Justin Tomlinson MP has joined staff from UK Research and Innovation to mark Parliament Week.
Parliament Week is an annual festival that encourages people from across the UK to meet & engage with MPs in order to learn more about their role and the democratic process as a whole.
As part of Parliament Week, Justin has hosted a series of events across the constituency with a range groups to discuss his work both locally & in Westminster. This included meeting with staff from UK Research and Innovation.
UK Research and Innovation, better known as Research Councils UK (RCUK), is the umbrella term for the non- departmental Government organisation that amalgamates the seven scientific research bodies into a broader organisation.
While the Medical Research Council is based in London, the remaining six; Arts and Humanities, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences, Engineering and Physical Sciences, Economic and Social, Natural Environment, and Science & Technology Facilities’ Research Councils are all based in Swindon - something Justin is extremely proud about.
The Research Councils are responsible for allocating Government funding to ambitious and ground-breaking studies in a whole plethora of areas designed to benefit society, including the British Antarctic Survey and research into developing state-of-the-art technologies.
As part of the event, Justin gave an overview the work he does as an MP & a Minister before taking questions on a wide range of subjects from the RCUK staff who were present.
Since becoming an MP in 2010, Justin has been very heavily engaged with the Research Councils. He has visited the North Star site on a number of occasions to meet staff & see the work they do first hand, and earlier this year he hosted an awards ceremony for staff from the Arts and Humanities Research Council in Parliament.
Justin Tomlinson said: “The work at RCUK is incredibly valuable to the future of our country, as they support projects which drive forward progress at all scientific levels and help us to maintain the comparative technological advantages we enjoy in the UK. I'm always impressed at the work going on here in Swindon and it is always a pleasure to a talk to staff about the important role they play and to field their questions.”
