Half-time Review 2020

The British Science Association hosted an online Half-time Review breakfast on 1 July 2020; the event took place on Zoom. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no main event in 2020.

Samira Ahmed (broadcaster and journalist) moderated a panel of experts from science, business, policy and the media as they addressed invited attendees in the virtual room. They revealed their stand-out moments from the first six months of the year – from the discovery of a deadly, new virus to the highest Arctic Circle temperature on record – recommending collective calls to action to address related, future challenges. 

Business executives, policymakers, sector leaders and journalists debated the impact technology has had and will have on society, and the major challenges we face.

Download the full list of attendees

Videos

Alison Martin - Chief Executive EMEA, Zurich Insurance

Key moment: The tale of two ’38’s’, the highest ever recorded temperature in the Arctic Circle (38°C) and the lowest oil price on record (-$38).

Call to action: Society to take action now on tackling climate change.

Sir David King - Former UK Government Chief Scientific Adviser and Chair, Independent SAGE

Key moment: On 23 January 2020, a publication on COVID-19 was released, yet despite the early warning signs, the UK still failed to respond soon enough.

Call to action: Take notice of the early warning signs science has given us and not ignore our own capabilities.

Professor Laura Serrant - Professor of Nursing and global inclusion expert

Key moment: The World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring 2020 as the “International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife”, amongst the top-ranking professions to help us achieve health equity for all.

Call to action: To question what COVID-19 has revealed about your business, organisation or science, and use that to frame the action of what you need to do to reduce the high level of impact on marginalised people and communities.

Matthew Ryder QC - Barrister and former Deputy Mayor of London for Social Integration

Key moment: George Floyd’s murder and the example of how companies and scientists can take action when their products are at risk of exacerbating discrimination and bias.

Call to action: Committing to a single action to confront discrimination within your own industry.

Juergen Maier - Chair, Digital Catapult, Former CEO, Siemens UK

Key moment: Boris Johnson’s new deal, a seemingly missed opportunity to create long-term prosperity through an industrial strategy.

Call to action: Leadership from government, industry, and science to invest in the future of the UK.

The full discussion

The recording of the full discussion.