts, in expertise and in institutions. 21st century Trust in the Trust 8 Huxley Summit 2016 Why trust matters 9 Now, four months on, we can see the At the British Science Association, we Why trust matters immediate result of the vote to leave monitor the relationship between the European Union. The markets are science and society, and it’s complicated. volatile, the future is uncertain and On the surface, our trust in scientists is many of us are left trying to figure out very high – more people trust scientists Katherine Mathieson, what has caused the big divide in our to tell the truth (79%) than the police Chief Executive of the British Science country. Disillusionment, austerity and (53%) or the clergy (67%), according to Association misinformation have all been blamed for Ipsos MORI’s Veracity Index4. The Institute the polarised result. So what does this for Government also found that most of mean for science? us want experts to be involved in policy decisions (85%), and for their evidence to Throughout the Brexit debate, For centuries Britain, has been at the be used by politicians (83%)5. one comment stuck in my forefront of science and engineering. mind and seemed to resonate Science is not just part of our past, Delve a bit deeper and you find that this with people on both sides of a venerable heritage of a bygone trust is less robust than it first seems. era – it is part of our future; the UK’s Our research shows that only 12% of the the argument. Responding competitiveness and economy depends population actively seek out scientific to expert claims in June that on it. But when Mr Gove made this information, media content or events. Brexit would damage the UK statement, it made me wonder if our Around 52% are open to science but irreparably, Leave campaigner relationship with experts and scientists don’t actively seek it out, and 27% Michael Gove said the line that was changing. completely avoid it6. With the majority of our citizens disengaged from science, sent shivers down the spines Mr Gove’s comments are believable, can the trust they experience for experts since trust in many sectors has declined of our colleagues in all fields: be sustained and resilient? “People in this country have had sharply in recent years. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme says1 This low level of engagement suggests enough of experts”. that trust in the financial sector was that our relationship with science and shattered by the recession. Trust in expertise is based largely on blind charities has also dipped2 from a rating trust. We allow scientists and scientific of 6.7 to 5.7 since 2014, with people citing institutions to get on with their work, reasons such as aggressive fundraising often with public funding, without tactics and the collapse of Kids Company much questioning or scrutiny. We rely as the cause of this dip. Trust in MPs also on science to police itself. But who can fell after the expenses scandal according blame us when science is so inaccessible: to Ipsos MORI3. These events have shaken each academic article can cost upwards confidence in the people and institutions of £40 to read; funding decisions are we considered to be experts. made behind closed doors; and many scientists are not recognised or rewarded Are scientific experts next to undergo for their engagement with people a sharp decline in trust? And what could outside their profession.