Rustat Conference

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Tuesday, 22 November 2016, Jesus College, Cambridge

The conference brought together technologists, economists, historians, philosophers, sociologists, architects and specialists from HR, organisational behaviour, finance, lifelong learning, government, policy making and industry to address the wide range of interconnected questions and ideas related to the Future of Work.

The conference was sponsored by Harvey Nash and KPMG and a report will be published shortly via this website.

Rustat Conference

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Thursday, 29 September 2016, Jesus College, Cambridge

The report of this Rustat Conference is now available here

. The conference addressed a range of questions concerning blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies DLTs.



For more information on this conference please contact us: info@rustat.org

Rustat Conference

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Thursday, 2 June, 2016 Jesus College, Cambridge

The report of this conference is now available here

. The consequences of superintelligence and machine learning beyond the economic, political, defence and social welfare.

Rustat Conference

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Thursday, 26 November 2015, Jesus College, Cambridge

The report of this conference is now available here

. The North-South Divide in the UK is a critical and vital issue, with added significance and importance today in the context of questions of inequality, Scottish independence, regional and national devolution in the UK, and the seemingly unstoppable rise of the south-east and London, now labelled by some as a ‘City-State’.

The November 2015 Rustat Conference addressed the North-South Divide, aiming to clarify and debate some of the key issues.

Rustat Conference

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Wednesday, 30 September 2015, Jesus College, Cambridge

A group of experts from academia, government and industry addressed the opportunities and challenges presented by Big Data.

The report of this conference is now available here

The meeting was held with the collaboration of Cambridge Big Data, a University of Cambridge Strategic Research Initiative, which brings together researchers from across the University to address challenges presented by the access to unprecedented volumes of data. The initiative's research spans all six Schools of the University, from the underlying fundamentals in mathematics and computer science, to applications ranging from astronomy and bioinformatics, to medicine, social sciences and the humanities.

The conference discussed a range of ideas and questions:
- How to exploit Big Data for useful, actionable knowledge to address practical problems?
- How Big Data impacts on business and the economy, health, social science research and engineering.
- Big Data and Industrial Collaboration: case study from KPMG and McLaren Racing
- Big Data and ethical concerns: questions of ownership and use of data, access,privacy and security.
- Big Data Science: how is it making a difference to the way we live and work?

Rustat Conference

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Thursday, 19 March 2015, Jesus College, Cambridge

A group of senior decision makers from academia, government, industry, NGOs, think tanks, and the media met to discuss inequality - a global and vital issue of the day.

The report of this conference is now available here

Rustat Conference

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Thursday 27 November, 2014

Leading experts from academia, industry, government and the media met to discuss a range of issues relating to Transport and Energy.

The agenda topics inlcuded : Freight - road, rail, ship and air; fuel efficiency; low emission vehicles; battery technology; nuclear energy for shipping; electrification of transport; autonomous electric vehicles; transport and energy in our cities; air traffic and fuel; low carbon transportation systems. Participants included experts from the University of Cambridge, KPMG, Laing O'Rourke, McLaren Racing Ltd, BP, Shell, HS2, and Transport Catapult Systems.

The report for this conference is now available here.

Rustat Conference

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Thursday 11 September 2014

Leading academics in the field of Food Security joined senior decision makers from industry and government for a one-day roundtable conference at Jesus College, Cambridge.

Agenda topics included:
- GMOs and the future of biotechnology - controversial science?
- Supply: will growing more provide more food security?
- Demand: feeding a growing world population healthily – the policy challenges
- Threats to UK public health from poor diet - whose responsibility is this?
- Sustainable production, consumption and waste
- The Water Crisis and feeding the world
- Climate change, energy and Food Security

The report for this conference is available here

Rustat Conference

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Tuesday 4 March 2014

Speakers included:
Professor David Spiegelhalter OBE FRS, Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk at the University of Cambridge
Professor Bernard Silverman FRS, Chief Scientific Adviser to the Home Office
Professor Sheila Bird OBE FRSE FRSS, Programme Leader at the MRC Biostatistics Unit at the University of Cambridge
Rt Hon Sir Tony Baldry MP, former Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

The report of this conference is now available here

Rustat Conference

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30 September & 1 October 2013

In collaboration with the Cambridge University Computer Laboratory
An Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research - ACE CSR

Conference Background and Objectives:
- New technologies and processes are revolutionising the global financial sector, presenting a range of opportunities as well as vulnerabilities and uncertainty. London’s status as a global financial hub will depend on how it reacts to technological innovation in the cyber economy. This conference provided a chance to learn about these important changes and challenges.

- The conference created a dialogue between the influential stakeholders in this rapidly changing landscape: bankers, regulators, technologists, researchers, entrepreneurs, and government – each can share with others the developments in their own fields of expertise.

- The meeting provided stakeholders with an opportunity to set the direction of travel and shape the changes ahead to optimise benefits and minimise threats across a range of vital issues including:

i. The future of UK financial regulation and British competitiveness post-FSA.
ii. Cyber Innovation: for example, behavioural analytics; the rise of private cyber cash, new payment platforms, mobile banking, privacy and consent, economics of cyber security.
iii. Threats to national economic security from cyber crime and attack, and to the City of London from new financial capitals such as Shanghai and Dubai.
iv. How to optimise Cyber Finance collaboration between Silicon Fen and Silicon Valley, research, entrepreneurs, VCs, the City, government and security services.

We thank our sponsors:
- The Bank of England
- Detica (BAE)
- Standard Chartered Bank



Please contact us for a copy of the report from this conference.

Rustat Conference

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25 April 2013
Conference Overview
The conference is prompted by the continuing crisis posed by substance abuse and dependency, their far-reaching consequences, and an awareness of the need for further debate and new policy initiatives. There is a widespread impression that the current drug policies in the UK are not working; it is also clear that there are divisions of opinion, especially over the issue of decriminalisation that invoke strongly-felt social, emotional and moral principles. There has been a lack, moreover, of open parliamentarian debate.
For more information please follow link below.

Rustat Conference

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29 January 2013
Conference Overview
This one-day conference on 29 January told the story of how the development of monoclonal antibodies and their applications as medicines have transformed prospects for people suffering from a variety of medical conditions. Specifically, the conference illustrated these advances through the example of Multiple Sclerosis MS, the most common disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord affecting young adults in developed countries. The conference partners included the University of Cambridge Department of Clinical Neurosciences and the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in association with Rustat Conferences. A report will be published soon on this website.

Rustat Conference

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4 December 2012
Sponsors: Harvey Nash - Cobbetts - Penna
Conference Overview
Western economies have seen exceptional changes over the past five years, working through both the credit crunch and banking crisis. These changes present new challenges for leaders worldwide. This Rustat Conference brought together leaders from business, government and academia to address the key organisational and people challenges facing the public and private sectors against the background of the global financial crisis, ageing populations, and growing youth unemployment. To read the conference report please click here.

Rustat Conference

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4 April 2012
Conference Overview
The Rustat conference on the Geopolitics of Oil and Energy addressed issues such as: sustainability, clean energy, security of supply, new technologies, peak oil and infrastructure.
The conference report can be read here.

Rustat Conference

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17 January 2012
Conference Overview
The sixth Rustat Conference discussed the future of research-intensive universities and was jointly hosted by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, and Professor Ian White, Master of Jesus College.

Rustat Conference

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24 November 2011
Conference Overview
The fifth Rustat Conference aimed to answer the following questions: What contribution does manufacturing make to the UK economy? To what extent is it in decline, and does it matter? And what is the UK government’s policy on the need to stimulate the manufacturing sector?

Rustat Conference

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BIS Conference Centre, 1 Victoria St, London SW1, 29 September, 2011

To read the conference report and for information on this conference visit the dedicated Cyber Security Forum website.

The Cyber Security Forum 2011 was organised by an industry-government-academic grouping in association with the Rustat Conferences. It had the official support of the Cabinet Office - Office for Cyber Security and Information Assurance OCSIA, and the Department for Business Innovation & Skills BIS, the Information Assurance Advisory Council IAAC, and the ICT KTN.PA Consulting was the lead partner and sponsors were i2 Ltd, Cisco, McAfee and Finmeccanica. The conference explored a broad range of Cyber Security themes with a strong focus on business and private sector including: the contributions made by the private sector to ensuring national and economic security; R&D and Innovation in Cyber Security; private sector partnerships with academia and government; the economics of Cyber Security; Cyber Security leadership and corporate strategy; insider threats; data exfiltration, leaks and the prevention of corporate data loss.

Science and Human Dimension Project

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11 May 2011
Conference Overview
This one-day meeting on Wednesday May 11, 2011 (in association with City University Journalism School and BlueSci) brought together a group of young scientists to discuss the problems and constraints, the scope and potential, of careers in science journalism at a time of rapid media change and challenge. The structure of the meeting was designed to promote an exchange of viewpoints and a sharing of experiences. Each segment was be introduced briefly by two seasoned practitioners: followed by open-floor discussion. The proceedings will be available for dissemination to schools of journalism and the wider public.

Rustat Conference

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3 February 2011
Conference Overview
The revolution brought about by computer technology and the internet has delivered huge benefits and opportunities to society, but it also poses a threat as it may expose us – government, organisations and individuals – to digital attack. How real is this and how clear and present this danger? This conference set out to provide an informed judgement on the extent and nature of this threat to governments, commerce, national infrastructure and individuals. The meeting brought together a group of leading academic experts with decision makers from government,intelligence, finance, defence, technology, the law, the media, and the security services. Follow the link for more information on the agenda, participants. The Rustat Conference on Cyber Security report is available to read here.

Rustat Conference

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10 June, 2010
Conference Overview
The growth in global and urban populations, the increasing demand for housing, products, services, travel, food and water in both the developed and the developing worlds, will place huge demands on the infrastructure of energy, water and cities. Delivering this infrastructure presents a major challenge in terms of investment and financing, and will carry associated socio-economic costs, as well as opportunities for business. All this at a time when there is an onus on governments to achieve tough carbon reduction targets and replace fossil fuels with renewable sources of energy.A team of Cambridge academics and practitioner experts joined decision makers from the fields of engineering, finance, energy, water, politics, sustainable development and the media for round-table discussions and debate on the most vital issues at stake in these important themes.
The proceedings of this conference are available here.

Science and Human Dimension Project

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The Science & Human Dimension Project - Prospect Magazine Lecture
On 3 June 2010 Professor Alasdair MacIntyre, author of After Virtue and some thirty books on ethics, gave a lecture sponsored by the Science & Human Dimension Project and Prospect magazine. The text of the article John Cornwell wrote for Prospect magazine’s October 2010 issue on the lecture and its background is available here.

Coleridge Society Lecture

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11 May 2010
Jesus College, Cambridge

Science and Human Dimension Project

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23 February 2010
Conference Overview
The Science & Human Dimension Project held a round-table workshop for an exchange of views on media coverage of ethical and religious issues, and to discuss the launch of a forum for ethics in the public space called Ethicscope. A constituency of leading journalists, ethicists and representatives of different faiths discussed the access, fairness, balance and quality of ethical perspectives in print, radio, TV, photojournalism and online media. Our aim ultimately was to explore ways in which media practitioners at every level can develop and enhance their ethical insights and presentation of issues. This meeting occured at a time when the domains of politics, medical science, business, economics, the environment, social and human rights, face increasingly complex and unprecedented choices and judgments. At the same time, the world’s leading faiths are experiencing mounting challenges and scrutiny from secular and pluralist standpoints. The proceedings of this meeting are available here.

Rustat Conference

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13 October 2009
Conference Overview
This Rustat Conference brought together some of the world's leading political theorists, historians and leaders from the worlds of politics, the media, industry and public sector to tackle the key issues at stake in the debate over the Future of Democracy.

The proceedings of this conference are published as a pdf here
The proceedings are also available as an ebook by clicking on the title page below:

Read Future of Democracy - Proceedings of the second Rustat Conference
Publishing Software from YUDU

Rustat Conference

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9 May 2009
Conference Overview
Leading academics from the fields of economics, politics, business and history discussed the key issues of the Economic Crisis with leaders from the worlds of politics, finance, industry, the public sector and the media. To read the conference report and view list of participants click on the link below.

Coleridge Society Lecture

2009

Coleridge Society Lecture

2008

Science and Human Dimension Project

Conference 2008
Public interest in religious debate has recently been fed by a series of books of popular polemic against theism, religion and the discipline of theology itself. A small industry has grown up around these works - by authors such as Dawkins, Dennett and Hitchens. Philosophers, theologians convened to debate and reflect on their attitudes to religion and the status and sources of their various religious and spiritual sympathies, their secularism or agnosticism. Speakers included Sir Anthony Kenny, Michael McGhee, and Nicholas Lash.

Science and Human Dimension Project

Conference 2007
Following the EU’s granting of funding for human embryonic stem cell research in July 2006, some declared the arguments and debate against it, over whilst others thought it had barely begun. The aim of this conference was to explore the meaning of the term soul within the Judaic-Christian tradition to test the strength of the Cartesian idea which is often taken for granted in the ethical debate: as in a human being is “ensouled” at the moment of conception.

Science and Human Dimension Project

Conference 2006
This conference explored the media coverage of development and aid in Africa. Senior Kenyan development workers discussed poverty, development and the media with specialists from NGOs, the Department for International Development, charities, development academics, and journalists.

Science and Human Dimension Project

Symposium 2005
There has long been a notion that creativity and imagination are associated with forms of depression and even psychosis. This conference explored a wide-ranging approach to the topic, including literary, historical, and psychiatric perspectives.

The discussion focused particularly on the way in which depression is reported in the media as well biographically and autobiographically.

Science and Human Dimension Project

Debate 2007
Physicist and theologian John Polkinghorne and Astronomer Royal, Sir Martin Rees, tackled the notion of the anthropic principle - the existence of numerical accidents in the Universe that were essential for the development of life.

Coleridge Society Lecture

2002

Science and Human Dimension Project

Conference 2002
The conference explored the ethics of science, using as a focus Michael Frayn’s play Copenhagen which was staged at the conference with Michael Frayn fielding questions. Mark Walker and Paul Lawrence Rose spoke directly to the German historical and biographical background of Heisenberg and Niels Bohr. Other speakers included Walter Gratzer, Lewis Wolpert, Henning Grunwald and John Naughton.

Science and Human Dimension Project

Conference 2001
The growth in the use of the internet and related technologies for teaching and learning brought together a variety of distance and e-learning specialists from Europe, and the United States, working mainly in the fields of publishing and tertiary level education

Science and Human Dimension Project

Conference 2000
This meeting brought together philosophers, scientists, mathematicians, and anthropologists to discuss why explanations work, why they vary between disciplines, periods, and cultures, and to discover whether they have any necessary boundaries. The issues engaged the keen interest of the participants from the media, for it is in journalism that the notion of an explanation is often misused or misunderstood. Speakers included Peter Atkins, Sir Martin Rees, Peter Lipton, Colin McGinn and Juliet Mitchell.

Coleridge Society Lecture

2000

Coleridge Society Lecture

1999

Coleridge Society Lecture

1998

Science and Human Dimension Project

Conference 1997
Consciousness has puzzled philosophers, naturalists, and theologians down the ages. Now it has caught the interest of contemporary scientists, some of whom believe they are on the brink of discovering its basis in neurobiological processes. This meeting of neuroscientists, psychologists, philosophers, theologians and novelists, discussed the prospects and consequences for finding a scientific explanation of consciousness. Speakers included Margaret Boden, John Searle, Steven Rose, Mary Midgely, Jeremy Butterfield, Peter Lipton and David Lodge.

Science and Human Dimension Project

Conference 1996
The Science and Human Dimension Project brought twenty four young scientists together to discuss the future of their disciplines: physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, computer science, and medicine.This meeting was supported by Wellcome Trust, Chiroscience Ltd, and the New Scientist.

Coleridge Society Lecture

1996

Science and Human Dimension Project

Conference 1995
This specialist forum for participants from the science media was convened to discuss current issues of interest and concern. Speakers included Nigel Hawkes of The Times, John Maddox of Nature, Ravi Mirchandani of Penguin¸ Alun Anderson of the New Scientist and Duncan Dallas of Café Scientifique. The meeting was sponsored by Nature.

Coleridge Society Lecture

1995

Coleridge Society Lecture

1994

Science and Human Dimension Project

Symposium 1994
Logicians and philosophers of mathematics discussed the mathematical Platonism with Penelope Maddy, Michael Redhead, Tim Smiley, Jeremy Butterfield, and Peter Smith. Is mathematics created by the mind or does it have an extra-mental existence, and what are the implications for philosophy?

Science and Human Dimension Project

Lecture 1994
Nobel Prize winner Sir Francis Crick discussed his book The Astonishing Hypothesis in which he argues that explanations for human higher order consciousness are best studied from the “bottom up”.

Coleridge Society Lecture

1993

Science and Human Dimension Project

Symposium 1993
A group of world-class mathematicians, scientists, and professors of mathematical education explored the role of mathematics in different academic disciplines.

Coleridge Society Lecture

1992

Coleridge Society Lecture

1990

Science and Human Dimension Project

Conference 1992
This conference brought together world class neuroscientists, mathematicians, physicists, philosophers, psychiatrists, biologists, engineers, publishers and journalists to discuss to what extent reductionist method is shaping, and “reducing”, psychology, social studies, and even the humanities? Speakers included Nobel Prize Winner Gerald Edelman, Oliver Sacks, Freeman Dyson, Roger Penrose, John D Barrow, Paul M. Churchland, Patricia Churchland, Mary Midgely, and Peter Atkins.