Education, Communications and Outreach Advisory Board

The Education, Communications and Outreach Advisory Board (ECO-AB) is an advisory body of the Council of the Science and Technology Facilities Council.

Purpose

The purpose of ECO-AB is to provide Council with strategic overview and assessment of, and advice on, the STFC’s Royal Charter obligations in respect to education, outreach and communications, the societal impact of STFC programmes, and STFC’s external reputation and stakeholder relations.

Terms of Reference

The Board will fulfil its role by providing overview and assessment of, and advice on:

• raising the level of public engagement with STFC’s science and technology in the UK;
  
  
• provision of appropriate training and development to enable a wide range of subsequent career paths for STFC postgraduates, postdocs and other scientific and technological staff;
  
  
• the positioning and integration of STFC’s education, training, outreach and communications programmes relative to other Research Councils, other organisations, and the general national effort;
  
  
• the appropriateness of STFC’s external commercial marketing efforts; stimulating interest in science education, and increasing the enrolment of science pupils, students and teachers;
  
  
• corporate visibility and public relations impact, including STFC’s relations with the public, the media, Parliament, and other opinion formers;
  
  
• the public impact STFC could be making in the areas within its remit, and on the methods of assessing that impact;
  
  
• long-term strategies and high level policies needed to achieve/deliver the desired impact;
  
  
• issues concerned with society’s expectations of a public organisation, in terms of diversity and ethical principles related to STFC’s programmes and their management.

ECO-AB will not be involved in the detail of:

• programme policy;
• delivery of the programme; or
• peer review activities in the education, training and science in society areas.

Those activities are the responsibility of the Education, Training and Careers Committee (ET&CC) and the Science in Society Advisory Panel (SinS), which report through the Science Board.

Authority

The Board has an advisory role to Council, the Chief Executive and senior Directors. It will report to Council and will commission inquiries and reviews as directed by Council within the overall resource constraints of STFC. Within its terms of reference, it may also propose to Council areas for review. The secretariat for the Board will be located within the Corporate Affairs Directorate.

The Board will act in an advisory capacity, and has no executive powers.

Membership

The Board will consist of a Chair appointed by Council from within its membership. In addition the Board will comprise no more than six core members. The Director of Communications, Director Science Programmes, and the Head of the Science in Society programme, and/or their nominated deputies will attend meetings in an advisory capacity to the Board. The Chair is authorised to co-opt additional members as necessary for specific inquiries and reviews. Membership should include individuals with an interest in and knowledge of national issues in one or more of:

• science education at primary, secondary and tertiary level, and/or postgraduate and postdoctoral employment within the sciences supported by STFC;
• public engagement with science, and societal issues relating to science;
• strategic communications, reputational management and corporate marketing and branding.

Current membership

• Professor Martin Barstow - University of Leicester (Chair)
• Professor Derek Bell - Wellcome Trust
• Mr Peter Davidson -
• Professor James Hough - University of Glasgow
• Sir Roland Jackson - British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA)
• Mr Richard Peckham - Astrium Ltd
• Mr James Wilsdon - Royal Society

Meetings

The Board will meet at least twice a year. Members will receive travel expenses and a small meeting fee.