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Research Councils UK launches publication on impacts on public policy
01 July 2009
Impacts: Success in Shaping Public Policy and Services, is the third in Research Councils UK's (RCUK) series of publications celebrating the impact of research, and was launched on 1 July, at the World Conference of Science Journalists in London. It is available for download from the Unico web-site or from the link below
The publication highlights how research has had a massive impact on society and a a changing world where "it is vital thatthe Research Councils maximise the impact of their investments for the benefit of society and the economy".
The publication features IAH's work on bluetongue prevention that has been shown to protect livestock and how scientists at the BBSRC Institute for Animal health (IAH) and the Met office have combined disease Mnitoring, new insect trapping techniques, mathematical modelling and weather forecasting to predict where and when uK cattle and sheep are most vulnerable to incursions of this disease. "his has enabled surveillance and preventative actions to be focused on areas of
highest risk and helped to prevent epidemics of this potentially devastating disease. The models
describe the complex interactions between the factors, including the air temperature, windspeed, direction
and humidity, that determine whether or not an epidemic would start, and the probability of virus transmission
from infected animals to midges. An IAH study involving farmers voluntarily vaccinating animals against
those strains of the disease most likely to reach britain proved successful in 2008. Scientists at IAH form the bluetongue reference laboratory which performs diagnostic tests on behalf of defra, the EU and the World organisation for Animal health.
Research Councils UK launches publication on impacts on public policy