Government's Life Sciences Vision: how are long-term policy plans developed and implemented?

For this session, we will be joined by Alex Mclaughlin from the Government’s Office for Life Sciences (OLS), which is part of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The OLS champions research, innovation and the use of technology to transform health and care services with the aim to improve patient outcomes and support economic growth.

Alex will provide an overview of the Government’s recently published Life Sciences Vision, including how it was developed and plans for its implementation. The Life Sciences Vision is a 10-year plan to “stimulate a thriving UK life sciences sector” which also focuses on how the Government can address some of the UK’s most significant healthcare challenges, including cancer, dementia, and obesity. Participants will have the opportunity to interact with Alex during a Q&A led by Dr Steve Morris from UCL’s Future Vaccine Manufacturing Research Hub.

About Meet the Policymaker

The world of policymaking can be a ‘black box’ for many. Who are policymakers and how do they actually ‘make’ policy? How are experts selected for advisory committees? Who can influence policy decisions? Questions like these can make engaging with policy seem a daunting task to take on as a researcher.   

The Policy Impact Unit is running a lunchtime seminar series this Autumn to provide UCL researchers and students with an opportunity to hear first-hand from professionals working in a range of policy roles, including in Government and its agencies, Parliament, Local Government, and in Europe. During the sessions, attendees will hear what it is like to work in a policy role, learn more about how research evidence is used in policymaking and hear how researchers can get involved.