- Former government Chief Scientific Adviser Sir to continue serving on
ARIA Board
- Sir Patrick brings a wealth of experience from industry,
government and academia
- ARIA’s non-executive directors play an integral role
supporting ARIA’s mission to fund high-risk, high-reward research
– they include the former Chair of the UK Vaccine Taskforce, a
Nobel Prize winner and policy experts
Science and Technology Secretary has today (Tuesday 27 June)
formally appointed Sir to continue serving on
the Advanced Research and Invention Agency’s (ARIA) board. The
former government Chief Scientific Adviser has been appointed as
a Non-Executive Director.
ARIA
was formally established at the start of the year, and is an
independent body tasked with creating transformational research
programmes with the potential to create new technological
capabilities for the benefit of humanity
It is a key part of the government’s plans to build a better
future with innovation at the heart of the Prime Minister’s
priorities of growing the economy and improving lives
Sir Patrick provided invaluable support in the establishment of
ARIA,
and served on the ARIA board in his
capacity as the government’s Chief Scientific Advisor until
departing that role earlier this year.
He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the
organisation. Before taking the government role that thrust him
into the spotlight during the response to the Covid-19 pandemic,
Sir Patrick held several senior roles at pharmaceutical giant
GlaxoSmithKline, and before that he led the Division of Medicine
at University College London and worked in the NHS.
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology said:
The UK has led the way in scientific discoveries and pioneering
technology throughout modern history, from the discovery of
penicillin, to the first computer, through to cutting-edge work
today on genomic medicines and quantum computing that is on the
cusp of delivering transformative benefits to us all.
ARIA’s ability to
empower UK scientists and researchers to take risks to explore
the very boundaries of the unknown will be vital to our ambitions
as a science superpower. Adding Sir Patrick’s enormous wealth of
experience will give the Agency, and UK science overall, another
formidable asset to call upon as the global race for science and
technology leadership heats up.
Sir said
I am delighted to continue serving on ARIA’s founding
board and I look forward to supporting the Agency as it forges
ahead with its mission to take bold bets that amplify the
strengths of our world-class research ecosystem.
ARIA
Chief Executive Officer Dr Ilan Gur said:
Sir Patrick has already been an invaluable mentor in shaping the
agency, drawing on his global leadership in applying scientific
research for the benefit of humanity.
I’m thrilled that Sir Patrick will continue to serve on
ARIA’s board. His
guidance will be vital as we prepare to launch a first set of
transformative R&D programmes later this year.
Sir Patrick will join a slate of Non-Executives already providing
strategic direction to the organisation.
Matt Clifford MBE
(Non-Executive Chair), co-founder and CEO of Entrepreneur First,
co-founder and non-executive director of Code First Girls, has
served as a Council Member at Innovate UK, and is a Trustee of
the Kennedy Memorial Trust.
Stephen Cohen, a UK Civil Service Commissioner and a Commissioner
for the Gambling Commission, who has over 40 years’ experience in
asset management, in Asia, Europe and the USA.
Professor Sir David MacMillan, a Nobel Prize winning organic
chemist and the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University
Professor of Chemistry at Princeton University.
Sarah Hunter, public policy expert who has worked across Silicon
Valley and London. She is the former Global Director of Public
Policy at X, the Moonshot Factory.
Dame Kate Bingham (DBE),
Managing Partner at SV Health Investors and former Chair of the
UK Vaccine Taskforce.
Professor Dame , government Chief Scientific
Adviser. She is also Head of the Government Science and
Engineering Profession.
ARIA
has been designed with a unique level of freedom which puts trust
in the decisions of experts in their field and empowers them to
quickly allocate funding in support of their ambitious vision.
