Lightning Talks selected:

A Drop of Hope – Poetry from a Vaccination Centre

by Jasmine White (Head of Programme, Poet in the City) & Hana Dethlefsen (Public Engagement Manager – Exhibitions, The Francis Crick Institute)

In March 2021, Poet in the City and the Francis Crick Institute commissioned 12 virtual poets-in-residence to reflect through poetry on the impact of the vaccination programme, and the shifts and changes of the past year. Their work is based on the responses of members of the public who were vaccinated in the Crick and volunteers working at the vaccination centre who were invited to share some words on their experiences. Over 2,500 responses have been collected so far. The poems, written in English, Bengali and Somali to reflect the main languages spoken by local residents, can be viewed outside the Crick in a large, colourful display to engage and inspire visitors arriving for their vaccination. More than 27,000 people have visited the vaccine centre since the first display was installed. Many thousands more are expected to see it before it is taken down later this year.

Join the Francis Crick Institute and Poet in the City for a lightning talk about how the voices of local residents have been at the heart of the project’s design, and how the poems will create a lasting legacy of inclusion, inspiration and new connections in Camden.

A New Deal for Young people – Why careers education is more important than ever – your role on our road to recovery?

by Jasbir Sondhi, Vice Principal, Westminster Kingsway College

Young Londoners aged 24 or below have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, curbing their career and economic opportunities. The Capital City College Group has set up six Sectorial Employer Advisory Groups to champion close employer and stakeholder partnership working, strive for innovation in delivering skills and employment and provide the best facilities and resources for Londoners. The 6 sectors identified are: Hospitality and Culinary Arts; Rail and Engineering; Digital and Technology; Healthcare and Associated Sciences; Business and Finance; and Creative Arts Industry, all of which are key priority and growth sectors for London.

This Lightning Talk will explore how Capital City College Group work in partnership with local employers and service providers to deliver a fair economic recovery for young people.

Tackling societal challenges with open research

by Thea Sherer, Director of Group Communications and Sustainability, Springer Nature

As COVID-19 took hold around the globe, it underscored how interconnected our world is and the vital role that rapid, peer-reviewed and open research plays in being able to tackle these threats. The wider community has become more aware of the impact open science can have on the social, environmental and health issues that we face today.  It is no longer just an ‘academic’ conversation. Springer Nature is taking an active role in advancing the use and value of open science in finding solutions to societal challenges, including the sustainable development goals.

This Lightning Talk will shine a spotlight on how open science is making a difference in policy and practice, the importance of collaboration and how the research publisher Springer Nature is bringing these values to life through its publications and in its operations.

Inclusive Economies…..what steps should be taken to extend the opportunity for and benefits of entrepreneurship and innovation in the KQ area?

by David Crichton-Miller, Chief Executive Officer, SQW Group & Jo Stevens, Managing Director, Oxford Innovation

Oxford Innovation has extensive experience of creating innovation environments and enterprise-rich communities across the UK, including those with explicit objectives of reaching out into local communities to share the fruits of that enterprise-rich economy.  SQW is a research and consulting firm that has been working on the elements driving economic development in different geographies for decades, and has a depth of knowledge and insight of the policy and delivery requirements necessary to address issues of inclusive economic growth.

This Lightning Talk will look at the lessons from other areas around the UK where targeted programmes of inclusion and outreach have drawn people from hard-to-reach communities into enterprise and high quality work.  The speakers will discuss the measures that can be taken by the key commercial actors in an innovation-led economy to boost the prospects of local communities, as well as the effective policies that local government can deploy to support those measures.