Science is Global Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2019 The Royal Society’s fundamental purpose, reflected in its founding Charters of the 1660s, is to recognise, promote, and support excellence in science and to encourage the development and use of science for the benefit of humanity. The Society is a self-governing Fellowship of distinguished scientists drawn from all areas of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine. The Society has played a part in some of the most fundamental, significant, and life-changing discoveries in scientific history and Royal Society scientists – our Fellows and those people we fund – continue to make outstanding contributions to science and help to shape the world we live in. Discover more online at: royalsociety.org BELGIUM AUSTRIA 3 1 NETHERLANDS GERMANY 5 12 CZECH REPUBLIC SWITZERLAND 3 2 CANADA POLAND 8 1 Charity Case study: Africa As a registered charity, the Royal Society Professor Cheikh Bécaye Gaye FRANCE undertakes a range of activities that from Cheikh Anta Diop University 25 provide public benefit either directly or in Senegal, Professor Daniel Olago from the University of indirectly. These include providing financial SPAIN UNITED STATES Nairobi in Kenya, Dr Michael OF AMERICA 18 support for scientists at various stages Owor from Makerere University of their careers, funding programmes 33 in Uganda and Professor Richard that advance understanding of our world, Taylor from University College organising scientific conferences to foster London are working on ways to discussion and collaboration, and publishing sustain low-cost, urban water supply and sanitation systems scientific journals. MEXICO CUBA in Africa. They are funded by 26 1 the Royal Society-DFID Africa Capacity Building Initiative. Fellowship As a fellowship of outstanding scientists Case study: Cuba GHANA embracing the entire scientific landscape, Dr Tania Farías Piñeira from the 8 the Society recognises excellence and University of Havana in Cuba elects Fellows and Foreign Members is working with Dr Francisco Garcia-Garcia from the ECUADOR from all over the world. University of Edinburgh on 1 improvements to the industrial process of conversion of BRAZIL National Academy methane to methanol, in order 32 As a national academy, the Society represents to create more sustainable and the UK and collaborates with international affordable sources of energy. This work is funded through partners to advocate for science and its the Society’s International benefits. It provides authoritative and CHILE Exchanges Scheme. 3 independent advice on matters of URUGUAY science that support the public good, 1 including policies that promote excellent science and scientific issues that inform public policy. ARGENTINA 12 Our heritage 1660 1673 1736 The Royal Society is Dutch microscope-maker and natural The Copley Medal is established from an founded, following a historian Antonie van Leeuwenhoek endowment of £100 received from the estate of lecture by Christopher FRS (1632 – 1723) sends the first Sir Godfrey Copley in 1709. It is the world’s oldest Wren at Gresham College. letter of observations to the Society, scientific honour, a prestigious forerunner of the commencing a ground-breaking Nobel Prize. 50 years of original research from the Netherlands. Philosophical Transactions The first Foreign Secretary President of the Society, Joseph Banks, of the Royal Society is of the Society is appointed, begins ‘conversaziones’ as an opportunity published. This journal 59 years before the UK for Fellows to demonstrate their cutting- established the concepts Government appoints its edge research to the rest of the Fellowship. of scientific priority and first Foreign Secretary. These have since developed into the peer review. annual public Summer Science Exhibition. 1665 1723 1778 UNITED Case study: United Kingdom KINGDOM Understanding how bones AUSTRIA 2,016 1 respond to stress during growth and development is the area GERMANY 12 of research of Professor Kate SWEDEN Robson Brown from the SWITZERLAND University of Bristol. She is an 3 FINLAND 2 Apex award holder. 3 RUSSIA IRELAND 12 35 DENMARK 3 UKRAINE 1 FRANCE ROMANIA 25 12 UZBEKISTAN TURKEY 1 SOUTH KOREA ITALY 12 SPAIN 18 2 18 CYPRUS JAPAN MOROCCO 1 CHINA 19 ISRAEL 1 204 EGYPT 10 2 BANGLADESH HONG KONG TAIWAN UNITED ARAB SENEGAL 1 8 9 Case study: India 3 EMIRATES Professor Bimal Roy of the 1 MYANMAR THE GAMBIA (FORMERLY VIETNAM Indian Statistical Institute, 1 INDIA BURMA) 4 PHILIPPINES Kolkata and Professor Feng Hao 78 1 THAILAND 2 of the University of Warwick NIGERIA 11 were awarded an International GHANA 4 CAMEROON Collaboration Award to combine 8 2 UGANDA their cryptography and statistical 5 MALAYSIA INDONESIA expertise to develop a new KENYA 12 4 generation of e-voting systems in DRC 7 India that are secure, dependable 1 TANZANIA and easy to use. They also aim to 2 make the new e-voting system ZAMBIA MALAWI accessible to voters with low or 1 2 no literacy, and to disabled and MADAGASCAR older voters. ZIMBABWE 7 BOTSWANA 1 MAURITIUS 1 7 AUSTRALIA 13 SOUTH AFRICA 24 NEW ZEALAND 2 Map showing the number of researchers holding a Royal Society grant award in 2018/19 1787 1851 1946 Astronomer, Caroline Herschel, The British Government awards the Society The Society hosts the first of its is the first female scientist to its first annual government grant of £1,000 conferences for Commonwealth have a paper published in to be distributed for ‘private individual scientists, opened by the then Princess Philosophical Transactions. scientific research’. Elizabeth. Among the discussions are contributions on ‘methods of improving interchange of scientists’. The British Government approves the first of what will The Society’s Tropical Diseases Committee The Society establishes a research become a global network of observatories, attempting begins to research malaria and other ailments, base at Halley Bay, Antarctica. Here in to measure the Earth’s magnetic field. Led by Edward particularly in Africa. As a result, Sir David 1985, dramatic losses in the ozone layer Sabine FRS (1788 – 1883), later President of the Bruce FRS (1855 – 1931) elucidates the role are observed and the base remains an Society, the scheme enables Sabine to link variations of the tsetse fly in sleeping sickness. important location for climate research. in the Earth’s magnetism with solar cycles. 1839 1904 1956 SCIENCE IS GLOBAL 1 At a glance Contents Strategic report At a glance 1 REPORTSTRATEGIC President’s foreword 2 £114.7m 1,477 Executive Director’s report 4 total expenditure, 13% increase Fellows Public benefit statement 6 from 2017/18 Our strategy at a glance 8 Where our income comes from 10 and how we spend it Strategy in action: promoting 12 excellence in science 1,176 170 Strategy in action: career tracker 16 researchers currently supported Foreign Members Strategy in action: supporting 18 through research fellowships international scientific collaboration Strategy in action: science and 22 the European Union GOVERNANCE Strategy in action: demonstrating 24 883 212 the importance of science to grants awarded employees everyone Strategy in action: science in 28 Africa Governance £84.7m 1,664 People 30 Financial review 34 grants awarded, 16% increase downloads of Greenhouse Principal risks and uncertainties 40 from 2017/18 gas removal report Governance 42 Statement of Trustees’ 44 responsibilities Independent auditor’s report 45 65 4.5m Financial statements STATEMENTS FINANCIAL Consolidated statement 48 countries where the Society people reached by of financial activities supported researchers #SummerScience Consolidated and Charity 49 in 2018/19 on social media balance sheets Consolidated statement 50 of cash flows Accounting policies 51 40m 38 Notes to the financial statements 54 downloads of papers from scientific meetings Other information our journals Reference and administrative 78 details Content TBC INFORMATION OTHER 1964 2011 2018/19 The Society increases funding for researchers by 16% to £84.7 million. Royal Society Wolfson The Society publishes The Society publishes a review of the success of 35 years of its Research Professor, Open Biology, its first University Research Fellowships supporting early career researchers. Dorothy Hodgkin, fully ‘open access’ The Society co-hosts, along with the US National Academy of becomes the UK’s only journal. © Godfrey Sciences and the Academy of Sciences of Hong Kong, a second female Nobel Prize Argent Studio international summit on human genome editing. winning scientist. Royal Society University Research Fellow, The Society will increase its funding for researchers to over £100 million. Kostya Novoselov, shares the Nobel Prize in Looking Physics with Andre Geim for their work on forward The Society will announce the first recipients of its FLAIR Fellowships graphene. This new form of carbon is only one supporting early career researchers in sub-Saharan Africa. atom thick but could lead to the manufacture of The Society will jointly convene an international commission to develop innovative electronics. principles, criteria, and standards for the possible clinical use of human 2010 germline genome editing. 2 THE ROYAL SOCIETY TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS President’s foreword 2018 marked 35 years of the Society’s University Research Fellowship scheme and 23 years of our Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowships. The UK needs a Brexit deal that: • Keeps highly-skilled scientists working in the UK and ensures that international