Quotes from Mark Walport

An important task for government is to think about the future as well as to learn from the past, and the Foresight Programme, run by the Government Office for Science, helps in the development of this thinking.

Science can tell us what can be done in principle, but it is then a matter for public debate as to what should be done. And ultimately, it is a role for politicians to decide the answers.

It's been an enormous privilege to be the government chief scientific adviser.

Maximum distribution of research findings is essential to maximise their impact.

Distributed ledger technologies have the potential to help governments to collect taxes, deliver benefits, issue passports, record land registries, assure the supply chain of goods, and generally ensure the integrity of government records and services.

Forensic techniques are enormously useful in a wide range of fields outside the criminal justice system.

Forensic science offers great potential, as it draws on almost every discipline and, in doing so, creates widespread opportunity for innovation.

I think publishing is a cost of research in the same way as buying a centrifuge is a cost of research.

One of the biggest costs in the whole scientific publishing world is borne by the academic community, which is the peer review.

It is absolutely key that funding is used to support the best scientists with the best ideas.

We need to show why the government should be funding science and how that funding delivers.

When the correct tests are done, GM products are as safe as their non-GM counterparts.

Banks and credit agencies learn continuously about the purchases we make. This is convenient and diminishes the risk of theft. It also means that banks can know more about our lifestyle than our close relatives.

We are extraordinarily lucky in the U.K. to have inherited a diverse range of cities that bear the imprints of many centuries of human habitation.

It seems paradoxical that, as medical scientists make huge advances in discovering the mechanisms of common diseases, fewer and fewer innovative drugs are reaching the market.

The government is right to recognise the importance of science and technology, but I think it is a mistake to ringfence funds.

Research must be central to healthcare if healthcare is to improve.

I look forward to working closely with the Research Councils, Innovate UK, and Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), as we work together to create UKRI. I also look forward to working closely with all of our research and innovation communities to provide a strong and coherent voice for U.K. science and innovation.

We all want our drugs to be safe - and so an essential part of the pathway to the development of a new drug is approval by a regulator.

When you check into a hotel, they don't need to know your name and address; they just need to know that the bill will be paid. People should ask questions.

The best approach to risk is to identify and manage it.

Of course methane is a fossil fuel, but as long as it is burned efficiently and fugitive emissions of methane gas are minimised, it is a less harmful fossil fuel than coal and oil and is an important way-station on the global journey towards low-carbon energy.

If you look at my track record as government chief scientific advisor, I've always recognized that all of the sciences are important to all of research, and we need a balance.

I am honoured to be appointed as the first chief executive of UKRI. My ambition is to make UKRI the world's leading research and innovation public funding agency.