https://doi.org/10.36866/pn.111.14

The passion for understanding the processes of life unites us all in the biosciences. The Royal Society of Biology (RSB) represents the full breadth of the life sciences and aims to speak with a unified voice on bioscience issues. Working in partnership with organisations like The Physiological Society is essential to achieve that breadth of representation.

The Physiological Society engages with the work of RSB through your Council, Committees and staff, to ensure that the priorities and concerns of your members are heard in the wider discussions in which we all participate.

Through our policy work, we aim to ensure those making decisions that impact the future of life sciences hear our messages. As we approach leaving the EU, being part of the development and delivery of policies that affect fields such as physiology is a key priority.
Through our engagement with the High Level Working Group on Brexit and Science, co-chaired by senior Government ministers, there are opportunities to communicate concerns and priorities highlighted by The Physiological Society’s members in areas such as collaboration, funding, innovation and the environment for science.

We are also focusing on the future innovation landscape of the UK, as outlined by the Government’s Industrial Strategy. In our response to the Green Paper and the House of Lords’ consultation on the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy, and in oral evidence to the House of Commons’ Science and Technology Committee, we emphasised the importance of considering the full breadth of the life sciences, and we are pleased to note that their report reflected these recommendations.

Many policy areas require specific disciplinary input. The Physiological Society continues to play a key role in developing RSB’s in vivo policy positions and communication as well as channelling expert detail into discussions with the Home Office.

Running parallel to our science policy work, the RSB also informs and influences education policy and STEM education provision; a high-quality science education is the vital foundation of our biosciences community.

This year we are developing our own framework for the biology curriculum for ages 5–19, and we continue to work alongside the Institute of Physics, Royal Society of Chemistry, Association for Science Education and Royal Society to support the development of the best STEM education possible.
We have answered calls for advice from the Department for Education, the Devolved Administrations and elsewhere, with co-ordinated responses on current policy topics, including accessibility, and we continue to be active on issues relating to the Teaching Excellence Framework.

Our varied outreach and engagement calendar of activities; competition participation of over 50,000 school pupils awards to highlight excellence and commitment in teachers, technicians and communicators, have been a dynamic way to encourage and reward achievement, and Degree Accreditation schemes have recognised institutions that offer educational programmes equipping students with the right skills for employment and the next chapter in their lives.

Alongside our CPD and training opportunities, registration and Chartership, we will continue to ensure that beyond formal education, bioscientists have support and development opportunities at every stage of their career.

Hearing from our members and member organisations remains central to all of our work. The articulation of concerns and aspirations to us by The Physiological Society is vital to developing our communications, and a key relationship. Recently, Lord Willetts, Minister for Science at the time of our formation in 2009, emphasised how important it remains that we speak with one voice on key bioscience issues, encouraging us all to continue this with enthusiasm. He was speaking to welcome Dame Julia Goodfellow as our third President, and we look forward to working with her, our committees and volunteers, and with The Physiological Society to develop and deliver the best future for UK bioscience.