Posted: 24th April 2025

Research Associate Amrita Suresh recently participated in the Royal Society’s 2025 Pairing Scheme, which offers researchers the opportunity to engage directly with the policymaking process in Westminster. 

One of just 30 scientists selected nationwide, Suresh spent a week in London meeting with civil servants, attending sessions in Parliament, and exploring the interface between scientific research and government decision-making. The scheme aims to equip researchers with a better understanding of how evidence can inform policy, while offering policymakers insight into cutting-edge research across the UK. 

Suresh was paired with members of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Advanced Communications Team. Their discussions focused on the role of next-generation telecoms in supporting the UK’s ambitions to become a global science and technology superpower. The team explored the government’s 2023 Science and Technology Framework, which identifies future telecoms as one of five critical technologies, and discussed the need for strategic investment in research, innovation and infrastructure, and the interplay between technical ambition and real-world implementation.

I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to contribute to these forward-looking conversations and to build connections at the science-policy interface. I’m very much looking forward to welcoming the team to Oxford for a reciprocal visit this June. Amrita Suresh

You can read more about this year’s cohort and the aims of the scheme on the Royal Society’s website. https://royalsociety.org/news/2025/03/pairing-scheme-2025/