For Thought 2022

Collaboration in an uncertain world:
How science and innovation is shaping society’s response to complex challenges, from net zero to public health and the metaverse.

Thursday 1 December, One Moorgate Place
In-person, one-day event in London

In 2022, For Thought attendees discussed how science and technology are shaping responses to global challenges, from net zero, to public health, and the metaverse.

With leaders across sectors still reeling from the seismic events of the past two years, the road ahead promises to be no less testing.

There is an urgent need to set out a clear path to net zero; learn the lessons of COVID-19 to advance public health; and build trust within communities, between states and across generations to ensure that technological advancements do not leave people behind.

The war in Ukraine and global cost of living crisis have created an increasingly complex landscape. This instability is affecting collaboration, funding and progress. Yet we have seen glimmers of hope in multinational, cross-sector collaborations in the face of events that have rocked society. In this, the role of science and innovation – and its relationship with industry, policy and diplomacy – has never been so important.

Scroll down for the speakers from 2022.

Read the highlights from the discussions on the BSA’s website (opens in new tab)

Videos

Good boards are able to tell a story & create a vision

In Chapter 1, we explored how businesses can come up solutions for driving transparent and measurable progress towards net zero.

Our speakers put forward their thoughts on how business, government and other bodies can be convinced to ‘do the right thing’ for the environment.

Speakers: Devyani Vaishampayan (CEO at the HR Tech Partnership), Evie Aspinall, (Senior Researcher at the British Foreign Policy Group) and Jane Burston, Executive Director at the Clean Air Fund.

Scientists change their minds. How do we communicate this without losing trust?

In Chapter 2, attendees heard about research integrity, and the public trust in the scientific process.

Speakers: Rosa Furneaux (Health Investigative Reporter at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism), Andrew George (co-Chair of the Committee on Research Integrity), Ritu Dhand (Chief Scientific Officer at Springer Nature) and Professor Dame Anne Johnson (President of the Academy of Medical Science).

Opportunities for Ukrainian scientists & researchers, but not if they're men

We invited Dr Alina Nychuk, a Ukrainian researcher, to share her insights on the Russian invasion of her home country, and the catastrophic impact on science and academia. Despite the devastation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Alina talks about opportunities that have arisen as a result, namely #ScienceforUkraine and Ukraine Global Universities.

Speakers: Dr Alina Nychuk (Ukraine Fellow, RECET, The University of Vienna) and Sir David Lidington (Former Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster).

Our notion of privacy needs updating

In Chapter 3, we turned to the new online environment, looking at the current and potential future state of the metaverse, privacy, AI and other digital technologies.

Speakers: Nicola Millard (Principal Innovation Partner at BT), Baroness Beeban Kidron (campaigner and Chair of 5 Rights) and Jamie Susskind (barrister & author of The Digital Republic).

Evie Aspinall is a Senior Researcher at the British Foreign Policy Group where she leads research on public opinion on UK foreign policy, climate change and transatlantic relations.

Evie Aspinall

Jane Burston is Clean Air Fund’s founding Executive Director. Jane was featured by WIRED as one of their changemakers of tomorrow and was named as a ‘Young Global Leader’ of the World Economic Forum and a social entrepreneur of the year in the UK.

Jane Burston

Ritu Dhand was appointed Chief Scientific Officer, Springer Nature in January 2022. In this role, she is responsible for championing, promoting and driving editorial excellence across the Springer Journals Portfolio.

Ritu Dhand

Elected to Parliament in 2010 after a 15 year career in the Cambridge cluster founding high-growth technology companies, George has served in the last three Governments. He is currently serving as Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

George Freeman MP

Rosa Furneaux is a global health reporter at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, specialising in access to healthcare. She received the Amnesty International Gaby Rado New Journalist Award for her coverage of COVID-19 vaccine inequity.

Rosa Furneaux

Andrew George is an immunologist with a history of developing research ethics. He was Chair of the National Research Ethics Advisors’ Panel and is now on the Board of the Health Research Authority and co-Chair of the UK Committee on Research Integrity.

Andrew George

Professor Dame Anne Johnson became President of the Academy of Medical Sciences in December 2020. Dame Anne has had a distinguished career in epidemiology and public health, focusing on topics including HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections, influenza and diagnostics for infectious diseases.

Professor Dame Anne Johnson

Baroness Beeban Kidron OBE is the Founder and Chair of 5Rights. She is a Crossbench member of the House of Lords and sits on the Democracy and Digital Technologies Committee. She is a Commissioner for UNESCO's Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development.

Baroness Beeban Kidron

Nicola Millard is Principal Innovation Partner at BT. Nicola has been involved with some BT firsts, including the first application of AI into BT’s call centres and initial experiments with home working.

Nicola Millard

Chris Stark is Chief Executive of the Climate Change Committee, the UK’s statutory climate advisers. Chris led the Committee’s work to recommend a ‘Net Zero’ target for the UK, the world’s first legislated Net Zero target.

Chris Stark

Jamie Susskind is the author of The Digital Republic: On Freedom and Democracy in the 21st Century and the award-winning bestseller Future Politics: Living Together in a World Transformed by Tech, an Evening Standard and Prospect Book of the Year.

Jamie Susskind

Sir Mark Walport is Chair of Imperial College Health Partners, taking up the role in January 2022. Sir Mark has previously worked in leadership roles in North West London. He also previously worked as the Government’s former Chief Scientific Adviser.

Sir Mark Walport

Devyani Vaishampayan is an experienced Independent Non-Executive Director. She is Audit Chair at Norman Broadbent Plc and on the REMCO Committee at The England & Wales Law Society & The British Quality Foundation.

Devyani Vaishampayan

Lord David Willetts is currently Chair of the UK Space Agency. He is a life peer and was previously Minister for Universities and Science. He is a former Chair of the British Science Association and is co-Chair of For Thought.

Lord David Willetts

Samira Ahmed is a British journalist, writer and broadcaster. Samira has presented Radio 4's PM, The World Tonight and Front Row. She has also fronted the Proms for BBC Four.