FORUM events promote multi-sector discussion about cutting edge science and its potential consequences and applications.
Formats range from invited lectures to symposia, roundtables and workshops, offering opportunities for debates and discussions on current policies and practices. They also provide a platform for promoting partnerships and networks, as well as joint actions by key stakeholders from across the life sciences sector.
The FORUM has now run over 50 events on pressing issues for health and biomedical research. These include stratified medicine, early diagnosis of cancer, adaptive clinical trials, healthy ageing and real world evidence. FORUM activity on stratified medicine fed into NHS England’s strategy for personalised medicine, for example, and work on the importance of regional life sciences clusters has fed into work around the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy and of the Office of Life Sciences. Another FORUM meeting explored industry needs around digital capabilities in the NHS, and was used in designing an assessment model for digital maturity of NHS Trusts, commissioned by NHS England. The 2017 FORUM Annual Lecture on the mind-body interface brought experts from academia, the NHS and industry together for a stimulating discussion that was covered by widespread UK media including on the front page of the Daily Telegraph, and in the Times, Guardian and Daily Mail.
FORUM: Next steps for using real world evidence