journal The Journal of The Foundation for Science and Technology fstVolume 22 Number 2 March 2018 www.foundation.org.uk Editorial Sir David Cannadine: The role of the Academies in providing independent advice to Government An industrial strategy for the UK Lord Hennessy: Searching for a strategy that makes a difference Lord Heseltine: Establishing a strategy for the whole economy Lord Willetts: A tension at the heart of Government activity A business strategy for Scotland Professor Iain Gray: Translating research excellence into economic benefit Nora Senior: Plugging gaps in performance Dame Susan Rice: An ecosystem for business Paul Wheelhouse: Driving innovation Meeting air quality targets Dr Stephen Bryce: The energy emissions challenge Professor Frank Kelly: The health consequences of air pollution Diagnosing cancer earlier Sir Harpal Kumar: Early diagnosis has the potential to transform patient outcomes Dr Clare Turnbull: Using genetics to combat cancer The rise of machine learning Dr Mike Lynch: An opportunity or a threat to society? Dr Claire Craig: Giving society the confidence to embrace opportunities Amir Saffari: The potential to augment human efforts Dame Wendy Hall: The opportunities for the UK Comment Norman Lamb: The future of social care Obituary The Rt Hon Sir Brian Neill COUNCIL AND TRUSTEES COUNCIL CHIEF EXECUTIVE Chair Dr Dougal Goodman OBE FREng The Earl of Selborne* GBE FRS Deputy Chairs The Baroness O’Neill of Bengarve* CH CBE FBA FRS FMedSci Dr Mike Lynch* OBE FRS FREng DL President, The Royal Society Professor Polina Bayvel CBE FRS FREng Sir Venki Ramakrishnan PRS FMedSci Sir John Beddington CMG FRS FRSE HonFREng President, Royal Academy of Engineering Sir Leszek Borysiewicz FRS FRCP FMedSci FLSW Professor Dame Ann Dowling OM DBE FRS FREng The Lord Broers FRS FREng President, British Academy Sir Geoffrey Chipperfield KCB Sir David Cannadine PBA The Lord Haskel* President, The Academy of Medical Sciences The Lord Hennessy FBA Professor Sir Robert Lechler PMedSci Dr Julian Huppert President, The Royal Society of Edinburgh Sir David King ScD FRS HonFREng Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell DBE FRS FRSE FRAS FInstP The Lord Krebs FRS FMedSci President, The Learned Society of Wales The Rt Hon Norman Lamb MP Sir Emyr Jones Parry GCMG FInstP PLSW Sir Rob Margetts CBE FREng Chair, Arts & Humanities Research Council The Lord Mair CBE FRS FREng Sir Drummond Bone FRSE Stephen Metcalfe MP Chair, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council The Rt Hon the Baroness Neville-Jones DCMG Sir Gordon Duff FRCP FRCPE FMedSci FRSE Sir Paul Nurse FRS FMedSci HonFREng Chair, Economic and Social Research Council Chi Onwurah* MP Dr Alan Gillespie CBE The Lord Oxburgh KBE FRS HonFREng Chair, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council The Lord Rees of Ludlow OM FRS HonFREng HonFMedSci Dr Paul Golby CBE FREng Dr Peter Ringrose Chair, Medical Research Council The Baroness Sharp of Guildford Donald Brydon* CBE Sir Adrian Smith FRS Chair, Natural Environment Research Council Dr Graham Spittle CBE Sir Anthony Cleaver HonFREng The Lord Trees Chair, Science and Technology Facilities Council The Baroness Wilcox Sir Michael Sterling FREng The Rt Hon the Lord Willetts Chair, EngineeringUK Sir Peter Williams CBE FREng FRS Malcolm Brinded CBE FREng The Lord Willis of Knaresborough Chair, Innovate UK Phil Smith Honorary Treasurer Chair, Steering Board, UK Space Agency Tony Quigley* Professor David Southwood Honorary Treasurer Designate President, The Science Council John Neilson* Sir Keith Burnett CBE FRS Honorary Secretary Patrick McHugh* *Trustee The Foundation for Science and Technology FST Journal was redesigned in 2015 by IOP Publishing’s 10 Carlton House Terrace Design Studio, under the art direction of Andrew Giaquinto. London SW1Y 5AH IOP Publishing provides publications through which leading-edge scientific research is distributed worldwide and is central to the Tel: 020 7321 2220 Institute of Physics, a not-for-profit society. Email: [email protected] FST Journal publishes summaries of all the talks given at its meetings. Full audio recordings are available on the website Editor Dr Dougal Goodman OBE FREng Production Editor Simon Napper Neither the Foundation nor the Editor is responsible for the opinions Layout Simon Clarke of the contributors to FST Journal. Sub-editor Judy McBride © 2018 The Foundation for Science and Technology ISSN 1475-1704 Charity Number: 00274727 Company Number: 01327814 CONTENTS journal fstVolume 22 Number 2 March 2018 THE COUNCIL AND TRUSTEES OF THE FOUNDATION Inside front cover journal The Journal of The Foundation for Science and Technology fstVolume 22 Number 2 March 2018 www.foundation.org.uk UPDATE Editorial Sir David Cannadine: The role of the Academies in providing independent advice to Government #ThisisEngineering aims to enthuse a new generation • Decarbonising the transport sector • 2 An industrial strategy for the UK Lord Hennessy: Searching for a strategy that makes a difference Lord Heseltine: Establishing a strategy for the whole economy Lord Willetts: A tension at the heart of Government activity A business strategy for Scotland PM announces new Institute of Coding Sam Gyimah is new science minister Successful launch Professor Iain Gray: Translating research excellence into economic benefit • • Nora Senior: Plugging gaps in performance Dame Susan Rice: An ecosystem for business Paul Wheelhouse: Driving innovation Meeting air quality targets promises low-cost, high-payload spaceflight Government aims to make the UK the ‘most innovative Dr Stephen Bryce: The energy emissions challenge • Professor Frank Kelly: The health consequences of air pollution Diagnosing cancer earlier Sir Harpal Kumar: Early diagnosis has the potential to transform patient outcomes Dr Clare Turnbull: Using genetics to combat cancer nation’ • Latest research finds global ozone levels ‘not recovering’ The rise of machine learning Dr Mike Lynch: An opportunity or a threat to society? Dr Claire Craig: Giving society the confidence to embrace opportunities Amir Saffari: The potential to augment human efforts Dame Wendy Hall: The opportunities for the UK Comment Norman Lamb: The future of social care Obituary The Rt Hon Sir Brian Neill EDITORIAL The role of the Academies in providing independent advice to Government Sir David Cannadine 4 AN INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY FOR THE UK Searching for a strategy that makes a difference Lord Hennessy 7 Establishing a strategy for the whole economy Lord Heseltine 10 A tension at the heart of Government activity Lord Willetts 12 Science and innovation strategies since 1946 16 A BUSINESS STRATEGY FOR SCOTLAND Translating research excellence into economic benefit Professor Iain Gray 17 Plugging gaps in performance Nora Senior 19 An ecosystem for business Dame Susan Rice 20 Driving innovation Paul Wheelhouse MSP 22 MEETING AIR QUALITY TARGETS The energy emissions challenge Dr Stephen Bryce 24 The health consequences of air pollution Professor Frank Kelly 25 DIAGNOSING CANCER EARLIER Early diagnosis has the potential to transform patient outcomes Sir Harpal Kumar 28 Using genetics to combat cancer Dr Clare Turnbull 31 THE RISE OF MACHINE LEARNING An opportunity or a threat to society? Dr Mike Lynch 35 Giving society the confidence to embrace opportunities Dr Claire Craig 37 The potential to augment human efforts Amir Saffari 40 The opportunities for the UK Dame Wendy Hall 41 COMMENT The future of social care Norman Lamb MP 44 OBITUARY The Rt Hon Sir Brian Neill 46 EVENTS Foundation events held since 26 October 2015 47 fst journal www.foundation.org.uk March 2018, Volume 22(2) 1 UPDATE #ThisisEngineering aims to enthuse a new generation #ThisIsEngineering is a new campaign is an annual demand for at least 124,000 by the Royal Academy of Engineering in engineers and technicians with core engi- collaboration with EngineeringUK and neering skills, and an additional 79,000 industry partners. It aims to give more roles that require engineering knowledge young people from all backgrounds and skills alongside other skill sets. the opportunity to explore a rewarding On 1 February, Business Secretary ROYAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING ACADEMY ROYAL engineering career across a wide range Greg Clark also announced, as part of of industries from film, to sport, gaming the Industrial Strategy, a Government and music. #ThisisEngineering is backed by a investment of £184 million for 41 UK It comes as the Government has des- consortium of major engineering compa- universities to help train the next gener- ignated 2018 as the Year of Engineering nies, and has been created in response to ation of world-class engineers and excep- in a bid to tackle the engineering skills significant demand for engineering talent tional scientists at British universities. gap and widen the pool of young people in the UK. Findings from a forthcoming www.yearofengineering.gov.uk who join the profession. Engineer ingUK report show that there www.raeng.org.uk Sam Gyimah is new Decarbonising the transport sector science minister Within a week of taking up his new Last summer, the UK Plan for Tack- role as a Minister in the Department ling Roadside Nitrogen Dioxide Con- for Transport, Jo Johnson set out the centrations was published by Defra and Government’s ambition to phase out all the Department for Transport. It out- diesel-only trains by 2040. Referring to lines how councils with the worst levels the already-adopted target to end the of air pollution at busy road junctions sale of all new conventional petrol and and hotspots will be expected to take diesel cars and vans in the UK by 2040, robust action. While this is focussed on he argued that the rail industry would delivering nitrogen dioxide (NO2) com- have to ‘clean up its act’ as well. pliance at the roadside, the Government Policy Exchange (CC-BY-2.0) Exchange Policy In a speech to the Knowledge Quarter plans to issue a comprehensive Clean Air Sam Gyimah MP has been appointed conference held at the British Museum Strategy which will address other sourc- Mini ster of State for Universities, Science, on 12 January, he noted that in absolute es of air pollution in 2018.