Biophysical Society Bulletin | March 2020

Public Affairs

citizens and create opportunities for all members of the public to engage with science. The Initiative has developed a collective vision and set of goals for 2020 and beyond, including: • Creating collaborative opportunities for scientific Societ- ies to engage in effective civic science, • Expanding incentives to increase scientists’ prioritization and engagement in civic science, • Encouraging more university and institution support for scientists engaging in civic science, and • Supporting increased frequency of contact and greater participation from the scientific community with policy makers and members of the public. We believe this new collaboration will create valuable oppor- tunities for scientists and the scientific community as a whole to advance a culture of civic science, in which societal needs and diverse perspectives shape science, and scientific discov- eries inform public understanding, decisions and policies. Around theWorld No Cap for Researchers Under UK Fast-Track Global Talent Visa Program British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a new visa system, designed to recruit leading scientists and mathema- ticians to the United Kingdom, just days before the country left the European Union. As of February 20, the UK Research and Innovation Agency took over management of the Global Talent visa from immigration officials at the Home Office. The goal is to “provide an accelerated path” to entry where researchers’ credentials are assessed by the scientific community. The government statement also announced £300 million of funding for “experimental and imaginative mathematical sciences research,” including double the current funding for math PhDs and additional support for math fellowships and research projects. While the British Labour Party welcomed the additional support and recognition for science, members have expressed concern that the new visa regulations “suggest a lack of

understanding of innovation, which depends on scientists, researchers, engineers, and technicians at all levels and not just a few ‘top talents.’” BREXIT: Repair the Damage and Invest for the Future Anthony Watts , University of Oxford, Fellow Biophysical Soci- ety (member since 1976) and President (2017–2019) of the European Biophysical Association of Societies As a result of Brexit, the United Kingdom (UK) is now “single” again, and a free agent to negotiate trade with the rest of the world, independently of the European Union (EU). The process to leave took three-and-a-half years since the closely won (52 to 48 percent) 2016 people’s referendum. Although sign- ing and then implementation of Article 50 (the legal leaving document) took place on January 31, 2020, there are still 11 months of “divorce” proceedings to be negotiated, with much indecision and uncertainty in all spheres of life, not the least of which is science. Whether or not UK scientists will be permitted to associate with EU science activities post-Brexit — the current program is Horizon 2020 programme (€77 billion over seven years [1]) — Brexit should be used as a stimulus for an exciting new vi- sion for the United Kingdom, according to a new independent report (2). The challenge now for the UK scientific community is to ensure that the £1.5 billion previously received from EU science programs, is reinstated through novel and imaginative ways to repair the significant damage already caused by gov- ernmental indecision of the last three-and-a-half years. But what damage has been reeked so far? The Royal Society of London has already documented that the United Kingdom traditionally stands head and shoulders above other countries in attracting funding from the European Union for the highly successful, multilateral and cross-border research collabora- tions (3). But as a result of Brexit uncertainty, the United King- dom’s annual share of EU research funding has fallen by half a billion Euros to 72 percent of pre-2015 levels: The United Kingdom secured 16 percent (€1.49 billion) and 11 percent (€1.06 billion) of the total Horizon 2020 grants signed in 2015 and 2018 respectively. There has also been a drop by almost 40 percent of UK applications in the same period to the cur- rent Horizon 2020 programme. It is well documented that UK principal investigators (PIs) are being passed over,

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In 2019, 448 messages were sent to Senators and Representatives as a result of the BPS Call to Action in support of enacting a full federal budget with specific support for grant-making agencies.

March 2020

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