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Research & development
An advance rescue submarine, developed in the UK, undergoes trial testing in a loch in Scotland.
The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) funds the 7 Research Councils, who allocate public funds to support research projects.
They cover all academic disciplines from the medical and biological sciences, astronomy, physics, chemistry and engineering, to social sciences, economics, environmental sciences and the arts and humanities.
- Arts and Humanities Research Council
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
- Economic and Social Research Council
- Medical Research Council
- Natural Environment Research Council
- Science and Technology Facilities Council
The Royal Society is the UK and Commonwealth's independent scientific academy dedicated to promoting excellence in science. It plays an influential role in national and international science policy and supports developments in science, engineering and technology.
The Royal Academy of Engineering brings together the country's most eminent engineers from all disciplines to promote excellence in the science, art and practice of engineering.
Science and Diplomacy in the modern age
To mark the 350th anniversary of the Royal Society, the UK Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, gave a speech on the connections between science and diplomacy on 12 January 2010.
Commenting on the power of science to inform politics, the Foreign Secretary said: 'Scientific progress can achieve breakthroughs that diplomacy cannot match. Science can help forge consensus where there is political division... Just as science can support diplomacy, so too must diplomacy support science.
The most ambitious, game-changing scientific innovations increasingly require collaboration across disciplinary and territorial borders.'
Nobel prize in Physics
Professor Charles Kao, a US and British citizen was awarded half of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics for groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibers for optical communication.
Professor Kao was widely regarded as the 'Father of Fiber Optics' or 'Father of Fiber Optic Communications'.
Swine Flu DNA Test
British scientists have created the first rapid test kits for the new swine flu virus. They claim the DNA based kits are the first on the market that can give results in two hours. The Southampton based team say they have identified a “unique genetic tag” for the virus, which could help to identify and contain its spread.
There are already systems on the market to look for flu, but the company says its new kit is the first in the world that will be available to specifically look for the new version of the flu virus.
It works by rapidly multiplying a sample of DNA taken from the suspected swine flu sufferer. If the H1N1 strain is present in the sample, the test homes in on the genetic material unique to the infection. This allows it to quickly differentiate between those suffering from the new strain and those with more common strains of the flu virus.
If swine flu continues to spread its hoped the scientific breakthrough will ensure rapid diagnosis, enabling governments and health authorities to monitor its progress and hopefully contain it.
At the award ceromony he said: 'I am absolutely speechless and never expected such an honour'.