!!Cardiff Knowledge Hub Newsletter
!Spring 2017
[{Image src='Petersen_Ole.jpg' caption='Professor Ole Petersen, Honorary Academic Director, Cardiff Knowledge Hub and Vice-President, Academia Europaea' height='200' alt='Ole Petersen' class='image_left'}] 
!Update on the European Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM)

As reported in our last newsletter, the first SAM topic to be coordinated by the SAPEA (Science Advice for Policy by European Academies) Consortium will be led by Academia Europaea, with responsibility for delivery of the work given to the Cardiff Hub. [Food from the Oceans|https://ec.europa.eu/research/sam/index.cfm?pg=oceanfood] is addressing the key question of how more food and biomass can be obtained from the oceans in a way that does not deprive future generations of their benefits.
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Professor Ole Petersen represents the SAPEA Consortium on the Steering Group for the project, with Louise Edwards, Hub Manager, as Chair of the SAPEA Staff Team.
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Two international working groups are now in place, one covering the natural sciences and the other the social sciences/humanities. The first meeting ran successfully on 4th May, in Brussels. Cardiff University Library, which is recognised widely for its expertise in the systematic review method, is conducting the literature search.
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In another area of the SAPEA project, Professor Ole Petersen accepted an invitation to join an expert working group, which will establish procedures for assuring the quality of scientific advice. Professor Petersen attended the first physical meeting of the group in Paris in April. Louise Edwards, who also attended the meeting, will be the first to apply the procedures for the Food from the Oceans topic, which will produce an evidence review report by late summer.
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[{Image src='cardiff1.jpg' caption='Ole Petersen and Louise Edwards at the expert working group meeting on quality assurance, April 2017' height='300' alt='' align='center'}]
!Annual report 2016

The Hub’s Annual Report for 2016 has been published and is available via the following [link|http://aecardiffknowledgehub.wales/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Final-Annual-Report-2016.pdf].
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!Hub Steering Group Member elected to the Royal Society

Professor Yves Barde, from Cardiff University’s School of Biosciences, has been elected as Fellow of the Royal Society. His election was welcomed by Professor Ole Petersen at a reception held at the University.
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Professor Barde is a member of the Cardiff Hub [Steering Group|http://aecardiffknowledgehub.wales/about-us/governance-and-management/steering-group], as well as a Member of Academia Europaea. Further information on Professor Barde is available via his Royal Society profile.
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[{Image src='cardiff2.jpg' caption='Professor Yves Barde (second right) with Ole Petersen and other senior colleagues at the School of Biosciences' height='300' alt='' align='center'}]
!Recent Events

''__Brexit: the scientific impact, 8th May__''
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The Royal Institution held a summit for scientists, policymakers and other key stakeholders to consider the impact of the Brexit vote on science and innovation. The event, Brexit: the scientific impact, was jointly supported by Academia Europaea, EuroScience and the Royal Institution. Academia Europaea was represented by Professor Ole Petersen, in his capacity as Vice-President.
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[{Image src='cardiff3.jpg' caption='Professor Petersen with other speakers at the Brexit debate, May 2017' height='300' alt='cardiff3.jpg' align='center'}]
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The whole of the debate was live-streamed and can be viewed via the following [link|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpGy7wqiOvA]. Professor Petersen was quoted extensively in an [article|http://sciencebusiness.net/news/80281/All-of-European-science-will-be-diminished-by-Brexit] in Science Business, following the event.
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''__Neuroplasticity Symposium, 27th-28th April__''
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The Cardiff Hub supported a successful conference on Neuroplasticity, which took place at Cardiff University on 27th and 28th April. The symposium reviewed the evidence that synaptic dysfunction is a primary causal factor in most if not all neuropsychiatric disorders. A key part of the programme was discussion around the talks and in breakout groups, which should foster future collaborations. Further information is [available|http://aecardiffknowledgehub.wales/2017/03/25/save-the-date].
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''__Research evaluation, 5th April__''
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The third in the Cardiff Hub’s series of lunchtime debates on science and research cast the spotlight on the evaluation of research quality. Read our summary report.
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!Forthcoming Events

Interdisciplinary research is the topic of our next Lunchtime Debate, taking place on 9th June. We have a distinguished panel of speakers, including Dr Steven Hill, Head of Research Policy and Health Policy at HEFCE, and Dr Ian Viney, Director of Strategic Evaluation and Impact, Medical Research Council.
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The event is __open to all__ (no registration required). See [full details|http://aecardiffknowledgehub.wales/2017/01/01/interdisciplinary-research-opportunities-and-challenges-lunchtime-debate-series].
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Download the [Newsletter|Cardiff-Hub-Newsletter-Spring-2017.pdf].
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[{Image src='AE cardiff.jpg' caption='' height='100' alt='' link='http://aecardiffknowledgehub.wales'}]