Creating connections in Ireland

The Royal Society is the independent scientific academy of the UK and the Commonwealth, dedicated to promoting excellence in science. As part of our work we are engaging with industry to understand the skills gaps in different sectors, listen to experiences of university-business collaboration, and hear views on the UK government’s industrial strategy and 2.4% target for R&D investment.

The dinner will bring together business leaders and fellows of the Royal Society to discuss the scientific and industrial landscape in Northern Ireland. It will ask how the Society can support industry and discuss topics critical to the successful application of science for societal and economic benefit.

Co-hosted by Dame Sue Ion DBE FREng FRS (Chair of the Royal Society's Science, Industry and Translation Committee) and Sir John McCanny CBE FREng FRS (Queen’s University Belfast).

Identifying best practice across Ireland to develop data skills, protect privacy and ensure good data governance, to allow the safe and rapid use of data and digital technologies.

To request an invitation to this session please send an email including your name, job title, affiliation and reason for interest in attending.

This event is for museums and science organisations that want to work together. Museums are great places to explore local culture and history, but science is often left out. How can you make sure that the stories of science are shared with communities in Northern Ireland?

This workshop will explore the possibilities for collaboration between museums and STEM organisations. If you work in a museum you will have the opportunity to meet organisations who can help you develop high quality science content, hear about success stories from Northern Ireland and beyond, learn from peers at other museums, and find out about opportunities for funding. If you work for a science organisation you will find out how to work with museums to create unique, locally relevant projects, how to reach new audiences with your content and meet peers from across the region.

To request an invitation to this session please send an email including your name, job title, affiliation and reason for interest in attending.

This round table will focus on the UK government's industrial strategy and target for 2.4% of GDP to be invested in UK R&D. It will explore how Northern Ireland can benefit from and contribute to this UK-wide ambition alongside its own research and innovation strategy.

In 2017, the UK government outlined an ambition in its industrial strategy for the UK to be the most innovative country in the world, committing to a target of 2.4% of GDP invested in UK R&D within ten years, and a longer-term goal of 3%.

To meet this target, the UK must create a vibrant environment that fosters research and innovation throughout the UK and across public services, universities and business, as well as attracting global investment. This roundtable will bring together large and small businesses, universities, and national and local policymakers and funders to assess how research and innovation varies across Northern Ireland, and explore strengths and opportunities.

This event will draw on local case studies to illustrate how successful research and innovation clusters have been established and where they are being built for the future. The discussion will draw on perspectives from individuals working across academia, business and Government.

Through this discussion, we will seek to identify the limiting factors on research and innovation activity in Northern Ireland as a basis to explore local, national and UK-wide levers that may enable participants to overcome these. 

We will also explore how people across Northern Ireland can contribute to and share the benefits of R&D investment. We will share the findings of this discussion to inform ongoing policy and influencing activity locally and nationally.

To request an invitation to this session please send an email including your name, job title, affiliation and reason for interest in attending.

Explore research and innovation in Northern Ireland with our interactive map.

This session is aimed at those who teach 5 to 18 year-olds, as well as academics and industry members. The Royal Society's education team will explain the Royal Society’s vision for a broader, balanced and more connected curriculum, share case studies aimed to promote future science careers, and demonstrate how the Partnership Grants Scheme supports collaboration between schools, universities and industry to develop key skills in experimental science, data science and problem solving. This scheme allows schools to apply for up to £3000 to support their research projects working alongside an external partner.

To request an invitation to this session please send an email including your name, job title, affiliation and reason for interest in attending.

This round table, held jointly with the Royal Irish Academy, will explore how Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland currently work together in research and innovation, and explore some of the opportunities and challenges for the future.

The shared island of Ireland land mass of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland supports collaboration, but as the UK prepares to leave the EU, these relationships are changing. 

This round table will bring together large and small businesses, universities, and national and local policymakers and funders to better understand the strength of these existing collaborations, and explore how they may develop in future for the benefit of people across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

To request an invitation to this session please send an email including your name, job title, affiliation and reason for interest in attending.

Professor Andy Hopper CBE FREng FRS, Professor Máire O'Neill, Sir John Pethica FREng FRS and Sir John McCanny CBE FREng FRS will candidly share their achievements and mistakes from their experience of growing labs and starting companies. Following this, the floor will open to attendees to discuss your boldest ideas and the unexpected bumps in the pathways to pursuing them. We would be keen to hear what your message is to the Royal Society to help achieve these ideas.