Part 2 of a 4 part series featuring excerpts from Sir Mark Walport’s keynote during the International Virtual Launch of the 2020 Friesen Prize Program in London, UK, as the 2020 prize-winner of the Henry G. Friesen International Prize in Health Research.

Sir Mark Walport is the former Chief Executive of UK Research and Innovation, responsible for public funding of research and innovation, and was also the UK government’s Chief Scientific Advisor and Head of the government’s Office for Science from 2013 to 2017. He was awarded the 2020 Henry G. Friesen International Prize in Health Research.

Sir Mark is a champion of fundamental science in health research, engineering, technology and innovation. Throughout his career, he has been a vocal supporter for the need to take a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach to tackling the major problems facing society.

In this clip, Sir Mark Walport examines the factors that led to the current golden age of biomedical research.

Sir Mark reflects on how disruption can create opportunity or imperative for change. The common denominator of the 20th century was biomedical research was funded by public purse, industry, and philanthropy. Unfortunately, two World Wars were the main driver for discovery, ranging from plastic surgery to nuclear weaponry. For the majority of the century, the focus was on physiology and biochemistry, followed by the current era of research dominated by molecular medicine and data science.

Filmed at Canada House, London, UK, on October 6, 2020.

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