Our Policy Team recently attended this event to share insights from our work, connect with new people and explore the challenges and opportunities for science funding in the UK.
Parliamentary Links Day is an annual networking event in the Parliamentary calendar, designed to bring together scientific societies, invited guests and policy makers. Held on Tuesday 16 June 2026 at the House of Commons, the largest science event in Parliament brought people together to explore the challenges and opportunities in higher education and research funding in the UK.
Dr Megan O'Donnell, Dr Natasha Stephen and Dr Tom Harvey from the Geological Society attended the event to share insights from our 'This is Geoscience' initiative, and consider its relevance within the event's context of engaging the public with science despite uncertainty in the higher education and research sectors.
Dame Chi Onwurah MP, Chair of the House of Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee and Hannah Russell, Chief Executive of the British Science Association gave short speeches at the event, followed by lunch and networking for attendees.
Chi emphasised the importance of the 'twin engines' of science and parliament, noting that science and innovation are essential to our future.
Hannah presented findings from the British Science Association's long-running survey on public attitudes to science. This survey found that 82% of the UK public are positive about science's contribution to the economy and view the sector as a national asset. However the survey also found that there is growing uncertainty, ambivalence, and conditional trust in science, particularly among women and young people (age 16-24).
The survey found that our modern media landscape has changed the way people engage with science, especially as social media competes with more traditional media formats. This has created an appetite for more involvement in science, and a need for more public access to, and engagement with, science information.
In uncertain times, public support for science cannot be taken for granted, and for the sector to continue to receive consistent and sufficient investment scientific societies must continue to engage with and communicate to the public.
