https://doi.org/10.36866/pn.25.8

The purpose of these short updates is to keep you informed about the work of our committees. The following summaries detail the meetings of the past few months.

Board of Trustees

September 2021

Following a successful Member Roadshow and unveiling of the Blue Plaque to Sir Charles Sherrington at the University of Liverpool, Trustees met in person in Liverpool on 30 September 2021 for the third Board meeting of the year.

The President welcomed the two incoming General Trustees in attendance: Áine Kelly from Trinity College Dublin and Heidi de Wet from the University of Oxford. The President thanked Elizabeth Sheader and David Eisner for hosting the successful Member Roadshow and A.V. Hill Blue Plaque
unveiling at the University of Manchester. He also observed that the Sherrington plaque unveiling had gone well at the University of Liverpool and noted the Vice Chancellor Professor Dame Janet Beer had not only unveiled the plaque but had also attended the Roadshow and dinner. The President noted that the Roadshows provided an excellent opportunity to reconnect with institutional leadership in support of the charitable aims of
The Society. The Chief Executive added that the Roadshows also offered a connection to institutions within a region.

The President summarised the upcoming 2021 plaque unveilings as including Mary Pickford at the University of Edinburgh, Mabel Fitzgerald at the University of Oxford, Winifred Cullis at the Royal Free Hospital and Lord Adrian at the University of Cambridge. The President confirmed that the physiologist and NASA astronaut Jessica Meir would be unveiling the Fitzgerald and Cullis plaques in conjunction with the President’s Lecture at the Royal Society in London.

The Honorary Treasurer updated Trustees that the revised forecast (August 2021) to 31 December 2021 had resulted in an operating surplus of £0.2m before investment gains, an improvement of approximately £0.58m compared to the budget. The Honorary Treasurer confirmed that Finance Committee had approved the proposal to increase the continuity fund to cover an additional 6 months of operating costs (from 24 months to 30 months) and that a further £1.5m was transferred to increase the fund to £7.1m. This provided a substantial buffer, should it be required due to a sudden loss of income.

The Chief Executive updated Trustees that the 19 November Member Forum at the Royal Society would now have a sitdown dinner for invited guests instead of a reception with demonstrations and finger food. This was due to COVID-19 restrictions and a cap on numbers required by the Royal Society but would not impact on budget.

The Chief Executive flagged to Trustees that the COVID-19 hub on the website had now been replaced with a COP26 hub showcasing
a variety of related content and resources.

The Head of Policy and Communications delivered a presentation to Trustees entitled ‘Policy Horizon Scanning & Our Response’ analysing upcoming policy that would affect physiology and The Society.

The Head of Professional Development and Engagement delivered a presentation introducing the topic of Research Culture and the work done in this space since the first 2014 Nuffield Council on Bioethics Report. Top issues included short-term funding, lack of wider societal engagement, and a lack of incentive for team working.

Finance Committee

September 2021

The Committee received the second quarter Management Accounts which contained figures from an August, 2021 reforecasting exercise and showed an improved operating surplus, with both income and expenditure down. The Committee also received a cash flow forecast paper, which illustrated the
December Wiley publishing advance and subsequent depletion of cash reserves through the year.

The Committee agreed to support the Board’s request for an external publishing consultant specialist and approved the proposal to increase the continuity fund to cover an additional 6 months of operating costs. The Committee also approved recommendations for the improvements to
the second floor and flexible working space of Hodgkin Huxley House and to put both spaces out to market.

The Committee heard a presentation from the new investment manager at Rathbone Greenbank, which included a summary of investment objectives, risk profile and ethical considerations.

Conferences Committee

October 2021

Professor Sue Deuchars (University of Leeds, UK) was warmly thanked for her efforts since 2017 as Chair of Conferences Committee, particularly for those during the recent difficult months of the pandemic. The Committee also recognised outgoing members, Professor Deborah Baines (St George’s, University of London, UK), Professor Professor Holly Sheils (University of Manchester, UK), Dr Stefan Trapp (University College London, UK), Professor Ian Forsythe (University of Leicester, UK), Dr Mike White (University of Birmingham, UK) and Dr Llwyd Orton (Manchester Metropolitan University, UK).

There followed a robust discussion about increasing diversity in Society Prize Lecture nominations, and also the “Aspiring Black Physiologists” initiative.

The plans for 2022 conferences were discussed, with many of the meetings having been carried over from 2020 and 2021 in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Committee also discussed 2023 Society conferences and meetings, together with the future of the Europhysiology series of meetings. It was hoped to select the new Theme Leads for Cardiac & Vascular Physiology, Endocrinology, Epithelia & Membrane Transport, and Human, Environmental & Exercise Physiology. The Committee shortlisted applications and asked these for more information. Professor Dan Martin (University of Plymouth, UK) was co-opted to join the Committee to represent the clinical community.

Policy Committee

January 2022

The inaugural meeting of the Policy Committee was held virtually, chaired by Professor Mike Tipton (University of Portsmouth, UK). Professor Tipton thanked the Committee members for their interest in the work of the new Committee and for agreeing to participate in its discussions and outputs.

The members of the Committee introduced themselves and their policy interests. The Committee discussed The Society’s policy strategy for 2022 and received a presentation from the Head of Strategy, Policy & Communications on the wider policy landscape for physiology and R&D more broadly. The
Policy Manager gave an overview of recent policy work.

The committee members expressed their thanks to the Education, Public Engagement and Policy (EPEP) Committee for their work in this area and agreed to continue the workstreams that were approved by the EPEP Committee at their last meeting.

The Committee discussed three areas of policy: a policy project focusing on the Republic of Ireland, a project looking more closely at the UK Government’s stated priorities for ageing research within the Life Sciences Vision, and the work of the in vivo taskforce in 2022. The Committee also received reports on The Society’s other areas of policy focus including knowledge exchange and interdisciplinary research.