What we are up to
We are currently developing and supporting dialogue projects on rapidly emerging areas of science and technology, such as autonomous vehicles, the use of data and genomic medicine.
Find out more about these projects below.
Exploring with the public how the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the vaccines industry work together
Author: Lewis Wooding, Head of Insight in the Behavioural Science and Insights Unit at the UK Health Security Agency. Vaccines save lives. They are [...]
Public attitudes to science – diving below the surface
Author: Katie Weeks, Sciencewise Programme Director Like many in this sector, I’ve been reflecting on the results of the latest Public Attitudes towards Science [...]
Families ‘left in the dark’ about UPFs and potential harm to children, public dialogue reveals
People across the UK worry processed foods may harm children’s health but say a lack of clear evidence leaves families in the dark, UKRI [...]
What members of the public told us about ultra-processed foods and why it matters
By Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith Executive Chair, UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Food matters to everyone. It is essential to our health, our [...]
Transformative Technologies – Reflections from the Chair
Author: Dr Natasha McCarthy, Associate Director, Policy at the Royal Academy of Engineering Transformative technologies – emerging, rapidly evolving and deep tech – have [...]
Transformative Technologies – how can public discussions help shape the agenda? Key Insights from a Recent Roundtable
In January 2026, Sciencewise and Involve ran a roundtable on the role of the public in shaping the agenda of transformative technologies. Bringing together [...]
Government launches UK-wide public dialogue on engineering biology
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and Sciencewise are spearheading a national conversation to shape the future of engineering biology. Engineering biology [...]
Citizens’ Summit to explore public views on future of the ‘14-day rule’ for human embryo research begins
More than 100 people from across the UK are meeting to learn, deliberate and reflect on the 14-day rule for human embryo research, including [...]
In memory of Sir Roland Jackson
The Sciencewise team were shocked and saddened to hear of the sudden death of Sir Roland Jackson. Roland was Executive Chair of Sciencewise (2012-2016) [...]
Public attitudes and dialogues: reflections from the CaSE report
Author: Katie Weeks, Sciencewise Programme Director Last month the Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE) published the results of their first formal tracking survey [...]
Community conversations exploring people’s views on the 14-day rule for human embryo research begin
Over the next three months, Sciencewise and the Nuffield Council on Bioethics (NCOB) will be working with engagement specialists to run 41 community conversations [...]
Citizens’ Panel for an accessible and affordable household vision of Net Zero: commissioner reflections
Author: Rachel Carr-Whitworth, Industry and Waste Analyst, Climate Change Committee Issues of fairness and public spend are often raised when deliberative processes explore citizen [...]
Why evaluate?
To ensure transparency as well as quality, Sciencewise commissions an independent evaluation of every dialogue it supports. It also has an independent monitoring, evaluation [...]
Q&A with our new programme director, Katie Weeks!
We’re excited to announce that Katie Weeks has joined Sciencewise as our new programme director. Katie joins Sciencewise after nearly two decades in public engagement [...]
If it’s time to revisit the 14-day rule, it’s also time to engage the public
Author: Molly Gray, Public Engagement Manager, Nuffield Council on Bioethics With debate growing around whether the “14-day rule” on human embryo research remains fit [...]
Building trust through early engagement: reflections from the Smart Data Research UK dialogue
Author: Mark Gardner, Smart Data Research UK How do you start to build public trust in a new research programme? How do you engage [...]
What does the public think about AI in policing?
The results of the Sciencewise and Home Office funded AI in Policing public dialogue have been published today. 58 members of the public have [...]
Public Dialogue and Engineering Biology: Key Insights from a Recent Roundtable
In May 2025, Sciencewise and the British Science Association hosted a roundtable on the role of public dialogue in shaping the future of engineering [...]
Q&A with our new programme lead, Trupti Patel!
Some news! We are delighted to welcome our new programme lead, Trupti Patel to Sciencewise. Trupti joins from Genomics England, and has previously lead research [...]
We’re recruiting for an interim Sciencewise Programme Director on a consultancy contract.
About Sciencewise Sciencewise is a programme developed and funded by UK government which engages the public on decision making [...]
NERC and Sciencewise partnering on new dialogue to explore public perceptions of solar radiation management
Solar radiation management or SRM (sometimes referred to as solar radiation modification) are proposed techniques to cool the Earth by reflecting away sunlight (solar [...]
Sciencewise statement in response to strong commitment to research and innovation in the 2025 Spending Review
The Chancellor emphasised a strong commitment to research and innovation in the 2025 Spending Review today, confirming plans to spend £86 billion on the [...]
Findings from the Smart Data Research UK (SDR UK) and Sciencewise dialogue published today (14 May)
Results from the first nationwide public dialogue on smart data research, have been unveiled today at the Digital Footprints Conference in Leeds. The Smart [...]
Tender Opportunity: Independent Evaluator – Sciencewise
We are seeking an experienced individual or organisation who can create and deliver independent monitoring and evaluation of the Sciencewise programme. About the Project [...]
Join Our Webinar on Citizens’ Perspectives for an Accessible and Affordable Net Zero Future
Are you interested in how public voices can shape climate policy? Join us this Thursday on March 20th from 10:00 to 11:30 AM for a webinar [...]