POSTnotes: the University’s work with the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology
Bridging the gap between research and policy
The core objective of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) is to supply trusted and impartial analysis to the UK Parliament.
Its work is used to inform both the House of Commons and House of Lords and its advisers are in constant contact with leading experts from academia, industry, government, the third sector and beyond.
That process – which includes horizon scanning and literature reviews, contextualising research evidence, and peer reviewing – ensures POST is aware of emerging topics of interest in the science community and can begin to work with Government to address them.
POSTnotes are the organisation’s flagship report, a four-page briefing reviewing emerging areas of research, the challenges they may pose and the solutions potentially required to address them.
Since 2016, our world-leading research has contributed to POSTnotes in climate change, microplastics, offshore renewable energy, natural hazards, and much more.
POSTnotes are one of the many ways in which the University is helping shape government policy, setting the national and international agenda on topics likely to impact wider society.
2026
Supply chains for low carbon electricity infrastructure
The UK is transitioning towards low-carbon electricity to meet its net zero target and lower its dependencies on fossil fuels. However, renewable and low-carbon electricity technologies also depend on complex global supply chains for critical minerals, processed materials, specialised components and manufacturing capacity. Many of these supply chains are concentrated in a small number of countries, particularly China, creating potential risks to the availability and deployment of electricity infrastructure in the UK. This POSTnote acknowledges that the energy transition relies on complex supply chains including mining and manufacturing, exploring how these supply chains are changing and the challenges involved.
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Lifelong learning and skills
Evidence indicates that lifelong learning helps adults develop their skills. This may become increasingly relevant in the near term because: rapid technological change, including advances in artificial intelligence (AI), is reshaping the labour market and may require people to learn new skills; the population is ageing and people are retiring later in life, which may increase demand for upskilling and retraining across longer careers; many young people are not in education, employment or training (NEET) and so may need support with skills later in life. This POSTnote focuses on England for education policy and uses UK-wide data for skills.
2025
Changes to nutrient neutrality in England
In 2019 and 2022, Natural England issued planning advice to 74 local planning authorities for 31 sites spanning 27 river catchments in unfavourable condition due to nutrient pollution. Building projects and plans may only go ahead if they will not cause additional pollution, referred to as ‘nutrient neutrality’. This POSTnote summarises the challenges and options for reducing nutrient pollution in river catchments currently subject to 'nutrient neutrality' planning advice.
2024
Energy security and AI
Global intergovernmental organisations suggest that artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) could play a significant role in addressing energy system limitations and the transition to Net Zero. It has the potential to leverage big data from devices such as smart meters and other technologies to optimise energy planning, generation, storage and use. This POSTnote summarises the current and emerging applications of AI and ML in the energy system, barriers to wider implementation, the challenges likely to be encountered, and policy considerations proposed by sector stakeholders.
Wildfire risks to UK landscapes
Dr Scott Davidson
The 2022 UK Climate Change Risk Assessment and 2023 National Adaptation Programme identified wildfire as an increasing climate change risk. Climate scientists predict changing weather patterns will increase the frequency and severity of wildfires in the UK, which will pose a growing threat to achieving the UK’s biodiversity and net-zero commitments. This POSTnote – by a team including Dr Scott Davidson – summarises wildfire threats and management in the UK, and outlines options for increasing the resilience of UK landscapes and habitats to wildfire.
Reducing plastic waste
Plastic is a versatile and inexpensive material that has a wide variety of applications in products used in most sectors. However, its extensive use over decades has been associated with accumulation of plastic objects in the natural environment. This POSTnote summarises what changes in approaches to UK plastic waste management may be required if ambitious internationally legally binding targets are agreed.
2023
Child food insecurity and Free School Meals
Stephanie Hartgen-Walker
In January 2023, the Food Foundation estimated that 24% of households with children were living in food insecurity. This POSTnote outlines trends and associated risk outcomes of child food insecurity and provides an overview of Free School Meals initiatives in England. Stephanie Hartgen-Walker from the
School of Psychology co-authored this POSTnote as part of a prestigious POST fellowship, funded by the Nuffield Foundation.
Public health and climate change: a One Health approach
Evidence has indicated that climate change is contributing to threats to public health. The One Health approach (which recognises that human, animal and environmental health are closely interlinked) aims to design and implement policy that engages multiple sectors and disciplines to achieve better health outcomes. Professor Melanie Austin, Director of the
Centre for Systems Thinking: Ocean, Land and Society , contributed to this POSTnote which explores how a One Health approach can be used to tackle key impacts of climate change on public health.
Data science skills in the UK workforce
Professor Neville Davies
Across the UK workforce, there is increasing demand for specialist data skills. This POSTnote looks at the current supply of such skills in the UK, including for artificial intelligence. It considers workforce demographics, challenges, and initiatives to increase supply, as well as underrepresented groups in the data workforce. Emeritus Professor Neville Davies, whose research includes analysis of the state of teaching, learning and assessing data science in schools, contributed to this POSTnote.
Marine Protected Areas and Highly Protected Marine Areas
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are clearly defined geographical areas that aim to achieve long-term nature conservation by alleviating pressure from human activities. This POSTnote builds on the University’s world-leading expertise in MPA designation and monitoring, with outputs from our ongoing research in this area being cited extensively throughout the report.
2022
The habitat restoration target
Changes in land use and management have destroyed, degraded, and fragmented habitats. This has driven the majority of declines in wildlife over the last century in England. Restoring habitats will deliver nature recovery. This POSTnote, co-authored by Dr John Martin, focuses on restoration of terrestrial habitats for the wider habitats target in England.
Climate adaptation for nature
The UK Government has committed to halting the long-term decline of species abundance and protecting 30% of land and sea by 2030. In line with her work to understand the impacts of climate change, and in turn how nature is responding, Dr Sian Rees contributed to this POSTnote which summarises options to allow nature to adapt to a changing climate and ensure the long-term effectiveness of conservation strategies.
Restoring agricultural soils
Dr Kate Schofield
In the face of a growing global soil crisis, Professor Mark Fitzsimons and Dr Kate Schofield – part of the University’s
ReCon Soil project – contributed to a POSTnote summarising the state of England’s agricultural soils and evaluates soil stewardship opportunities. The report also explores soil indicators that could be used for monitoring in policy frameworks and incentives relating to soil restoration.
Reducing agricultural pressures on freshwater ecosystems
Freshwater ecosystems in the UK face a myriad of pressures, and Defra’s Agricultural Transition Plan proposes a “systems” approach to mitigate environmental pressures. As one of the UK’s leading experts in water quality, Professor Sean Comber helped to produce a POSTnote describing the components of UK freshwater catchments, then summarises opportunities for developing a more integrated approach to addressing the pressures that agricultural practices place on freshwaters.
2021
Blue Carbon
Marine ecosystems around the UK can both increase and decrease atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Carbon loss and gain globally by these ecosystems has the potential to influence climate change. Dr Sian Rees and Professor Jason Hall-Spencer are renowned nationally and internationally for their work in the field, and this POSTnote summarises the marine ecosystems in the UK that contribute to these processes, their current and potential future extent, and pressures on them.
Local nature recovery strategies
The UK Government is introducing Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) from April 2022 to map where local habitat improvement and restoration could address national-scale environmental objectives. Dr John Martin has extensive expertise in the potential of nature restoration and co-authored a POSTnote summarising the LNRS approach. This included mapping ecological networks, the opportunities for LNRSs to deliver wider benefits to nature and people, and the likely challenges associated with the strategies and their delivery.
Effective biodiversity indicators
The UK is committed to targets under international biodiversity agreements to value, conserve and restore the variety of life on earth (biodiversity). Progress towards targets is tracked using indicators, which are designed to summarise complex monitoring data. Dr Abigail McQuatters-Gollop, a Marine Systems Research Fellow for Defra, contributed to this POSTnote which reviewed indicator use and development in the context of the post-2020 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Global Biodiversity Framework.
Responding to the challenge of antimicrobial resistance
Dr Tina Joshi
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most urgent global health challenges for the next decade and cases of antimicrobial-resistant infections are increasing in the UK and worldwide. Dr Tina Joshi, Lecturer in Molecular Microbiology and a recognised national expert in AMR, contributed to a POSTnote looking at the progress the UK Government has made towards its publication of a 20-year vision for tackling AMR, published in 2019. The POSTnote looked at the opportunities and challenges to tackling AMR, including the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
2020
Marine renewables
Marine renewables are technologies that generate electricity from tide and wave motion. They produce electricity without greenhouse gases, and could provide economic benefits for the UK. However, the technologies have been slow to develop, despite previous projections of growth. Professor Deborah Greaves OBE, Director of the
Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Decarbonisation and Offshore Renewable Energy contributed her expertise to this PostNote which examines the causes of the delay in marine renewable technologies and how the sector might develop.
2019
Climate Change and Fisheries
Fishing is dependent on marine food webs that are sensitive to overexploitation and climate change. An international expert on how marine species are being impacted by climate change, Dr Abigail McQuatters-Gollop co-wrote this POSTnote focusing on marine fisheries, including wild capture and farming (aquaculture) of fin- and shellfish, and their processing. It summarises impacts on oceans and fisheries of changes including ocean warming, acidification, deoxygenation and storms, and explores how fisheries may adapt.
2018
Robotics in Social Care
Dr Torbjorn Dahl
This POSTnote, co-authored by Visiting Research Fellow Dr Torbjorn Dahl, introduces robotic technology and the main ways it has been developed for use in social care. It reviews evidence on the impact of robotics on the costs and quality of social care and its workforce, and explores the main ethical, social and regulatory challenges to its use in social care.
UK Fisheries Management
Following EU withdrawal, the UK will have full responsibility for fisheries policy and management within its waters. This POSTnote, incorporating the views of renowned experts from the University’s Marine Conservation Research Grmaroup, summarises the science used to inform management, current approaches to EU fisheries, and challenges and opportunities for future UK fisheries management.
2017
Communicating Risk
People's responses to risk are shaped by the way that such risks are communicated. Communicating risks effectively can defuse concerns, mitigate disaster situations and build trust with public institutions and organisations. Co-written by Professor Iain Stewart, one of the UK’s foremost geoscience communicators, this POSTnote defines the often misunderstood concepts of risk, uncertainty and hazard and describes the key stakeholders communicating it. It examines the factors that shape how people perceive and respond to such risks and summarises evidence on effective risk communication strategies.
2016
Marine Microplastic Pollution
Plastic pollution is accumulating rapidly in the world’s oceans, and the potential effects of microplastics on the environment and human health are an area of active research. This POSTnote was co-written by Professor Richard Thompson OBE – whose seminal paper in 2004 was the first to mention microplastics in a marine context – and Dr Kayleigh Wyles, an environmental psychologist pioneering new ways of examining public relationships with environmental issues. It summarises their sources and spread, the evidence that they present a risk and possible strategies to reduce plastic pollution.
Discover more about our environmental, economic and societal impact
At a glance...
- University of Plymouth submitted 49 impact case studies to REF2021
- our case studies demonstrated impact on the environment, politics, health, culture, technology, society and the economy
- reaching far and wide, Plymouth's global impact locations included Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania, North and South America.
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Public Policy
Providing evidence to support policy-making processes
The University of Plymouth has a prestigious record of engaging with and influencing policy, from legislation on microplastics, to innovation in offshore renewable energy to the health of coastal communities. We work with local, regional, national and international partners across a range of complex policy issues including soil erosion, anti-microbial resistance and digital interventions for Parkinsons’ sufferers.