b'POLICY NOTICEBOARDPolicyPOLICY BRIEFCONSULTATIONSINFLUENCING POLICIES & ENGAGING POLICY-MAKERS Science is often considered a soft power of a country,PAST ACTIVITIES which builds more on the ability to attract andNBIC has participated in the My Science Inquiry 2022, persuade than to coerce, even though science haswhich invited proposals on what the (then) Commons often been used in the development of a countrysScience and Technology Committee should investigate hard power capabilities (e.g. military technologies).next and why, including what action is needed from Policy is a principle or course of action adopted by anthe Government. Previous inquiries were held in organisation or individual. Policy is useful when you2017 and 2019 and gathered over 160 inquiry ideas. are answering questions, future gazing and looking toSix organisations were invited to give oral evidence ground the advice that you give, linking government,in the 2022 round. NBICs CEO, Professor Jo Slater-researchers and the public.Jefferies, did so on NBICs behalf on 19 October 2022. A report of this meeting can be found on the House NBIC formulated a working group, comprisingof Commons website. Although NBICs pitch was not members of the Executive Management Team and thechosen for further investigation by the Committee, Operational Team, to pursue our strategic priority ofa complementary pitch on bacteriophages has been progressing NBICs influence in the public sphere.taken forward. NBIC foresees fully exploiting our strength in biofilmIn July 2024, NBIC provided training to PhD students research to advance its reputation both nationallyand NBIC-affiliated staff during the University of and internationally. Fostering and facilitating scienceLiverpool BITE training module. One focus of the cooperation in the area of biofilms (e.g NBICs rolemodule was on policy engagement and policy impact, in the International Biofilms Standards Task Groupan area most students had not encountered before. alongside the US, Singapore, Australia and EUStudents were tasked to work in groups on policy case partners) helps to promote a truly Global Britainstudies, identifying societal issues, biofilm relevance, through science diplomacy.alongside policy actors and possible avenues of policy engagement. The winning group consisted of Amy Foo To help our partners and collaborators betterGuest (Liverpool), Malek Hawela (Southampton) and understand and navigate the policy-making landscapeJack Martin (Liverpool) on Addressing Biofilm Growth in in the UK, we have created a Policy Noticeboard. the Preservation and Restoration of Historic Buildings.It hosts: Current and upcoming opportunities as they relateCURRENT OPPORTUNITIESto the biofilm sphere.We are calling for input to two position policy papers on Useful resources, such as information regarding thebiofilms as they pertain to climate change mitigation UK and Devolved Nations policy-making processesand biofilms and their role in wastewater treatment.and guides on how to write a policy brief.On-demand, free training links to for example videos by the Knowledge Exchange Unit of the UK Parliament as a starting point for any researcher interested in this space. 43'