Organisations have been invited to apply for the chance to set up
a new National Academy for Mathematical Sciences to champion the
immense value of maths, create future jobs, and turbocharge the
UK economy.
An open competition
offering grant funding of up to £6 million over the next three
years has been launched today and will run from today until 4
June 2024.
As technology evolves faster than ever mathematical sciences are
critical to the jobs of the future – like AI, nuclear and compute
– that will set the UK on a path to a brighter future that
rewards hard work, celebrates ambition, and gives young people
the skills they need to get on in life.
Today's announcement builds on the Prime Minister's ambition for
all young people to study maths up to age 18 via the Advanced
British Standard, ensuring they are equipped with the knowledge
and skills to thrive in the modern economy.
The new Academy will mark mathematical sciences as a major
priority in skills development and seek to emulate the success of
the existing UK National Academies, in other scientific fields,
such as the Royal Society and
Royal Academy of
Engineering which encourage innovation.
Ambitious requirements for a successful applicant have been drawn
up and agreed following weeks of engagement with over 100 key
voices in business, academia and beyond. Over the next three
years, the incipient National Academy focussed on Mathematical
Sciences will be expected to:
- Provide credible, expert and timely advice on maths to
government, policy makers and industry, helping to shape the
agenda on the subject.
- Increase public support and engagement in mathematical
sciences – communicating the importance of the subject in growing
jobs and the economy, and in driving discovery in science and
technology and how that can make us all healthier and better off.
- Publish a strategy setting out a clear vision for the
mathematical sciences sector in the UK – engaging voices from
across the maths community and establishing skills gaps in maths.
In the longer term, it is expected to:
- Work to improve and develop mathematical skills across the
UK, with particular focus on supporting the UK's competitiveness
in advanced maths skills that support industries that will
underpin future growth, such as artificial intelligence and data
science and the Government's critical technologies.
- Leverage private and third sector funding – although the
successful applicant will be funded by the Government to up to
£6m initially, it will not be a Government body or agency and
should seek complementary sources of private and third-sector
funding.
- Collaborate internationally, recognising that the
mathematical sciences community stretches oversees and plays an
essential role in addressing global challenges.
Prime Minister, , said:
“This new National Academy for Maths is a big step in
transforming our national approach to maths.
“It will lead the way in arming our society with the skills and
knowledge to lead the globe in jobs of the future – like AI and
compute – to discover the Alan Turing of tomorrow.
“Part of the plan to prize numeracy for what it is – a key skill
every bit as essential as reading.”
Science, Innovation and Research Minister, , said:
“Maths is at the root of so much in our lives, from
groundbreaking discoveries that keep us healthy to the
engineering we rely on to do our jobs and get us from A to B.
“As technology becomes even more central to our modern world, it
is a skill that will only become more crucial in jobs of the
future, from artificial intelligence to data science and beyond.
“The new National Academy focused on Mathematical Sciences will
help raise the profile of Maths in the UK and help the sector in
making the impassioned case for such an important subject.”
The sector has demonstrated strong and broad support for a
leading organisation that can support those in maths to speak
with a unified voice on key interests and make the case to the
public that maths is fundamental to scientific discovery and at
the heart of our economy and prosperity.
Notes to editors
- The incipient National Academy for Mathematical Science will
become the fifth UK national academy. The others are the Academy
of Medical Sciences, the British Academy, the Royal Academy of
Engineering and the Royal Society.
