The RSB and ITN Productions have launched a new current-affairs style show in partnership with a number of leading bioscience organisations, exploring how their work is looking to positively impact the future.

Anchored by ITN Productions Industry News presenter Samantha Simmonds, ‘Biology for the Future’ reveals the key challenges facing the global community; how developing technologies and emerging talent with game changing initiatives have come together to enhance understanding of bioscience and to challenge the issues that threaten the future of our planet.

The bespoke programme, which is being launched during Biology Week 2020, combines interviews, special reports and editorial profiles on key themes across industry and the academic sector of the biosciences, including how the coronavirus pandemic has caused a shift in the work researchers are doing to find out more about the virus and how to tackle it.

The programme includes an interview with chief executive Dr Mark Downs CSci FRSB, where he identifies the most pressing global challenges to include climate change, ecological management and biodiversity, the continuing battle against antimicrobial resistance and the burden of infectious diseases.

‘Biology for the Future’ features films from bioscience organisations including EUMESTAT, Humanimal Trust, Imperial College London, NuCana, ONI and RevoluGen, on the latest developments across a number of areas including weather forecasting, cancer treatments, and genomic sequencing.

Dr Mark Downs said “With the COVID-19 pandemic we have seen the work of biologists in the spotlight; from what they are doing to combat the pandemic to how their findings are being broadcast into homes across the UK on the news – and the bioscience community has been extraordinary in its response.

“This programme aims to tell new stories and showcase just some of the huge variety of work done each day by biologists, not only to tackle our most immediate problems head-on, but to ensure a brighter future too.

“2020 has taught us that the work the biosciences community does for the here and now is invaluable, and that work to address issues such as climate change and biodiversity loss is vital to ensure we have a future to look forward to.”

Elizabeth Fisher-Robins, Head of ITN Productions Industry News said: “We are delighted to partner once again with RSB to make a programme which demonstrates the vital role of bioscience on all our lives and the wide-reaching impact biology has on tackling global challenges that threaten our existence.”

'Biology for the Future’ can be viewed in full over on the RSB's YouTube Channel.

This year’s programme follows the 2019 production ‘Biology Impacting Lives’, in partnership with seven other bioscience partners, and the 2018 production ‘Addressing Global Challenges’, which featured 17 institutions, organisations and businesses working across the biosciences.