Council open meeting, Northern Ireland, October 2012
MRC Open Council comes to Northern Ireland
MRC Open Council is an annual event that gives some of our local and regional stakeholders the opportunity to meet and, more importantly, put questions to the members of our Council and Management Board. The most recent Open Council took place on 2 October at Mossley Mill, Belfast.
Around 100 guests from a wide range of stakeholder organisations attended the 2012 Open Council meeting. Delegates were present from Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Ulster, alongside several representatives from industry and Northern Ireland Health Trusts.
The session began with a warm welcome address from MRC Chief Executive Sir John Savill. This was followed by an overview of health and medical research activity in Northern Ireland by Professor Bernadette Hannigan, Director of Research and Development and Chief Scientific Adviser to the HSC R & D, a division of the Health and Social Care (HSC) Public Health Agency.
Professor Hannigan was followed by Sir John, who emphasised that partnerships with universities, industry and other funders were all critical to the delivery of the MRC’s mission. Dr Wendy Ewart, Director of Strategy and MRC Deputy Chief Executive, then commented on progress with the MRC’s strategy, “Research Changes Lives”, including the progress on delivering our commitments since 2009 and development of the MRC’s research priorities for the next five years. Dr Ewart particularly welcomed suggestions from participants for what might be included in the refreshed MRC strategy, to be published next year.
- Professor Bernie Hannigan's presentation
- Sir John Savill's presentation
- Dr Wendy Ewart's presentation
There were then two presentations from Queen’s University Belfast. Professor Paddy Johnston, chair of the MRC’s Translational Research Group, gave an overview of the MRC’s translation agenda, while Professor Frank Kee, spoke as a member of the MRC’s Population and Systems Medicine Board.
- Professor Paddy Johnston's presentation (to follow)
- Professor Frank Kee's presentation
Following the formal presentation session of the meeting, the floor was opened for questions to the members of Council and Management Board. The informal poster session, presenting research carried out by MRC grant-holders at Queen’s University, also provided an opportunity for discussion.