In 2018, Professor Philip Bond launched an Independent Review into Knowledge Exchange in the Mathematical Sciences, titled ‘The Era of Mathematics’. This important and timely review set out the narrative and the vision for how the Mathematical Sciences knowledge exchange infrastructure could be transformed for the benefit of the UK research community and more broadly for the economy and for society.
The Council for the Mathematical Sciences (CMS), which collectively represents the UK Mathematical Sciences community, met to discuss the review and its implementation. It agreed that to take forward the recommendations, a new initiative, known as The Big Mathematics Initiative (BMI) should be established. This consists of a two-committee structure comprised of, first, a higher level Strategic Committee of influential individuals with the experience and capability to drive forward the review with Government, the National Academies and UKRI. Secondly, there would be an Implementation Group made up of those with direct experience of Mathematical Sciences and Knowledge Exchange; together these would work to take the recommendations forward.
Dr Claire Craig and Professor Sir Bernard Silverman chair the Strategic Committee and Implementation Group, respectively, and in 2019 the Implementation Group was commissioned by the Strategic Group to develop specific evidence, ideas and proposals with a view to producing an implementation plan for the findings and recommendations of the review by April 2020.
To view the documents published by the Big Mathematics Initiative, please click here.