Science Board

Purpose

To provide the Science and Technology Facilities Council with a strategic scientific overview and assessment of, and science advice on, all of the programmes STFC supports.

Terms of reference

The Science Board:

• Formulates and updates long term science and technology strategies for STFC. This includes identifying and prioritising scientific opportunities and understanding the technological and resource needs.
  
  
• Reviews STFC science and technology programmes and investments, assessing their recent and predicted scientific productivity against agreed and publicised criteria.
  
  
• Consults with the appropriate communities via its reporting panels and bodies to ensure the science and technology strategies remain the most viable for the UK.
  
  
• Agrees and recommends a detailed STFC scientific investment plan against a budget set by the Council using published criteria and taking into account the agreed programme priorities, the long term science strategy and the programmatic review.
  
  
• Provides advice to Council on criteria for selecting projects and areas of science based on their scientific quality alongside other impacts, including economic impact and societal impact (outreach).The Science Board works closely with the Economic Impact Advisory Board and Education, Communications & Outreach Advisory Board to achieve this and the chairs of each will be invited to attend Science Board discussions where appropriate in an advisory capacity.
  
  
• Provides Council, the Economic Impact Advisory Board, the Education, Communications and Outreach Advisory Board and the STFC Executive with strategic scientific advice on STFC’s non-scientific programmes, including impact programmes such as the Science and Innovation Campuses and Innovations programmes.
  
  
• Monitors and reviews the operations of, and provides strategic advice and guidance to, the peer-review panels.
  
  
• Forms expert sub-groups and delegates tasks when appropriate to do so.
  
  
• Reports through the Chairman to Council.

The Committees reporting to Science Board are:

• Accelerator Strategy Board
• Advisory Panels
• Advisory Panel for Science in Society
• Astronomy Grants Panel (AGP)
• Education, Training and Careers Committee
• Futures Advisory Panel
• Nuclear Physics Grants Panel (NPGP)
• Particle Physics Grants Panel (PPGP)
• Projects Peer Review Panel (PPRP)

Meeting dates

Core membership

Please click on the links below to view the members biographies.

• Professor Tony Ryan - University of Sheffield (Chair)
• Professor Matt Griffin - Cardiff University (Deputy Chair)
• Professor Peter Butler - University of Liverpool
• Professor Jon Butterworth - University College London
• Dr Olwyn Byron - University of Glasgow
• Dr Alison Davenport - University of Birmingham
• Professor Martin Dove - Queen Mary, University of London
• Professor Neville Greaves - Aberystwyth University / University of Cambridge
• Professor Alan Heavens - University of Edinburgh
• Professor George Lafferty - University of Manchester
• Professor Des McMorrow - University College London
• Professor Bob Newport - University of Kent
• Professor Steven Rose - Imperial College London
• Professor Sheila Rowan - University of Glasgow
• Professor Robert Warwick - University of Leicester
• Dr Alfons Weber - University of Oxford and STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory

Non-Core Science Board Members

It is recognised that Science Board may sometimes need access to a wider breadth of knowledge and the mechanism for this is through the college of non-core Science Board experts.

• Further information on non-core Science Board members

News from Science Board

• Science Board sets up sub-group to consider astronomy facilities proposals
• Science Board met on 10th - 11th November 2011 at Polaris House, Swindon
• Science Board met on 12th - 13th October 2011 at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
• Science Board met on 8th September 2011 at University College London
• Science Board met on 29th June 2011 at the Medical Research Council, London
• Science Board met on 29th March 2011 at University College London
• Science Board met on 13th January 2011 at University College London
• Science Board met on 18th November 2010 at University College London
• Science Board met on 12th - 13th October 2010 at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
• Science Board met on 28th - 29th July 2010 at The Cosener's House, Abingdon
• Science Board met on 2nd - 3rd June 2010 at Cockcroft Institute, Daresbury
• Science Board met on 7th - 8th April 2010 at Polaris House, Swindon
• Science Board met on 11th February 2010 at Polaris House, Swindon
• Science Board met on 7th - 8th December 2009 (PDF - 88kB - link opens in a new window) at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
• Science Board met on 19th - 20th October 2009 at Polaris House, Swindon
• Science Board met on 15th - 16th July 2009 at Polaris House, Swindon
• Science Board met on 20th - 21st May 2009 at the Medical Research Council (MRC), London
• Science Board met on 11th - 12th March 2009 at Daresbury Laboratory
• Science Board met on 14th - 15th January 2009 in London
• Announcement of the Resignation of the Chairman of Science Board
• Science Board met on 26th November 2008 at Polaris House, Swindon
• Science Board met on 4th September 2008 at the Medical Research Council, London