THE PARLIAMENTARY & SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE — EST. 1939
SCIENCEINPARLIAMENT
Where science and politics meet

Bringing Parliament and the scientific community together.

Founded in 1939, the Parliamentary & Scientific Committee is an All-Party Parliamentary Group connecting Members of both Houses with leaders across science, engineering, academia and industry. We inform debate on the scientific and technological issues shaping public policy.

HEALTH

Retinal changes linked to later atrial fibrillation diagnosis

Retinal differences were detectable on average four years before hospital diagnosis, suggesting a potential route to earlier identification of cardiovascular risk.

ENGINEERING

Industrial chemists invited to share their work at SCI's 2027 meeting

SCI's Chemist in Industry III will bring laboratory scientists and technical experts together to share practical industrial chemistry.

FOOD & AGRICULTURE

World Food Day: SCI highlights innovation across the food chain

SCI's World Food Day commentary explores how innovation can strengthen food production, improve nutrition and reduce waste.

EDUCATION

IRIS launches free resources to bring research into classrooms

Free lesson plans and activities offer schools a flexible route into authentic research, with registration through IRIS.

FOOD & AGRICULTURE

£750,000 award supports next-generation plant research facilities

An Oak Foundation award will help develop facilities for research into crop resilience and plant health.

ENERGY

£3 million backs preparations for floating wind test site

Two years of preparatory work will advance a proposed national test site for floating and deepwater wind technologies.

OCEAN SCIENCE

North Sea heatwave reveals marine monitoring blind spot

A subsurface phytoplankton increase during the June 2023 heatwave was largely invisible to satellites, exposing limits in surface-only observations.

ENVIRONMENT

Plastics report highlights UK reprocessing capacity gap

More than 200,000 tonnes of plastic packaging reprocessing capacity have been lost since the end of 2024, a policy commission reports.

NEWS

FST Autumn Journal Explores Climate, Science Diplomacy and AI

The Autumn FST Journal considers climate change, science diplomacy and AI, with guest editorials on thermal energy and the UK space industry.

FOOD & AGRICULTURE

Farm antibiotic programme targets practical barriers to stewardship

AMAST will test approaches to responsible antimicrobial use across UK food production, with a ruminant stewardship roadmap scheduled for 15 October.

ENERGY

Polar wind disruptions could warn of electricity demand spikes

Sudden stratospheric warmings were linked to a higher likelihood of extreme electricity demand, but do not guarantee surface cold.

ENVIRONMENT

£140 leaf sensor could support wildfire preparedness

A modified window-tint meter tracked leaf water content, but species-specific calibration and reduced reliability in severely dried leaves limit deployment.