Annual Review and Accounts 2018-19
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Annual Review and Accounts 2018-19 Annual Review 2018-19 1 Contents President’s Our Strategy for Welcome 04 2018-2023 Championing I commend to you the Learned Society’s 05 Research Annual Review and Accounts for 2018/19. Contributing The Society has had another good 08 Expertise year of progress, during which we adopted an ambitious strategic plan Promoting Learning for 2018 to 2023. That plan highlights and Debate 10 the range of charitable goals that our work encompasses – with benefits for Developing the researchers, policy-makers, schools and Fellowship 13 indeed Welsh society as a whole. Fellows Elected This year we have elected 48 new in 2019 14 Fellows, highlighting the excellence of the nominees’ contributions to the Fellowship at world of learning. We have also awarded a Glance 17 Medals to a number of highly talented researchers, including those showing Governance great potential at an early stage of their 18 careers. We have championed research and scholarship, inside and outside Wales, Financial conscious of the uncertainty engendered Review 19 by Brexit. This work has been amplified by our partnership with other national Introduction to academies, both at UK level and within 22 Accounts the other devolved nations. Once again Independent 26 Examiner’s Report Financial 28 Statements THE LEARNED SOCIETY OF WALES REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER 1168622 WWW.LEARNEDSOCIETY.WALES PRINTED ON 100% RECYCLED PAPER 2 www.learnedsociety.wales Looking to the future this year, we have offered expert opinion The year covered by this report spanned to government and legislatures on a range a wide range of activities, illustrating the of issues, and increasingly our considered Society’s far-reaching purpose. It also laid views are being heeded. the groundwork for our future ambitions. The Society has organised a strong range Our first national series of open-access of activities across Wales and beyond, events, Our Future Health, reinforced including a lecture series on health our status as a keen contributor to and our International Symposium on public discourse on key issues. We are sustainable prosperity. Our ambitions are now planning a second series, covering only limited by the resources available Wales’s international profile. to us. Chief among these are the contribution of our Fellows, who represent We consulted extensively with expertise across numerous academic researchers across Wales, informing our disciplines and in public life. Financially we plans for the establishment of a national are stable but, in a volatile environment, Early Careers Academy. We also talked we cannot afford to be complacent. to teachers about how we can use the Mobilising the potential of the Fellowship expertise of our Fellows and medallists to and broadening our revenue streams support and inspire pupils. are ongoing priorities. I look forward to leading our dedicated In conclusion, I would like to thank the staff team in the delivery of all of these Society’s staff, all those individuals who objectives over the coming year. have contributed to our work in diverse ways, and the universities in Wales for their generous support. Sir Emyr Jones Parry Martin Pollard President Chief Executive Annual Review 2018-19 3 Our Strategy for 2018-2023 We have adopted a new strategy, setting out a Strategic goals five-year ambition for the Society to become: 1. Champion research • More diverse – harnessing knowledge Deliver high-quality events, from a wider range of people celebrate excellence, and give • More effective – making stronger use of inspiration and support to expertise and measuring our impact early-career researchers • Broader in scope – reaching new audiences with our activities 2. Contribute expertise Coordinate expert responses To prepare the strategy, we spoke to our to consultations, support Fellows and to over 60 external stakeholders. evidence-based policy making, They told us that the Society had made a and harness our expertise to lead positive impact since its launch in 2010, with a conversations in key areas strong Fellowship and a respected independent voice in Welsh civic life. However, our role is not 3. Promote learning always clear; we need to tell a simpler, more and debate compelling story about what we do. We were Communicate our Fellows’ also encouraged to continue diversifying the achievements, inspire learners Fellowship, and to expand our appeal beyond in schools, and develop public the Society’s core membership. discussion of important issues Our new strategy addresses these important 4. Develop the Fellowship challenges head on. It also recognises that the Increase Fellows’ involvement in our Society operates in a challenging environment, work, elect a wider range of Fellows, as do many charities and higher education and work with organisations that bodies. We need to keep improving our support promote diversity for our core audiences – Fellows, universities and government – while developing new work with early career academics, school pupils and the wider public. 4 www.learnedsociety.wales Championing Research During the year, the Society gave a We strengthened our work on Wales platform to higher education research – Studies – the exploration, explanation and celebrated the contributions it makes and understanding of all things relating to society in Wales and beyond. to Wales and its relations with the wider world. Through our network of Our 2018 International Symposium universities, museums, libraries and other focused on the Ethics of Sustainable educational and cultural organisations, Prosperity for All. More than 50 we issued a call for case studies of academics, practitioners and policy- Wales-focused research. We will makers participated in the event, including launch a brochure highlighting these guests from South Africa, Australia and contributions in 2019-20. Sweden. Over seven panel sessions, they investigated the ethical issues and We also worked with partner academies to dilemmas that must be addressed to host two interdisciplinary events in Wales: achieve a sustainable and prosperous future for all. Visit our website for a full • Net Zero Wales 2040 – report on the Symposium, which was a partnership event with the Royal hosted by Magdalene College, Cambridge. Society, which brought together representatives from academia, Comments from participants: industry and government to consider how low-carbon innovations “I particularly appreciated the breadth could support the well-being of of experience from so many parts of the future generations world. It gave me a sense of Wales as a ‘connecting force’.” • Childhood Policy Review Workshop – hosted with the British “The discussions were insightful and Academy, this workshop gathered enriching in how to frame, understand academics, practitioners and civil and really rethink sustainable development society representatives to explore and prosperity.” the changing role of the state in the lives of children Annual Review 2018-19 5 The Society’s 2019 Medals Hugh Owen Medal Menelaus Medal For contributions to For excellence in engineering educational research and technology Winner: Professor Enlli Thomas, Winner: Professor Roger Owen FREng Bangor University FRS FLSW, Swansea University Professor Thomas was recognised for Professor Owen’s medal recognises his her expertise on the Welsh language, ground-breaking work in the simulation bilingualism, and studies into teaching, of problems in science and engineering learning and using Welsh. using computational methods. His methods have had an impact on almost all “It is a true privilege and an honour to have branches of engineering and on several been able to work in an area that is very scientific areas. close to my heart for over 20 years – the acquisition of Welsh and bilingualism “Due to the international appeal of in children – and it is wonderful to be computational modelling… this Medal is part of the national buzz as we develop one of the few awards that I have received strategies and evidence-based educational from Wales but, given the esteem with interventions in order to motivate more which science and technology is held in the users of Welsh by 2050.” nation, it is one that ranks very highly in my lists of achievements.” A world-leading environmental scientist, Frances Hoggan Medal Professor Murray works at the cutting For outstanding female edge of glaciology. She has blazed researchers in STEMM a trail in the innovative application Winner: of geophysics and remote sensing Professor Tavi Murray FLSW, techniques in this field. Swansea University 6 www.learnedsociety.wales Recognising excellence in research Dillwyn Medals - For outstanding early-career researchers Social Sciences, Economics Science, Technology, Engineering, and Business category Mathematics and Medicine category Winners: Dr Stuart Fox and Winners: Dr Rebecca Melen, Dr Luke Sloan, Cardiff University Cardiff University; Dr Emily Shepard, Swansea University Dr Fox was awarded the medal for his work on the study of political and civic Dr Melen has made an outstanding attitudes and behaviour – especially contribution to chemistry in the areas of young people’s political engagement catalysis and energy. She has developed during the EU referendum, Brexit, and the and utilised reagents for catalysing 2017 general election. chemical transformations, and has worked to make catalysis less toxic. Dr Sloan’s award-winning work has explored how social media, particularly Dr Shepard is a biologist with a global Twitter, can be used to further social reputation