Presentation by Sir Mark Walport at the launch of the first GCSA annual report, 'Innovation: managing risk, not avoiding it', on 19 November 2014.

1. Innovation: Managing risk, not avoiding it
Sir Mark Walport
Chief Scientific Adviser to HM Government

2. Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser
• Wellbeing, health, security & resilience
• Knowledge translated to economic
advantage
• The right science for emergencies
• Underpinning policy with evidence
• Advocacy and leadership for science
Credit: iStockphoto
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3. GCSA Themed Annual Report
•Topic of report all pervasive in work as
GCSA.
•Growth driven by science and innovation.
•Innovation to deal with global challenges
(ageing populations, scarce resources,
infectious diseases, carbon emissions).
•Innovation held back by poorly framed
discussions about risk
•If governance of risk goes wrong, miss
out on major potential benefits, or suffer
needlessly.
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4. Where does risk come in?
Natural
Events
Credit: Arctic-Images/Getty Images
Credit: Arran Moffat/CC BY 2.0
Credit: PA
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5. Where does risk come in?
Human
Credit: @Boston_to_a_T/Twitter
Credit: _chrisUK/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Credit: ilfede/istockphoto
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6. Using common principles about language to
raise the level of conversations
• Risk?
• Hazard
• Exposure
• Vulnerability
• Uncertainty
• Threat
Credit: Warren Photographic
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7. The innovative world we live in today
We live in an Information Age
•Technological change
•Innovative generation
•Changing demographics
•Interconnectedness
Credit: Steve Jurvetson/CC BY 2.0 Credit: iStockphoto
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8. A growing global population requires innovation
The challenges we face include:
•Climate change
•Water security
•Food and agriculture
Credit: Alamy
Credit: CraneStation/Credit: Glyn Baker/CC BY-SA 2.0 CC BY 2.0 Credit: Daily Mail
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9. Holding a Wider Conversation about Risk
• Values and lenses
• Who pays?
• My pain, your gain
• Science meets
values
• Unanticipated
Consequences
• New Challenges
Credit: Focus Features
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10. Regulatory Challenges
• Economic regulation –
A systems approach
• Asymmetric incentives
• Encrusted regulation
• Regulation when
science meets values
Credit: Red Flag Act
Credit: iStockphoto
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11. What can science contribute?
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12. Conclusions
1. National priorities for resilience aligned with
evidence and risk-based approach
2. Coherent and structured approach to assessing
impact of risk in policy, regulation and crisis
management
3. Regulators and regulated industries – Right
governance structures and incentives
4. Science-based EU – Policy rooted in robust
scientific evidence
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13. @uksciencechief
www.gov.uk/go-science
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