Ramakrishnan: ‘Commonwealth science drives change’

Royal Society president Venki Ramakrishnan has been speaking about the importance of the Commonwealth to fixing many of the global grand challenges.

Science can boost political action on issues including climate change, oceans and infectious diseases, Ramakrishnan said at the organisation’s annual science conference, taking place in Singapore. The UK government has made boosting collaboration with Commonwealth countries a top priority as Brexit talks get underway. 

The Commonwealth is home to 12 per cent of the world’s researchers and accounts for about 10 per cent of global R&D spending. According to Ramakrishnan, this means the intergovernmental organisation is well placed to become a “powerful political force for change” on societal issues with a strong scientific component.