Commons Select Committee calls for ideas from the public

14 July 2022

‘My Science Inquiry’ invites proposals on what the Science and Technology Committee should investigate next and why, including what action is needed from the Government.

This is your opportunity to get involved and suggest what issues the Science and Technology Committee should be exploring.

The Committee seeks ideas for inquiries from the science, research and innovation communities as well as the wider public. It particularly wants to hear from members of underrepresented groups in STEM.

Submissions will be considered based on merit and should address:

Why the Science and Technology Committee should examine this area,
Why is this the right time for the Committee to examine the area;
Why this area would benefit from parliamentary scrutiny;
Why the Government needs to act in this area; and
How Government policy in this area could be developed or improved.

Proposals should outline in less than 200 words the nature of the issue that the Committee should explore, why it deserves attention, and how Government policy in this area could be developed or improved.

Join the conversation on Twitter using #MyScienceInquiry

Up to 10 individuals will then be invited to pitch their proposal to MPs on the Committee in a public session. The winning proposal will form the basis of a new inquiry by the Committee.

Written suggestions can be submitted through the ‘My Science Inquiry’ page.

The deadline for proposals is 23.59 on Friday 9 September 2022.

Interested in pitching a proposal?

Contact your PolicyBristol Faculty Associate

Further information

The proposed inquiry must fall within the Committee’s remit―you can find out more about its role here.

A list of inquiries that the Committee has already held in this Parliament is available on the Committee's website.

Previous ‘My Science’ inquiries were held in 2017 and 2019 and gathered over 160 inquiry ideas. ‘Algorithms in decision-making’ and ‘E-cigarettes’ were two inquiries taken forward from that process and completed by the predecessor Committee.

The current Committee’s work on 'Commercial genomics' was also originally instigated by a My Science Inquiry proposal.

In 2019, University of Bristol's Dr Emma Williams was invited to pitch her proposal, Ensuring Secure Digital Innovation, to the Committee's previous inquiry.