This report reviews our communications and political activities in 2012.
2012 was a particularly successful year for building the reputation and profile of the Institution, our members and the organisations for which our members work.
Our reports and policy statements on subjects as varied as sports engineering, energy supply and storage, tuition fees and manufacturing continued to lead the debate, shape the news and influence the policy of governments.
Leading the debate
In 2012 we published a number of reports across our key themes. In the Intelligent Transport, Intelligent Society report in early 2012 we campaigned for solutions regarding safety on UK roads, and called for technology which could help prevent accidents caused by lorry or bus blind spots to be made mandatory. This led to extensive coverage on BBC radio, in The Times and The Metro, and we were subsequently quoted by MPs and road safety campaigners.
In the summer, we published its Sports Engineering: an Unfair Advantage? report to coincide with the London Olympics. We examined engineering technologies in sport, as well as the ethical debates surrounding engineering the human body. The report was covered widely by the UK national newspapers and broadcasters, and as far afield as the USA, Canada, China, Australia and India. The BBC also asked us to discuss its report on a number of occasions at its Olympic Park studios during the Games.
Since the launch of our Scottish Energy 2020? report in 2011, we have continued to shape Scotland’s energy policy through our policy briefings, and by encouraging discussion between policymakers and engineers on energy generation and storage. The continuation of this work into 2013, by members from our Scottish Region and our Power Industries Division, will help ensure that future Scottish energy policy has sound engineering at its core.
Open to new ideas
Our founding statement says the Institution should be a place where new ideas can be openly discussed. In keeping with that statement, we have promoted ideas and technologies to help solve global challenges of the future – making the media, public and politicians aware of ideas that may otherwise have gone unnoticed.
In October, we held a conference on air capture technology, where UK-based company Air Fuel Synthesis (AFS) announced a breakthrough process which synthesises petrol from air. The announcement led to extensive media coverage around the world, including the front page of The Independent and several primetime BBC news interviews. The news also helped motivate Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg to visit the AFS plant.
In addition to this, we worked with Highview Power on promoting the idea of liquid air, a simple technology that helps store intermittent renewable energy at times of low demand, and then releases the energy back into the grid at peak times. Again, this idea was picked up by the media around the world and sparked interest from British and Scottish politicians, policymakers and investors.