Engaging society:
To engage with society to foster
an informed climate within which
biomedical research can flourish
We seek to engage society with the science we fund and its potential
achievements, applications and impacts on people’s lives. In our last Plan,
public engagement was identified as a priority, and over the last five years
we have substantially increased our funding, making us a leading player
in the UK. We will further increase our support for public engagement
during the lifetime of this Plan. Our approach to engaging the public with
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
biomedical sciences draws on our unique resources, history and expertise
to place biomedical science within a societal, historical and cultural context.
3
Objective 3.1 Over the next five years, we intend to:
To fund public engagement activities • complete the refurbishment of the Wellcome
and research to: Building in London, which includes the Wellcome
• promote interest, learning and excitement Library, to become an innovative venue to
about biomedical science and its past, provide the public, scientists, historians,
present and future impacts on society the arts community, health professionals and
• stimulate an informed debate to raise awareness
opinion formers with a forum for exploration
and understanding of biomedical science, its
and exchange about health, wellbeing and
achievements, applications and implications
biomedical science
• inform our own – and wider national –
• increase the numbers of biomedical scientists
debates, research plans and policies,
and medical humanities researchers engaging
in relation to public interests and concerns,
effectively with the public
to balance the needs of the research endeavour • develop further our work with young people
with those of society. to stimulate interest in biomedical science,
to sustain the number and increase the quality
We provide a range of grant-funding mechanisms of young people entering biomedical-related
(from small, responsive to larger, strategic awards) careers, and to enhance scientific literacy
to inform, inspire or involve people of all ages and
• work with an increased number and range
from all walks of life. We seek to respond to new
of organisations that have different public
and innovative ways to involve public audiences
audiences (such as the media, think-tanks,
with biomedical science and its ethical and social
cultural institutions) to bring biomedical
implications, and work with other organisations
science into their remits
to achieve this.
• target specific adult audiences by producing
relevant information and events about the
latest directions in biomedical science and
explore new ways of working with media
outlets to bring biomedical science directions
to mass public audiences
• listen to issues raised by the public and track
attitudes and knowledge about specific
biomedical research issues to help develop
our thinking and use it to influence public
funding and policy making
• use our Strategy Committees to advise
us on priorities and new areas of activity.
14 STRATEGIC PLAN 2005–2010 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
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