News about the Uk Foresight Programme
Issue 7 - December 2004
An update on all the projects, including the first one - year review of a project in the new round of Foresight: Cognitive Systems, one year after it launched its findings.
Intelligent Infrastructure Systems (IIS)
"Seeking information carries psychological danger": New paper on Public Perception of Risk:
Foresight has encountered risk as a concern in many of its projects. Today (20th December) we publish a paper by Richard Eiser, professor of psychology at the University of Sheffield, which looks at the issues which affect the way the public perceives risk. The paper uses other Foresight project areas to create case studies in: natural disasters (flood and coastal Defence), lifestyle choices (Brain Science, addiction and Drus), and new technologies (Exploiting the Electromagnetic Spectrum). It also develops a framework for thinking about public perception of risk, which we shall be using in the intelligent Infrastructure Systems and other projects.
The paper is of interest to anyone considering risk in decision-making and public engagement.
We have produced a full non-technical version and a shorter summary (also non-technical)
Project News
Complexity and Emergent Behaviour
Last month we published a scientific review paper on complexity and emergent behaviour in ICT systems, by Seth Bullock and Dave Cliff. The paper may be of interest to anyone researching or developing ICT systems, or considering their implications.
We commissioned the paper to pursue themes which surfaced in the Foresight projects on Cognitive Systems, and Cyber Trust and Crime Prevention. We shall use it to inform the work of the new project on Intelligent Infrastructure Systems.
The full version of the paper is available here.
The short non-technical version is available here. (PDF format)
Project Update
The IIS project held two successful scoping workshops at the Institution of Electrical Engineers and is now finalising the programme of work for the coming year. The aim of the project is to explore how science and technology may be applied over the next 50 years to the design and implementation of Intelligent Infrastructure Systems that are robust, sustainable and safe. The project will focus on the movement of goods, people and information. We will seek to understand the implications of the developing information infrastructure and other technological advances in this area.
Detection and Identification of Infectious Diseases
Since the last e-sight, the project has held a number of workshops and meetings to scope the subject area. The output from its scoping workshop, held on 29 September 2004, is available.
The project is currently considering two key issues: how to assess future risks of infectious diseases in plants, humans and animals, and the themes for the state of science reviews which might inform future step changes in future detection and identification technology. These range from epidemiology to history and space science.As well as work in the UK, the project will focus on areas Africa and China, and the roles of international organizations.
Brain Science, Addiction and Drugs
Around 100 scientists from the UK and overseas are currently involved in writing and peer reviewing 15 State of Science reviews on physical science, life science, social science and arts topics including imaging, clinical and experimental psychology, pharmacology, behavioural addiction, sociology, history of addiction and life histories and narratives. Final versions will appear on the project's web pages in the spring.
The authors and many of the reviewers, together with members of the project's stakeholder and advisory groups, met at a workshop at the Royal Society in October to hear and discuss the initial ideas coming out of the 15 reviews. This was an opportunity to discuss areas of common interest and key issues for the project to address.
The series of reviews will form the 'bedrock' of the project's futures work which is now being developed.
In the New Year scenario development workshops are being held along with meetings to engage the business and research communities, professional organisations and user and treatment groups.
The project team will also be giving presentations in the spring at the UK meeting of the British Neuroscience Association and the International Conference on the Reduction of Drug Related Harm.
Cyber Trust & Crime Prevention
The fifteen papers produced as part of this project's findings, will soon be available in book form. "Trust and Crime in Information Societies", edited by Robin Mansell and Brian S Collins will be published by Edward Elgar in January (ISBN No: 1 84542 177 9).
Cognitive Systems
It is one year now since the project launched its findings, and the final stakeholder group meeting was held in early December to review the project's outcomes so far. A summary of the evaluation of post-launch progress is available.
The new research opportunities highlighted by the Cognitive Systems project lie at the interface between life sciences, social sciences, engineering and physical sciences. In recognition of this, the Biotechnology and Biological Research Council (BBSRC), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Medical Research Council (MRC) and Wellcome Trust have combined to work together to support new multidisciplinary research in the area.
Many interdisciplinary research projects in this area are already supported by Research Councils, but as the Cognitive Systems field develops, many more may be needed, and to facilitate this research, the above group of 'funders' issued a 'highlight notice' in July through which they are jointly considering funding interdisciplinary proposals in this area.
In particular, they are welcoming applications with a strong element of interdisciplinary training, an area which will feature strongly in the next discipline hopping call from the Research Councils.
For more details of this 'highlight notice', the following are a first point of contact to discuss ideas:
- BBSRC: Harriet.Warburton@bbsrc.ac.uk
- ESRC: dawn.woodgate@esrc.ac.uk
- EPSRC: Sivasegaram.Manimaaran@epsrc.ac.uk
- MRC: Gillian.Murphy@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk
- Wellcome Trust: neurosciences@wellcome.ac.uk
Other Foresight Cognitive Systems activities have involved the engagement of the British Computer Society to run a series of 'Thought Leadership Dinner/Debates' based around key issues arising from the project. Two of these have already been successfully held, covering the topics of 'Future vision' and 'When brains meet technology.
Exploiting the Electromagnetic Spectrum (EEMS)
The project launched its findings and action plan in April 2004. The lead is being taken forward by the DTI's Innovation Group. Meanwhile, the Institute pf Physics (IoP) and Library House held a conference on 16 September to foster connections between the investment community and the EEMS science and technology communities.
During the Autumn, Foresight engaged with Library House to run a series of dinner debates to bring together the EEMS contributors with the venture capitalists and commercial companies investing in this area of science. It also worked with the Institute of Physics, contributing to the IoP's Opticks 2004 conference at the Royal Society on 9 December to mark the 300th anniversary of the publication of Isaac Newton's seminal work on the optical part of the electromagnetic spectrum. The event was opened by Lord Sainsbury and featured a high profile list of speakers. Over 100 businesspeople and scientists attended the event, which reviewed the most exciting areas of current and prospective optics and photonics, and the UK's important role in this field.
New Horizon Scanning Centre
OST's new Horizon Scanning Centre took its first steps in early November. It commissioned pilot trials with a number of government clients. Dr. Rupert Lewis arrived on loan from Defra (where he ran the Chief Scientist's Advice and Liaison Team, and Defra's Horizon Scanning programme) to head the Centre. Click here for further information.
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