Eva Sharpe, HE Policy Officer
This summer, the Heads of University Biosciences held its first Parliamentary Summer Reception in the House of Commons, co-hosted by Andrew Miller MP, Dr Julian Huppert MP and Mark Lancaster MP. The event celebrated HUBS becoming a Special Interest Group of the Society of Biology, bringing members together with the Society as well as other learned societies and politicians. Videos of the speeches are available below.
The speakers were keen to stress the important role scientists play in informing politics, and the need for heads of departments to collaborate and support each other. HUBS aims to support bioscience heads in tackling the challenge of managing biological and life science departments and units in UK Higher Education (HE). It acts as a forum for discussing national issues on the provision of research and teaching in the biological sciences, and as a source of informed comment on the issues which affect HE institutions delivering in the biosciences.
Andrew Miller MP, Chair of the Science and Technology Select Committee, welcomes guests to the reception.
Dr Hilary MacQueen, Chair of HUBS, describes some of the new projects that the group will work on with the Society of Biology.
Professor Sir Tom Blundell, University of Cambridge, shares his experiences as Head of Department for over 30 years.
Dr Julian Huppert MP closes the speeches with the importance of working together on key issues in higher education.