Miscellaneous

A new website for the British Thyroid Foundation

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:00:00 GMT

The British Thyroid Foundation is a charity dedicated to supporting people with thyroid disorders and helping their families and people around them to understand the condition.

Their website has been completely redesigned and updated, and we hope this will allow them to reach out to all those who need their help. Featured on the new website is a wealth of information on the thyroid gland and associated conditions, as well as updates on all the British Thyroid Foundation's campaigns and events.

You can visit the new website by following the link below.

British Thyroid Foundation website

Biology and Education

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:00:00 GMT

The Society of Biology is the single unified body for all biosciences in the UK. A new article by Mark Downs, CEO of the Society of Biology, addresses the issue of education in biology.

Mark highlights the importance of students' continued familiarity with practical skills throughout education, retaining excellent teachers within the field of biology to engender interest in the topic from an early age, and maintaining that interest by promoting healthy and stimulating career paths for all those working in the biosciences.

You can view the full article, alongside other updates from the Society of Biology, by following the link below.

Articles by Mark Downs

Liberating the NHS - Government publishes White Paper on reforms

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:00:00 GMT

A new Government White Paper outlines dramatic changes that will soon take place within the NHS. A central feature of the paper is the simplification of the service's structure: Strategic Health Authorities and Primary Care Trusts will be abolished and control of provision of services and the health budget will be transferred to local consortia of GPs.

The Paper also addresses the provision of care by the NHS: a shift from central to local control facilitates a more patient-led system, and appraisal of services by patients will be included in a reformed Outcomes Framework. Furthermore, relaxation of financial regulations on NHS trusts will encourage 'social enterprise'.

Full BBC News article

White Paper - Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS

Universities shun Europe's drug initiative (Nature news, 13 July 2010)

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:00:00 GMT

Nature news reports that a number of universities and research institutions are calling for a revision to the Intellectual Property policy of the European Commission's Innovative Medicines Joint Technology Initiative, a 7th Framework Programme-funded strategy. The complainants say that the policy is unbalanced towards industries - which collaborate on projects as an essential part of the initiative - and the cost of participation too high.

Full article

Willetts announces delay in the REF impact assessment (Society of Biology News, 9 July 2010)

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 12:00:00 GMT

In his first keynote address to the Royal Institution on 9 July 2010, Minister of State for Universities and Science David Willetts outlined his plans to keep the UK at the forefront of scientific advancement. The Society of Biology have produced a report on the address (see link below), highlighting in particular his intentions to postpone an update to the Research Excellence Framework pending further debate on how research impact can be properly assessed.

Society of Biology report

Diabetes UK launches new online diabetes risk test

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:00:00 GMT

Developed by Diabetes UK - the charity for people with diabetes - and in collaboration with the University of Leicester and the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, the new Diabetes Risk Score test enables concerned individuals to gain an informed measure of their risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The test consists of 7 questions on established risk factors such as BMI, waist circumference, age and family history, and summarises the results into a simple low to high risk end score. Also featured throughout the test are 9 case studies, which adds a more personal touch and enables people taking the test to identify with their level of risk and gain advice on what to do next.

You can find the Diabetes Risk Score test by following the link below to the Diabetes UK website.

Diabetes UK Diabetes Risk Score

Frontline First - A new RCN initiative to protect frontline services and improve patient care

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:00:00 GMT

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has launched its new website Frontline First, which aims to protect and improve frontline services in the NHS during the anticipated spending cuts.

At Frontline First, nurses can use their intimate experience of frontline services to expose cuts that affect patient care, highlight where there is waste in the system, and bring nurse-led innovations that save money and improve patient care to the attention of the wider community.

This website therefore will act as the primary channel for information, which can then be used by the RCN to inform decisions on spending cuts. To visit the website and have your say, please follow the link below.

Frontline First

New guidelines for reporting research on animals

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 12:00:00 GMT

The National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) has produced guidelines in the form of a checklist on reporting one's research in animals. The 'ARRIVE' guidelines were prompted by the NC3R's view that incorrect reporting of animal research impacts badly upon a paper's clinical and scientific relevance, and its subsequent usefulness to the scientific and medical community.

Full article

European research funding explained

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 12:00:00 GMT

The Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology (POST) have published a new document outlining the European Commission's research funding programme, known as the 7th Framework Programme or FP7.

Within you will find information on the history and structure of FP7, the current and past involvement in the Programmes by UK academia and industry, and future considerations to be made by the UK in the next Programme (FP8), work towards which is currently taking place. Anyone seeking FP7 funding may find it helpful to familiarise oneself with the Programme throught this factsheet.

FP7 has been a major funder of UK research since it began in 2007, and will no doubt continue to be a significant contributor to science and technology in the UK until it ends in 2013, when it will be replaced by the next Programme. You can view the POST factsheet or the CORDIS website (through which FP7 funding is coordinated) by following the links below.

POST factsheet

CORDIS

Image competition - Immunology in Action 2010

Tue, 04 May 2010 12:00:00 GMT

To celebrate the Day of Immunology 2010 the British Society for Immunology (BSI) has opened an image competition to explore the diversity of the subject in all its forms, and the impact is has on our lives.

Immunology in Action is open to all, from school children to patients to professors. Images should explore an immunological theme: whether something found down the microscope; medicines and treatment; or field work or education. Entries will be judged on their visual impact, originality and their ability to communicate immunology. First prize is £1000 and there are a total of 12 prizes to be won.

Entries to the competition must be submitted by post to be received by 5.00pm, 30 July 2010. The address for submissions and further information can be found by following the link below.

Immunology in Action 2010