Greg Falconer

Interested in policy / strategy / government / innovation. Views my own

[Financial Times @FinancialTimes]

Not only have we failed to move forward in technological innovation, we may even be going backwards. Tim Harford asks what we can learn from the pandemic about technology, and what the history of technology teaches about the pandemic https://t.co/XYD0DyuFc5

[Science, Innovation and Technology Committee @CommonsSITC]

We recommended that the Government set out a clear approach for managing the risks around asymptomatic transmission of the disease.

[Danil Mikhailov (he/him) @MikhailovDanil]

👇A vital message from ⁦⁦@JeremyFarrar⁩ ⁦@wellcometrust⁩ We must say “no” to vaccine nationalism. “A fragmented approach will not succeed in an interconnected world. It will only prolong the current situation” https://t.co/rydyJuuKOz

[Greg Falconer @gregfalconer]

@JackScannell13 @RichardALJones @CEPIvaccines Indeed - coordination preferred but weak global governance and strong domestic pharma interests make it hard. We need to get ahead of this imho. Countries have gone to war over far less than a pandemic cure. Cyber war already in progress

[Greg Falconer @gregfalconer]

@JackScannell13 @RichardALJones @CEPIvaccines Understand the many bets / portfolio mmt point - this is more about when we find one that works (assuming we do). What happens then? The market completely fragmented with individual deals on IP and manufacturing rights?

[Greg Falconer @gregfalconer]

@RichardALJones @CEPIvaccines @JackScannell13 Looks like there’s plenty of therapeutic nationalism about. Presumably gaining an edge and developing manufacturing capacity before others is driving this sort of thing:

https://t.co/rKsOiTI5GN

[Greg Falconer @gregfalconer]

@rowlsmanthorpe The Cambridge SAMBA II machine was 'game changing' at the start of April. Game = still the same

[Financial Times @FT]

Any Covid-19 vaccine must be treated as a global public good https://t.co/q8H3zkc2bk

[Greg Falconer @gregfalconer]

Kudos to @UKRI_News comms team for their #thisisimpact campaign, which joins up research success stories across the councils.

Simple and effective, it powerfully makes the case for public R&D investment by focusing on outcomes, not inputs

[Greg Falconer @gregfalconer]

Meanwhile, @CEPIvaccines continue their good work.

[CEPI @CEPIvaccines]

We're extending our collaboration with Novavax to advance their #COVID19 vaccine🤝

This is our single biggest investment to date, with the additional funding supporting Phase 1 and 2 trials and large-scale vaccine manufacture 🔬

👉 https://t.co/kPRvKX51Go

(1/5)

[Greg Falconer @gregfalconer]

An important piece from @Beth_Thompson. UK science & innovation policy will need a rethink post-COVID-19. Now is the time to start a proper debate about R&D's purpose, what universities are for, how countries come together, and how we pay for it all.
https://t.co/4A3WSIFdj7

[Greg Falconer @gregfalconer]

Supercomputers tend to be useful bits of kit - from creating digital twins and long-term weather forecasts to - as is the case in this @OpenAccessGov piece - sifting for potential COVID-19 treatments.

[Open Access Gov @OpenAccessGov]

Several #drugs used for curing #Hepatitis C have been identified as potential candidates to treat #COVID19, according to #research conducted using the MOGON II supercomputer at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz https://t.co/BOxEl540sm

#treatment #cure

[Greg Falconer @gregfalconer]

@Clarkshaws @BeerGuideLondon @hernehillforum @SE5Forum @selcamra How long does a 9 pint keg stay fresh for? Does it need chilling?

[Greg Falconer @gregfalconer]

Have been wondering about asymptomatic transmission. If a significant proportion (20%?) of people never know they had covid-19, how can eg contact tracing (apps or otherwise) reliably keep us safe?

[Robert Peston @Peston]

"Asymptomatic transmission may be an important feature of this illness" @uksciencechief tells @Jeremy_Hunt committee (ie it is likely that we infect others a day or two before we get symptoms or even when we get no symptoms at all). Which begs the hugely important question...

[Greg Falconer @gregfalconer]

Brilliant piece (again) from @jemimajoanna @FTAlphaville

[Jemima Kelly @jemimajoanna]

Is it acceptable for government to be dishonest at a time like this? https://t.co/tdFLPpO98c via @FinancialTimes

[Greg Falconer @gregfalconer]

@JeremyFarrar @EU_Commission @vonderleyen I definitely think it’s worth noting the @wellcometrust contribution to this too - along with all the work that I’m sure is happening to drive things forward away from the spotlight

[Greg Falconer @gregfalconer]

“The driving idea behind the summit, pushed by the Gates Foundation, is that an alliance is needed not just to coordinate research for a vaccine, but also for therapies and testing.”

Great from @JeremyFarrar and team. Thankful UK govt is involved

https://t.co/g5cqTeQcNp

[Greg Falconer @gregfalconer]

Excellent thread on targets from @BoswellPol

[Christina Boswell @BoswellPol]

1/ A thread on the UK Government 100k tests target, based on my research on targets and political trust. (My first ever thread, so bear with me)

[Greg Falconer @gregfalconer]

@mattburgess1 Great piece. Did you come across the problem of asymptomatic transmission - i.e. people who never get symptoms (and so are not known to authorities) passing the virus on? If this is common it surely defeats the object of contact tracing apps. Interested to hear if you have a view

[Greg Falconer @gregfalconer]

Excellent from @mattburgess1