Science, Innovation and Technology Committee selects scientific research pitches to investigate further

The Science, Innovation and Technology Committee has chosen two scientific research pitches to take forward and explore in its work.   

The committee's Under the Microscope inquiry invited everyone – from academics and businesses to school groups – to send in ideas on what its members should examine next.  

As part of this, the committee identified 6 submissions about areas of scientific research that could be the basis of further one-off evidence sessions and invited researchers into the House of Commons to make their pitches in early July.    

Today, the cross-party committee announces that it will hold a one-off evidence session on:   

• Neuromorphic computing – pitched by Professor Tony Kenyon, UCL   

• Silicon photonics – pitched by Callum Littlejohns, University of Southampton   

These pitches were selected as MPs decided that they had important policy implications that would not otherwise be captured in the committee's work programme. The committee plans to draw on the other four pitches in other aspects of its work and future inquiries. It will also be using a range of the many other submissions made to the inquiry to inform its work.    

The four other topics the committee heard about were: 

• Mechanobiology – pitched by Dr Periklis Pantazis, Imperial College London 

• Microbiome – pitched by Professor Donal Wall, University of Glasgow   

• Biofilms – pitched by Professor Cait MacPhee, University of Edinburgh 

• Geroprotectors – pitched by Professor Ilaria Bellantuono, University of Sheffield   

Science, Innovation and Technology Committee Chair, Dame Chi Onwurah MP, said:  

“I want to thank every researcher who gave up their time to come in to pitch their scientific research areas to us. I can safely say that every member of the committee was thoroughly impressed with the range of ground-breaking UK research we heard about. We'll be taking forward two of these pitches to explore in a specific one-off evidence session, where we can properly investigate the research – and problems that it could help solve – in more detail.  

“However, that's not the end of the story for the other pitches we heard.  We heard about fascinating research into neuromorphic computing, silicon photonics, mechanobiology, microbiomes, biofilms, and geroprotectors  – and challenges to its implementation – that we'll be taking forward in different ways, and that will feed into a lot of our future work."