Annual Review 2016-17 Annual Review 2016-17 1 Contents 01 10 18 President’s Welcome Recognition & Relevance Financial Review 02 12 19 Chief Executive’s Championing Research Governance Review 14 20 03 Promoting Learning Fellowship at a Glance Our Goals and Scholarship 04 16 Celebrating and Inspiring Wales, UK and Europe 17 07 Independent advice Fellows Elected in 2017 President’s Welcome It has been another good year for the Learned Society. The national academy is increasingly out on the Society’s website. Our opinions recognised in Wales and beyond. The appear to be increasingly appreciated election of 44 Fellows brought the total of and sought. Working constructively with the Fellowship to over 460. Professor Mary governments and legislatures, while McAleese and Lord Stewart Sutherland preserving our independence, is proving were elected as Honorary Fellows. We look beneficial. forward to the lectures which they will give when formally inducted. Our cooperation with the established academies within the British Isles has Our strap line is simple - ‘celebrating strengthened, in considerable part in scholarship and serving the nation’. We forging a common response to the have pressed the case for research at every consequences of Brexit. These go beyond opportunity and whenever we feel that it is funding, movement of staff and students insufficiently appreciated. The emphasis on and research collaboration. Brexit raises education and encouragement of investment important constitutional issues to which we in research is fundamental to Wales’ future are seeking to draw attention. The Society’s prosperity. The higher education sector approach is outward looking, and we are, makes a vital contribution to the Welsh with our sister academies, involved with the economy and in particular to strengthening work of ALLEA, the European association of Wales’ future research capacity. Growing national academies. a skills base, attracting investment, and fostering innovation are prerequisites for a Our greatest resource is our Fellowship. The country on the western edge of Europe, the more Fellows are involved, the more we can more so after Brexit. accomplish. This will be particularly true if as we intend, we are to expand our activities We have promoted the quality of research in schools. in Wales, both inside and outside the nation, and communicated widely the success of I’m indebted to all those who served the our scholarship. Our portfolio of medals, Society during the year, particularly the previously five, has been augmented by the Fellows who sit on the various committees Hugh Owen medal for research in education. and panels, and to Professor Peter Halligan Recognition of talent and achievement and his colleagues who have done so much crucially inspires young academics and for your Society again this past year. Thank youth, demonstrating what is possible when you. ability is recognised, nurtured, and given opportunity. Sir Emyr Jones Parry This year again we have presented lectures and events across Wales for the benefit President of both Fellows and the public, and we are developing our engagement with schools. We have made many representations on behalf of the Fellowship. Details are set Annual Review 2016-17 1 Chief Executive’s Review Sustaining progress in uncertain times. The LSW continues to play a growing and Following the model of the Royal Society important role in Welsh society fulfilling of Edinburgh’s work with the Scottish its Royal Charter for “advancing learning Crucible, the LSW similarly contributes and knowledge, and promoting and to the evaluation and selection of contributing to scientific, cultural, social, Welsh Crucible candidates, and to the environmental and economic development subsequent competitive grant applications within Wales and beyond”. Over the last to the Welsh Crucible fund. This year, 12 months, the Society has continued to the Society and Welsh Crucible also strengthen its relationships with sister announced a new dedicated Welsh national academies in the UK and with Crucible Prize awarded to the best academies in Europe. In August 2016, the completed research project. Learned Society of Wales was formally incorporated as a Royal Charter Charity by In March 2017, Council agreed the need the Charity Commission. to review and develop a new strategic business plan for the next five year period With the aim of celebrating scholarship after 2018. As part of the preparation, the and serving the nation, the Society Society commissioned an independent continues to promote quality of research organisation to carry out a large series of from both inside and outside the nation. interviews and surveys exploring external Recognition of talent remains an perceptions of the organisation which will important objective of the Society and our allow stakeholders views to inform and growing portfolio of medals underlines shape the development of next five-year the Society’s commitment to reward strategy. distinction among STEMM, female, and early career researchers. Looking forward, key objectives remain ensuring that the society is financially The Society has been working closely sustainable and in due course to rename with other established academies within the society the Royal Society of Wales / the British Isles. Following the Brexit Cymdeithas Frenhinol Cymru. referendum we made several joint comments on subjects, such as the importance of European Union funding for research. In 2016, the Society supported three events at the successful British Science Festival, held at Swansea University, joined the Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE) as an organisational member and arranged for the publication of a featured open access article on growing research in Wales in Science one of the pre-eminent scientific Professor Peter Halligan journals. Chief Executive 2 www.learnedsociety.wales Our Goals The Learned Society of Wales (LSW) plays an important, and growing, role in Welsh society, working to advance and inspire education, learning, academic study and knowledge. The LSW is distinctive internationally The previous five-year Strategic Plan, because of its breadth of Fellowship, adopted in May 2013 prioritised which ranges across traditional academic “aspirational and ambitious” yet “realistic subjects but also business, arts practice and achievable” activities. and public service. The Society has taken the following steps The Society’s strengths lie in its to meet these ambitions: Fellowship, its staff, and in the close partnerships forged with universities, Increased the Secretariat to 5 members professions, business, industry and of staff (4.3 FTE) to help deliver the government. mission of the Society Since its foundation in 2010, the guiding Supported and organised over 100 principles for the Society remain its events which have reached diverse mission: audiences across Wales Secured on-going funding from each of to celebrate, recognise, preserve, Wales’s eight universities protect and encourage excellence in all of the scholarly disciplines, and in the Achieved Royal Charter Charity status professions, industry and commerce, the Developed a range of medals to arts and public service; recognise outstanding researchers to promote the advancement of learning connected to Wales and scholarship and the dissemination Strengthened its relationship with other and application of the results of national academies in the UK and academic enquiry and research; and Europe to act as a source of independent and Since 2013/14, the number of female expert scholarly advice and comment on Fellows has increased 50% to be more matters affecting the wellbeing of Wales representative in terms of gender and its people and to advance public balance. discussion and interaction on matters of national and international importance. Annual Review 2016-17 3 Celebrating and Inspiring Society Medals and Prizes The Society medals recognise academic excellence and also recover and promote a long legacy of Welsh achievement. Kirsty Williams AM, Cabinet Secretary for Education launches the Hugh Owen Medal at Aberystwyth University 4 www.learnedsociety.wales Five Menelaus Medals The second Frances have been awarded Hoggan Medal was in engineering and awarded for outstanding technology. female researchers in Celebrating (Supported by STEMM. SWIEET2007) (Supported by Welsh Government) and Inspiring The Society awarded The inaugural Hugh three inaugural Owen Medal, for Dillwyn Medals outstanding educational for early career research, is named in researchers in honour of Sir Hugh Owen STEMM, arts and (1804-1881) the Welsh humanities and the educator, philanthropist social sciences. and pioneer of higher (Supported by Airbus) education. (Supported by Welsh Government) The Hugh Owen medal was launched in in her laboratory are used to improve the November 2016 by Kirsty Williams AM, efficiency of solar cells, to develop smart the Cabinet Secretary for Education. The sensing platforms for bio-diagnostics and medal was awarded to Professor Chris to ensure food security, and to develop Taylor in recognition of his outstanding responsive membranes to improve water contribution to educational research, quality and remove pollutants, delivering which is not only methodologically positive benefits to society through ground-breaking but has also informed technological advances. the development of key education policies in Wales. Professor Taylor said “I am very Dr Rhiannon Evans, Senior Lecturer at honoured to have been awarded the first the DECIPHer