Council for Science and Technology

The Prime Minister has re-appointed 13 members to the Council for Science and Technology (CST) until 31 December 2010. The CST is the Government s top-level advisory body on science, engineering and technology policy.

The 13 re-appointed members are:

Professor Geoffrey Boulton OBE Professor Dame Janet Finch DBE Professor Peter Davies Professor Dame Wendy Hall DBE Dr Hermann Houser CBE Professor Alan Hughes Dame Susan Ion DBE Sir Paul Nurse Dr Raj Rajagopal Dr Philip Ruffles CBE Professor Michael Sterling Professor Katherine Sykes OBE Sir Mark Walport

The Prime Minister also reappointed Professor Dame Janet Finch DBE as CST independent co-chair, alongside the Government s Chief Scientific Advisor, currently Professor John Beddington.

The CST is the UK Government s top-level advisory body on science and technology policy issues. It reports directly to the Prime Minister. CST s remit is to advise the Prime Minister, the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales and the responsible Minister at the Northern Ireland Office on strategic science and technology policy issues that cut across the responsibilities of individual government departments. CST s terms of reference are:

sustaining and developing science, engineering and technology (SET) in the UK, and promoting international co-operation in SET; fostering the practice and perception of science, engineering and technology as an integral part of the culture of the UK; promoting excellence in SET education; making more effective use of research and scientific advice in the development and delivery of policy and public services across Government; and promoting SET-based innovation in business and the public services to promote the sustainable development of the UK economy, the health and quality of life of UK citizens, and global sustainable development.

In developing its advice the Council takes into account the cultural, economic, environmental, ethical and social context of developments in SET.

The Prime Minister said:

The 13 members I have re-appointed along with the independent co-chair whom I have also reappointed, form an outstanding team from a wide range of backgrounds in business and academia, science and technology, and economics and social science. I am confident that, as in the previous 6 years, CST will continue to provide Government with the necessary top quality strategic advice to help build a society that is confident about science and can gain from all that it offers for the future.

Notes for editors

Further details on CST s membership and terms of reference are available from www.cst.gov.uk.

The13 independent members are senior, highly respected people active in the worlds of academia and business, and from charitable sponsors. They were appointed in accordance with the guidance from the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Their appointments have been extended until 31 December 2010.

Members are not normally remunerated except for reasonable travel expenses. The independent co-chair may be remunerated at the rate of 205 per day.

Biographical Notes

Full biographies can be found on CST s website, www.cst.gov.uk

http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page22790

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