OCEAN SCIENCE
UN report highlights ocean carbon monitoring gaps
A UNEP report identifies sustained monitoring investment and stronger governance as priorities for understanding ocean carbon sinks and assessing marine climate technologies.
News
News items, reports and updates from the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee.
OCEAN SCIENCE
Autonomous ocean trial supports floating wind assessment
An underwater vehicle combined advanced sensors with satellite-guided missions to investigate dynamic marine environments relevant to floating offshore wind.
ENGINEERING
Liverpool opens five-year engineering fellowships
The University of Liverpool is recruiting five engineering fellows to develop independent research programmes, with applications closing on 30 November.
POLICY
CaSE Conference 2027 to explore local and global R&D
CaSE's February conference will examine how place-based research policy and international partnerships shape the UK's R&D system, with an Annual Lecture by Steve Rotheram.
POLICY
Chemical industry support raises decarbonisation funding questions
Support for chemical producers and lower electricity costs sit alongside uncertainty over funding routes for carbon capture and hydrogen.
OCEAN SCIENCE
Marine genetic sampling puts high-seas agreement into practice
Sampling under the BBNJ Agreement offers a practical example of research transparency, while biodiversity findings await analysis.
HEALTH
£2.3m backs study of early-life factors in type 1 diabetes
New funding supports research into how pregnancy and early immune development may influence children's risk of type 1 diabetes.
ENVIRONMENT
Lake-ending glaciers expose ice-loss modelling gap
Lake-ending glaciers lost ice around 57% faster relative to their size than those ending on land during 2000–2019.
OCEAN SCIENCE
Atlantic circulation record continues to show weakening
Twenty years of RAPID measurements show a weakening trend, but researchers say monitoring through at least 2034 is needed to distinguish natural variability from human influence.
ENERGY
£1.4m network targets clean-energy commercialisation barriers
A national electrochemical network will support testing, scale-up and commercial skills, including a £460,000 pot for small projects.
NEWS
John Connell Awards Celebrate 25 Years at Westminster
The awards' 25th anniversary at Westminster recognised work on quieter public spaces, accessible sound, building acoustics and protecting marine life.
ENGINEERING
UK roadmap sets course for metamaterials commercialisation
A national roadmap identifies priorities for bringing metamaterials research into manufacturing and wider industrial adoption.
OCEAN SCIENCE
Deep-sea animals may help maintain mineral-nodule habitats
Animals clearing sediment and lifting nodules could help keep these slow-forming habitats exposed on the ocean floor.
ENERGY
Growing renewable generation leaves weather central to energy planning
Wind and solar supplied 38.2% of UK grid generation, while cold spells and low winds coincided with price spikes.
SPACE
Solar storm study highlights aviation radiation monitoring gaps
Aircraft, balloons and ground sensors reveal how radiation exposure varies during a solar storm, strengthening the case for coordinated monitoring.
ENGINEERING
Coventry networking evening supports women in engineering
The Women's Engineering Society's West Midlands event offers career support, networking and connections at Coventry University.
HEALTH
Retinal changes linked to later atrial fibrillation diagnosis
Retinal differences were detectable on average four years before hospital diagnosis, suggesting a potential route to earlier identification of cardiovascular risk.
ENGINEERING
Industrial chemists invited to share their work at SCI's 2027 meeting
SCI's Chemist in Industry III will bring laboratory scientists and technical experts together to share practical industrial chemistry.
FOOD & AGRICULTURE
World Food Day: SCI highlights innovation across the food chain
SCI's World Food Day commentary explores how innovation can strengthen food production, improve nutrition and reduce waste.
EDUCATION
IRIS launches free resources to bring research into classrooms
Free lesson plans and activities offer schools a flexible route into authentic research, with registration through IRIS.
FOOD & AGRICULTURE
£750,000 award supports next-generation plant research facilities
An Oak Foundation award will help develop facilities for research into crop resilience and plant health.
ENERGY
£3 million backs preparations for floating wind test site
Two years of preparatory work will advance a proposed national test site for floating and deepwater wind technologies.
OCEAN SCIENCE
North Sea heatwave reveals marine monitoring blind spot
A subsurface phytoplankton increase during the June 2023 heatwave was largely invisible to satellites, exposing limits in surface-only observations.
ENVIRONMENT
Plastics report highlights UK reprocessing capacity gap
More than 200,000 tonnes of plastic packaging reprocessing capacity have been lost since the end of 2024, a policy commission reports.
NEWS
FST Autumn Journal Explores Climate, Science Diplomacy and AI
The Autumn FST Journal considers climate change, science diplomacy and AI, with guest editorials on thermal energy and the UK space industry.
FOOD & AGRICULTURE
Farm antibiotic programme targets practical barriers to stewardship
AMAST will test approaches to responsible antimicrobial use across UK food production, with a ruminant stewardship roadmap scheduled for 15 October.
ENERGY
Polar wind disruptions could warn of electricity demand spikes
Sudden stratospheric warmings were linked to a higher likelihood of extreme electricity demand, but do not guarantee surface cold.
ENVIRONMENT
£140 leaf sensor could support wildfire preparedness
A modified window-tint meter tracked leaf water content, but species-specific calibration and reduced reliability in severely dried leaves limit deployment.
NEWS
RGS Explore Weekend Celebrates 50 Years of Exploration
The Royal Geographical Society's 50th Explore Weekend brings together researchers and expedition organisers for talks, workshops and practical advice in London on 6-8 November.
HEALTH
Maternal RSV vaccination protects infants, but uptake remains unequal
Maternal vaccination was linked to around 74% lower RSV-related hospitalisation risk in babies under six months, alongside unequal uptake.
ENERGY
Liverpool Secures £1.5 Million for Shared Clean-Energy Research Facility
A planned Liverpool laser facility will help researchers investigate processes underlying batteries, hydrogen production and catalysis.
HEALTH
Edinburgh Trial Tests Frozen Tissue Transplant for Fertility Restoration
An experimental transplant could offer a future fertility option after childhood treatment, but researchers must first establish whether it produces sperm.
HEALTH
Study sets out requirements for NHS AI eye screening
A framework identifies 35 requirements for AI adoption in England’s diabetic eye screening programme, with specialist review retained in its preferred model.
HEALTH
Vaccine answers address childhood immunisation shortfall
Fewer than 84% of England’s five-year-olds have received both MMR doses, against the WHO’s 95% target.
OCEAN SCIENCE
NOC plans £65m to £100m research-vessel support framework
The proposed eight-year framework links ocean research infrastructure with marine engineering procurement and potential decarbonisation work.
HEALTH
UK roadmap targets recovery in dental research workforce
A new report links workforce renewal with the capacity to address oral health inequalities and train future dentists.
ENVIRONMENT
Acoustics Experts Call for Clearer Heathrow Noise Policy
The Institute of Acoustics urges clearer noise safeguards in draft policy for Heathrow expansion.
HEALTH
NHS evaluation tests AI detection of hidden heart disease
An Imperial-led model is being evaluated in 590 NHS patients after testing in two US groups.
ENGINEERING
IChemE Seeks Evidence on the Future of Chemical Engineering
IChemE is inviting evidence on five forces reshaping chemical engineering, with submissions open until 27 November 2026.
HEALTH
NHS Pilot Expands Rapid Brain Tumour Testing
A two-year evaluation will inform NHS commissioning recommendations for genomic testing that could identify brain tumour types within 24 hours.
ENGINEERING
Measurement Expertise Offers SMEs a Route Past Innovation Barriers
UK SMEs have until 11am on 6 October to seek support for measurement and analysis problems holding back innovation, productivity and growth.
ENVIRONMENT
Baroness Brown Honoured for Engineering Leadership on Climate Policy
Julia King, Baroness Brown of Cambridge, has received the Royal Academy of Engineering's President's Medal for advancing engineering's contribution to environmental sustainability and supporting future engineers.
HEALTH
UEA Award Strengthens the UK's Medical Research Skills Pipeline
UEA has secured a share of a £90 million Medical Research Council investment supporting more than 200 doctoral researchers each year across the UK, strengthening specialist skills for future health challenges.
NUCLEAR
UK-US University Alliance Targets Fusion Research, Skills and Policy
A new partnership between UK and US universities will coordinate fusion research, workforce development, commercialisation and policy, linking public research with the skills and industrial capacity needed for deployment.
HEALTH
£50m Immunology Centre Pursues Cures, Not Lifelong Disease Management
A fourteen-year, £50 million research programme will bring together scientists, clinicians and patients to develop treatments intended to cure chronic inflammatory diseases rather than continually suppress their symptoms.
ENVIRONMENT
Mining Pollution Threatens Almost 300,000km of Global Coastline
A global assessment led by the National Oceanography Centre has identified almost 300,000km of coastline at potential risk from mining pollution, strengthening the case for long-term monitoring, remediation and regulation.
EDUCATION
Practical Science Programme Targets Schools with Least Access to STEM
The Royal Society's new Science Community Grants will connect STEM organisations with 250 schools and colleges, combining locally relevant investigations with sustained support for teachers.
ENGINEERING
National Measurement Laboratory Annual Review 2025 Highlights UK Measurement Science
The National Measurement Laboratory Annual Review 2025 highlights new scientific infrastructure in Guildford and the role of trusted measurement science in healthcare, food, security, sustainability and UK innovation.
EDUCATION
Physics Teacher Shortage Threatens Scotland's Future Skills Pipeline
Only 28 physics teachers were recruited in Scotland against a target of 131 last year, prompting calls for coordinated action to protect equal access to physics and the country's future technical workforce.
POLICY
Extreme Heat Should Be Treated as a Workplace Health and Productivity Risk
A new report argues that extreme heat is already affecting worker health, safety and economic output, and calls for updated regulation, clearer employer guidance and coordinated public-health policy.