Blogs, perspectives and opinion
Sex, drugs and activism: making HIV treatment as prevention available in the UK
On 10 April 2017, the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) announced that PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) – the use of HIV treatment in people who are HIV-negative to prevent HIV – would soon be available on the NHS. This is a landmark decision for the use of HIV treatment as prevention in the UK, making Scotland the first – and currently, only – country to provide PrEP through the NHS.
Between excellence and relevance: academic research, policy and the making of research impact
In recent years, research impact has emerged to become a part of the everyday life of UK academics. The underlying logic of the impact agenda, as reflected in policy documents, is that excellent research would lead to societal benefits (see for example RCUK). But how do these policy expectations fit with the realities of knowledge exchange and impact work?
Targets for climate change policy: a special case?
A recent report by the CCC (the Committee on Climate Change) made its low-key way to Parliament (‘The compatibility of UK onshore petroleum with meeting the UK’s carbon budgets’). In it, a key message: shale gas exploitation, commonly known as ‘fracking’, if it is carried out on a significant scale, will be incompatible with the UK’s climate change targets. To be clear, this means for instance that both the UK carbon budgets, and the 2050 commitment to reducing emissions by at least 80% would be compromised.
Rethinking research impact: how could knowledge about science and policy inform the UK’s research impact incentive structures?
Academics working in the UK are being increasingly encouraged and incentivised to seek research impact beyond the academy, and the consequences of these changes have caused alarm for some.
Target setting, accountability and defence procurement
The recent discussion in parliament, which passed the motion to replace Britain’s Trident nuclear deterrent submarines, was a rare occasion where a defence procurement decision hit the headlines.
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