Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

29th September 2016 London, UK

Gavin lley

Gavin lley

Head of International Crisis Management and Resilience, Met Office

Stimulating the debate: early warnings for protection and resilience

Phil Evans, Met Office Government Services Director, during the opening session Arriving at Wiston House in West Sussex in glorious sunshine yesterday was a little incongruous with the topics, which will be under discussion this week. My colleagues and I are attending a Wilton Park event designed to stimulate dialogue on building and improving early-warning […]

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28th September 2016 London

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by Jo Johnson

Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation

Through greater international scientific collaboration we can solve the greatest global challenges

When it comes to science, research and innovation, the UK undoubtedly punches above its weight. Despite our small size and being home to less than 1% of the global population, we account for 3.9% of the world’s researchers, 6.4% of all journal articles and 15.9% of the world’s most cited articles. Our world-leading universities and […]

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28th September 2016 Bern, Switzerland

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by Elisabeth Wallace

Science & Innovation Officer, Bern

Introducing the Swiss Personalised Health Network

Switzerland is known for having one of the highest concentrations of healthcare specialists in the world. The Swiss Health Valley in Western Switzerland is host to a large number of research organisations and leading companies in life sciences, biotechnology, medical technology and medicine. It is therefore not surprising that the country is embarking on a nationwide […]

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28th September 2016

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by Keith Allan

British High Commissioner to Mauritius

Visit to Solovky Island – a remote, spiritual place with some unexpected British history

My latest trip in the North West Federal District of Russia took me to Solovetsky Island, or Solovky Island, which is located in the Onega Bay of the White Sea. The main Solovetsky Island is part of an archipelago of six islands. This is a beautiful, remote, some say spiritual place, with a rich history […]

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28th September 2016 Mumbai, India

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by Uma Patil

Science & Innovation Adviser

Potential UK-India collaborations on industrial biotechnology

Earlier this month, Dr Ian Stanton, Strategy and Policy Officer with the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) participated in the UK-India workshops on industrial biotechnology in Mumbai and Chennai. In this blog, Ian outlines his thoughts on the future of UK-India collaborations on industrial biotechnology. September saw my first visit to India for […]

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27th September 2016 London, UK

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by Jack Pearson

Senior Digital Communications Manager

Our house, in the middle of King Charles Street

Every year iconic buildings across the capital open their doors to the public as part of Open House London. When the organisation was founded in 1992, they wanted to open up coveted spaces to the public to enhance their appreciation and understanding of architecture and design. For 20 years the Foreign Office has been one […]

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26th September 2016 Geneva, Switzerland

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by Bob Last

Head, UK Mission Political and Human Rights Team

The Ghosts of Councils Past

I’ve been having a spooky session. For the past fortnight people who left the Council many moons ago have been popping up all over the place as though they never left. Former colleagues do of course come back from time to time but it’s been happening so much recently I’m starting to wonder if I’m […]

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