SAC Research Head Challenges Scientists and Policy Makers.

Professor John Oldham, the man stepping down as Head of SAC Research, challenged both the science community and policy makers in an address to a gathering of Scotland’s agriculture industry, research community and Government. Speaking at the SAC Annual Dinner in Murrayfield, he pointed out that 2050 was just one research career away, yet by that time we had to virtually double food production and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80%.

“It’s not as far away as we might like to think” said Professor Oldham, “ The question is are we making best use of what we already know and really thinking about what we don’t know? Just as important, are we organised in a way that can put any answers into practice?

Welcoming the recent “Reaping the Benefits” report produced by the Royal Society he agreed with it’s conclusion that, despite many remarkable advances in ‘discovery science’ too many of the necessary research skills for ‘delivery’ have been neglected in recent years. Areas like soil science and holistic skills in agronomy, livestock sciences and agricultural systems were now being recognised as important again, but the number of practicing experts is too few.

“How long has it been since a Nobel Prize was awarded for an advance in agriculture?” he asked.

Reminding his audience of some of the issues that had formed the background to his own 40 year research career, beginning as a dairy nutritionist, John Oldham cited a list of research policy reviews, reports and funding changes that have failed to give consistent direction to agricultural research. Until very recently UK policy makers have not appreciated the need for a regenerated capacity in agricultural research to meet the challenges to food, water and energy security that John Beddington, the Government Chief Scientific Advisor, has called a ‘Perfect Storm’ .

“We have to rise to the challenges of the next 40 years”, he said “We must be in a position to address them and maintain our focus on the main targets of increasing global food supplies, and improving diets, yet doing so in ways that will secure the resources and environment of our planet for the long term ”

He suggested that it is not only policy makers who have to change their views on the value of science and research. Science that is valued only by other scientists is not enough. Recently published statistics show Scottish agricultural research at the top of an international table, well ahead of the USA, New Zealand and other countries with a strong interest in agriculture.

While celebrating this Professor Oldham went on to show that in league tables showing how agricultural research had contributed to GDP, Scotland and the UK are well down on the list, below New Zealand.

“As well as doing science of high academic value we need to do better in using that science as part of the engine for sustainable economic development”. He said.

“Starving people don’t read Nature, or any other learned journals. Science is there for both discovery and delivery. It is important to have the right blend of skills to achieve both. At the moment the balance is not right leaving a gap between scientific excellence and economic impact”.

Professor Oldham believed blue sky research remained vitally important, and the work of those at the benches and in the labs should not be undermined. However the system whereby a scientific career is built on the number of research papers published and the number of times it is cited by other researchers does not guarantee policy makers and industry get the message.

“If we are to achieve those tough targets set out for us”, he suggested “there needs to be a recognition that “delivery” or “applied” scientists are just as important as those involved in fundamental discoveries. We need people with holistic skills who can recognise the nature of practical problems, but who also understand what is going on in the labs and can devise and advise ways of delivering ‘discovery’ research into practice in a way that makes a difference. It does not need many of them, but we have too few at the moment. They are as important to the process of research success as the keystone of an arch is in delivering a useful structure from what otherwise would be a disorganised pile of stones”.

In this respect, he believed, systems for evaluating the quality of science, like the Universities Research Excellence Framework, should give weight to the impact of research, as well as to its academic quality.

In a world recently rocked by economic crises John Oldham had a message for policymakers. When deciding how to spend limited research funds and formulating the questions they need answered they should look for a better balance between ‘discovery’ and ‘delivery’ scientists than we have at present and also look to re discover or re-search for what is already known. Often guidance on how to tackle today’s problems is in research papers or reports lying, forgotten, on library shelves and is not on line.

Finally Professor Oldham appealed to the agricultural industry, researchers and policy makers to work more closely together. The benefits of research to the economy will only be felt if there is common purpose with new discoveries and technologies being adopted by producers. We need to be engaged.

“Together we can achieve a lot for Scotland and the world”, he said. “We have an excellent science base which, in an academic sense, is often said to be world leading. I take great pride in the role that SAC has maintained, even when it was unfashionable, as a provider of top quality ‘delivery science’ for the rural sector. In tackling future challenges and exploiting opportunities we now need more of our kind of capability. The real test of ‘World leading’ research will be if it helps to lead the world to a more secure future”

PROFESSOR JOHN D OLDHAM

BSc (Hons) PhD

Contact Details:

Head, Research and Development

SAC

Peter Wilson Building

West Mains Road

Edinburgh

EH9 3JG

Tel:      0131 535 4219

Fax:      0131 535 4340

Email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

John Oldham graduated in Chemistry from the University of Nottingham in 1969 before taking a Ph D in Nutritional Biochemistry, also from the University of Nottingham. After a period of post-doctoral study in the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada he spent ten years as a research scientist at the National Institute for Research in Dairying in Reading. There his interests were in quantifying nutrient supply and metabolism in ruminants, especially in dairy cows. His particular interests in protein nutrition, and protein-energy interactions, led to him being heavily involved in the development of the Metabolisable Protein system for rationing ruminant animals. In 1984 he moved to the Edinburgh School of Agriculture to head the Animal Production Advisory and Development Department, based at the Bush Estate. When SAC was formed in 1990 he became head of the Genetics and Behavioural Sciences Department and subsequently led the Animal Biology Division of SAC. Since 2002 he has been Head of the Research Division, responsible for the strategic development of SAC’s research work across the range of SAC’s interests in research on livestock, crops, environmental, economic and socioeconomic issues. He has given particular emphasis to the development of a strong interdisciplinary profile in SAC’s research work and in the provision of objective information for policy development and evaluation.

Career to Date:

2002 Head of Research and Development Division, SAC

1997 Head, Animal Biology Division, SAC

1991 Head, Genetics and Behavioural Sciences Department, SAC Edinburgh and Vice-Dean R&D SAC Edinburgh

1984 Head, Animal Production Advisory and Development Department, Edinburgh School of Agriculture and Deputy Head, Animal Sciences Division

1980 Principal Scientific Officer, National Institute for Research in Dairying, Reading

1976 Senior Scientific Officer, National Institute for Research in Dairying, Reading

1974 Higher Scientific Officer, National Institute for Research in Dairying, Reading

1973 NRC Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

1973 PhD (Animal Nutrition) University of Nottingham

1969 BSc (Hons) Upper Second Class, Chemistry, University of Nottingham

Major Scientific Activities and Awards:

•        President EAAP Nutrition Commission 2000 - 2004
•        Member 2001 (and 2008) RAE Panel for Agriculture (Food Sciences and Veterinary Science)
•        Personal Professorship SAC (1997)
•        Saltire Society / Royal Bank of Scotland Science Award 1994
•        Sir John Hammond Memorial Prize (British Society of Animal Production) 1990
•        Former Secretary Nutrition Society
•        Member, Appraisal Panel, Wageningen - UR Animal Sciences Group and Wageningen Institute of Animal Science 2003 and 2004; 2008
•        Former member of various expert groups on animal nutrition

Publications:

60 paper in internationally refereed journals out of a total of more than 200.