There is an urgent need for the chemical manufacturing sector to transition to alternative, sustainable carbon-based feedstocks, moving away from reliance on petrochemical sources. Large urban areas, such as the north-west of England, generate substantial amounts of waste rich in carbon, which are processed for energy generation via direct incineration or biogas production. Here, Dr […]
Building the bioeconomy
Current manufacturing processes across all industrial sectors rely on petrochemicals, either to power them, or as starting points for their product. This over reliance on finite fossil resources is having a detrimental impact on the health of the world and its population. Professor Aline Miller explains how industrial biotechnology can break this addiction to petrochemicals […]
Modern slavery and digital technology in ‘Fast Fashion’: the transparency dividend
Modern slavery and exploitation are critical challenges in the UK garment manufacturing and fast fashion sectors, which continue to require urgent attention from policymakers and regulatory agencies. Despite the potential for digital technology to enhance supply chain transparency, its effectiveness in mitigating labour exploitation is under-researched and underutilised. In this article, Dr Jon Davies, Professor […]
Can we upskill the health and social care workforce to meet the growing demand for digital transformation?
There has been growing interest regarding the potential of digital transformation to aid the UK’s health and social care system in its ambition to meet modern demands placed upon it. But what skills do different employees in this sector need – and is the infrastructure in place to support them? Here, Dr Alan Davies and […]
Implications of the digital revolution for the nursing workforce
As the largest professional group in the healthcare workforce, nurses have been at the frontline of a digital transformation. In this article, from our publication Working Futures, Professor Dawn Dowding and Dr Sarah Skyrme assess what this means for the workforce and suggest policy interventions. Ambitions for all NHS organisations in England to be paperless […]
Don’t worry about the future, what about the ‘now of work’?
Amongst all the competing predictions about what the future of work might hold, the challenges of achieving decent work in the foundational economy have been largely overlooked. Here, Dr Mat Johnson and Dr Eva Herman argue that the focus should be on making tangible improvements to the working lives of those in the frontline roles that keep […]
Unjamming the (bio)printer: how can regulatory reform unleash new and advanced biomaterials?
3D bioprinting technologies hold huge potential to transform patient care and treatment, delivering the next generation of personalised medicine. But current legislative boundaries are poorly defined, and the pathways to approval are unclear, creating unnecessary delays and costs in getting these new technologies to patients. Here, Dr Marco Domingos from the Bioprinting Technology Platform argues […]
A silicon revolution for sustainable farming
An increasing population, political pressures, and severe weather events are all putting global food production at risk. The use of AI in agriculture could help farmers and agricultural decision makers to access more accurate data to improve productivity and sustainability. In this article, from our publication On Resilience, Professor Bruce Grieve explores the future of […]
Accelerating the electric vehicle transition in the UK
Following the publication of the industrial strategy in 2017, in which Theresa May attempted to envisage a post-Brexit future, electric vehicles (EVs) were identified as an important opportunity for the UK political economy. Yet, despite the almost annual publications that reiterated the need for EVs to become a significant feature of the UK, attempts to […]
Climate change: navigating a clear route for UK shipping
After a year of devastating climate disasters, nations at COP 28 in Dubai in December signalled the need for the “end of the fossil fuel era”. To meet that ambition, 2024 will need to see a major acceleration in global action to address climate change. Here, Simon Bullock, Alice Larkin, and James Mason from the […]
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