Trustees report and financial statements 2020

STRATEGIC REPORT GOVERNANCE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OTHER INFORMATION THE ROYAL SOCIETY TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 16 SCIENCE SHAPING THE WORLD WE LIVE IN 17 Priorities: 1 Elect exceptional scientists to the Fellowship. 2 Advise on research landscape. 3 Demonstrate economic impact of science investment. 4 Fund outstanding researchers. 5 Recognise scientific achievements. 6 Encourage and support innovation. 7 Publish scientific research. Promoting excellence in science Strategy in action Above: Dr Alyssa-Jennifer Avestro, Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow (2019 – 2023), researches the potential of organic materials to replace the toxic heavy metals typically found in commercially available batteries, which could lead to ultra-fast batteries with faster recharging times – particularly important for storage solutions for renewable energy. Gavin Salam is a researcher at the University of Oxford, working on particle physics. His work aims to improve understanding of the fundamental laws and particles of nature. This is achieved by developing novel simulations of high-energy particle collisions for comparison to data from colliders, such CERN’s Large Hadron Collider. Priorities 4 6 Ineke de Moortel is a researcher at the University of St Andrews. Her research is on understanding why the Sun’s atmosphere is hotter than its surface, which is fundamental to understanding the solar atmosphere. She uses a combination of high- resolution observations and large- scale computational models to carry out a detailed comparison of different heating mechanisms. Priorities 4 6 7 Helen Alexander is working at the University of Edinburgh. Her research is on bacteria and how organisms adapt to the environment around them, especially when it changes rapidly and severely for reasons such as pollution or climate change. A key focus of her work is on the evolution of antibiotic resistance. Priorities 4 6 The Society’s aim is to harness the expertise of its Fellowship to ensure that excellence in science is recognised and supported and that scientific work is of the highest quality. We have also developed a range of activities to support the next generation of research leaders, including opportunities for training, mentoring and networking. These schemes are funded by government, in partnership with other funding organisations, philanthropic gifts and through the Society’s own funds. Number of grants awarded 2019/20 2018/19 2017/18 2016/17 2015/16 Change over five year period Early career researchers 287 345 627 290 278 3% International collaborations and travel 292 328 394 280 284 3% Capacity building 98 103 157 135 73 34% Industry, innovation and translation 47 59 49 26 10 370% Established researchers 52 48 67 64 49 6% Equipment and infrastructure – – 6 8 6 100% Total 776 883 1,300* 803 700 11% Total value £102.5m £84.7m £73.3m £61.2m £53.5m 92% * In 2017/18 270 one-off additional grants were awarded alongside a range of other new and one-off grants. From 2018/19 additional funding is largely incorporated into existing grants. Grant-giving is the primary means by which the Society supports scientists and we have a range of schemes to support early career and senior scientists pursuing both discovery-led and applied research. We invest in industry and innovation schemes, work with partners overseas to support international collaborations and strengthen research capacity in developing countries. Fund outstanding researchers In 2019/20 the Society awarded £102.5 million to fund exceptional researchers and outstanding scientists. This is an increase in funding of 21% from 2018/19, as we continue to increase the scale of our grants programmes. Some of the people we fund: