The RSS welcomes funding announced by the Chancellor in this week’s Autumn Statement for up to £6m of funding over three years for the creation of a national academy focused on the mathematical sciences.
The Society has been actively involved in the set up phase of the proto Academy for the Mathematical Sciences, established in 2022 in collaboration with other learned societies.
The creation of an academy was recommended in the 2018 Bond Review to facilitate links between academia, government and industry. Since then the Council for Mathematical Sciences (CMS) – of which the RSS is a founding member – has been working towards achieving this ambition.
The proto Academy conducted a consultation earlier this year, to inform and shape its development and to identify initial priorities for the Academy’s activities. You can read the RSS response here.
RSS CEO, Dr Sarah Cumbers commenting on the announcement, said: “It’s encouraging to see support from the Chancellor for the establishment of an academy, which will be a powerful advocate and supporter of all of us in the mathematical sciences community.”
“Given the growing demand for maths and data skills and the ongoing policy debates around maths education, establishing a body dedicated to fostering progress in these fields is a welcome step, and we look forward to further collaboration.”
RSS President, Dr Andrew Garrett said: “Establishing a national academy for the mathematical sciences was a key recommendation of the Bond Review and I am pleased to see this taken forward with the financial backing required.”
“A national academy is an opportunity to bring together all those involved in the mathematical sciences to increase impact and provide coherence on a range of important challenges, within so many of which, statistics and data are integral.”
RSS Vice-President for Academic Affairs, Professor Jon Forster said: “This announcement is a critical step towards the realisation of the shared vision of the CMS Societies, including the RSS, for an academy which can provide a powerful voice for our disciplines and be a partner in furthering our joint interests in the development of the mathematical sciences in the UK and internationally. I look forward to RSS members continuing to contribute strongly to the Academy through the next stages of its development.”
Read more on the Academy for the Mathematical Sciences website