The Royal Society of Edinburgh AN NUALRE VIEW April 2007 – March 2008 ROYALSOCIETYOFEDINBURGH AN NUALRE VIEW 07 I 08 Welcome from the President The Royal Society of Edinburgh has had a particularly In an age of celebrity obsession it strikes me as productive year. The fruits have been the result of important that we recognise and celebrate those who Fellows of the Society giving freely of their time and make a genuine contribution to the wellbeing and expertise, supported by a professional RSE staff. advancement of society. Many people have agreed The contribution of funding partners has, as ever, been that there is not enough recognition in Scotland of this invaluable. To all of you, I offer my thanks. Like good modest Edinburgh-born genius who died aged 48. I have gardeners, we are always looking ahead to the next received excellent support in raising funds locally and season and indeed well beyond. The RSE has a strategic from around the world. It is a great pleasure, as I framework that provides clear direction and a healthy approach the end of my Presidency to anticipate the degree of continuity. It also brings an imperative to unveiling of this fine statue in Edinburgh’s George Street make the most of new opportunities. As the case close to the present building of the RSE, of which studies in this publication show, strategic alliances with Clerk Maxwell was a Fellow. the RSE make a tangible difference to people’s lives. I am delighted that Lord Wilson of Tillyorn is to be my Evaluation is important, but we also recognise that successor as President from October 2008. Lord Wilson inspiration, (like the sapling trees I planted 30 years has a wealth of experience upon which to draw. As the ago in Perthshire), can take time to mature. So, Society’s International Convener, Lord Wilson contributed whilst reflecting upon just some of the Society’s greatly to the success and development of our work in achievements, we do so with an eye to the future. enhancing Scotland’s global collaboration. His leadership The future of civilisation, as we know it today, will help drive forward the public benefit activities of was something that James Clerk Maxwell altered, the Society in Scotland and internationally. fundamentally. Our modern technological society, from the computer to telecommunications, rests firmly on the foundations of electromagnetism established by Clerk Maxwell. Albert Einstein was one of Maxwell’s great admirers and it was Maxwell’s emphasis on RSE President Sir Michael Atiyah, the basic role of fields of force that led Einstein to OM, FRS, PRSE, HonFREng, HonFMedSci, HonFFA his general theory of relativity and the modern understanding of gravity. Much of my time in the past year has been occupied in orchestrating the creation of a monument to Clerk Maxwell by the Sculptor, Alexander Stoddart (pictured above, centre) ROYALSOCIETYOFEDINBURGH AN NUALRE VIEW 07 I 08 providing public benefit through: increasing the number of world-class science and culture researchers working in Scotland Arts & Humanities Awards Following the success of the Society’s pilot scheme in Arts and Humanities in 2007, the development phase of this new scheme was advanced with the introduction of Research Networks which are designed to create and/or to consolidate collaborative partnerships over a two year period. ‘Partnerships’ may be defined in a range of ways, and may involve collaboration between colleagues in different disciplines (which may extend into areas beyond the arts and humanities), in different HEIs, and/or in HEIs and Scottish Cultural Institutions. Two Network awards were made in early 2008 along with three Workshop awards. The Society plans to continue the development of this award scheme by providing small research grants in 2008/09. Recognising Excellence The Royal Medals of the Royal Society of Edinburgh are its most prestigious awards recognising research excellence and scholarship. The 2007 medals were awarded to Sir Thomas McKillop FRSE, (pictured right – back) for his outstanding contribution to business and public service in Scotland and internationally, particularly in the fields of biotechnology and finance; to Professor John Laver CBE FRSE (back – middle) for his outstanding contributions to the Humanities and Social Sciences, particularly in the field of phonetics, and his inspired academic leadership; and, to Professor Sir David Carter FRSE, (left – back) for his outstanding contribution to Life Sciences as a Surgeon, a clinical academic and a leader in the field both nationally and internationally. The awards were presented by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, KG, KT at the RSE Summer Soirée held at Edinburgh’s Telford College in July. The evening also marked the 250th Anniversary of the birth of Thomas Telford. At the meeting Dr Andrew Viterbi was awarded the inaugural IEEE/RSE/Wolfson, James Clerk Maxwell Award. (pictured front – left with HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and Sir Michael Atiyah). Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland In 1999 Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland began funding research awards administered by the RSE. Since then, 29 academic researchers have been funded for research into the medical, psychological, sociological or economic consequences of ageing. In 2007, one three-year Personal Fellowship, one year-long Support Fellowship, and one three-year Research Studentship were awarded. Funding was also made available for Research Workshops and the first two of these were awarded to Marion McGee-Lennon of the University of Glasgow, on behalf of Mobilising Advanced Technologies for Care at Home (MATCH), for a workshop entitled Including Stakeholders in the Design of Home Care Technology and a joint project between Dr Kathleen Riach of the University of Glasgow and Dr Wendy Lorreto of the University of Edinburgh for a project entitled, The changing working lives of the over-50s: control, choice and flexibility. >2 ROYALSOCIETYOFEDINBURGH AN NUALRE VIEW 07 I 08 providing public benefit through: increasing Scotland’s research and development connections internationally International Agreements – Pakistan and India The RSE’s International Programme continued to grow. In November, the Society announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with The Pakistan Academy of Sciences (PAS). The agreement was signed by the PAS President and Special Advisor to the Prime Minister, Dr Ishfaq Ahmed and the RSE President, Sir Michael Atiyah. Dr Ahmed was on a three-day visit to Edinburgh, during which time he also met with representatives of the Scottish Government, visited the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh and spent time with the Principal and post-graduate students at the University of Strathclyde. In December, a similar Memorandum of Understanding was signed with The Indian National Science Academy (INSA). This was signed by the INSA President, Dr R A Mashelkar and Sir Michael. Both agreements set out the commitment to facilitate and support research collaboration between Scotland and these countries and to fund academic exchanges through the RSE’s International Exchange Bilateral Programme. Annual European Lecture – Ján Figel’ The Annual EU lecture was given in June by Ján Figel’, Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth, (pictured) on the subject of Reforming Europe’s Universities – Why and How? Commissioner Figel’, a European Commissioner since 2004, said that he sees his remit as central to the future success of the European Union. He stated “The Union’s goal, as set down in the 2000 Lisbon strategy, is to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world and this can only be achieved through education and training. European universities have a potentially vital role but are currently failing to deliver all that is required of them”. In keeping with his desire for dialogue, the Commissioner’s lecture was followed by a lively Q&A session in which he acknowledged that university funding is a political issue but argued that, in addition to demanding better value from current spend, increased funding is essential if universities are to develop their potential along the lines he described. The full lecture is available on the RSE website. Joint Project with Chinese Researchers The RSE agreed a Memorandum of Understanding with The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) in July 2007. This was signed by the NSFC Vice-President Professor Zuoyan Zhu and Professor Sir Neil McCormick FBA, FRSE, the then RSE International Convenor. In this context the NSFC brought a delegation to Scotland in March 2008, comprising eight senior academics and three NSFC staff members to participate in a two-day workshop at the RSE on Management Science, Engineering and Public Policy. The visit provided opportunities for Scotland and China-based researchers to interact and to identify areas of mutual interest with the expectation of progressing collaborative research. Fiona Hyslop MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning (pictured with RSE Vice-President, Tariq Durrani and Professor Wei Zhang, Deputy Director, Department of Management Sciences of the NSFC) met the delegation, and delegates also spent time at universities in Edinburgh and Glasgow. The RSE is looking forward to supporting reciprocal visits to China as an outcome of the workshop. >3 ROYALSOCIETYOFEDINBURGH AN NUALRE VIEW 07 I 08 providing public benefit through: improving connections between business and academia Gannochy Trust Innovation Award The Gannochy Trust Innovation Award of the Royal Society of Edinburgh