Whatever makes you proud to be a government analyst, whether it’s telling stories through your data analysis to help serve citizens better, helping to answer big questions at the highest level or connecting with your colleagues and learning something new, the inaugural Analysis in Government Month had it all!

In brief:

• We sold 7,500 tickets for events,
• Provided 30 hours of event content,
• Through 22 events,
• Published 29 blogs from departments and professions across the Analysis Function,
• Premiered 6 Head of Profession videos on our YouTube “Analysis in Government Month” playlist:

Analysis In Government Month playlist,

Our very first day set the scene, kicking off with an opening address from Professor Sir Ian Diamond, Head of the Analysis Function and National Statistician who introduced the theme of event; ‘Analysis Connect’ and the importance of encouraging collaborative working by bringing the analytical community together. He then led straight into a panel discussion with Professor Alison Park (Interim chair of the Economic and Social Research Council), Osama Rahman (Chief Analyst and Chief Scientific Advisor, Department for Education) and Jonathan Mills (Director General for Policy, Department for Work and Pensions), who discussed the future of analysis in government.

Focusing the discussion on high-quality analysis of data, Osama commented that “Whilst we say, ‘Wow, look at all this data!’ let’s not forget we need the full range of analytical skills that cover both breadth and depth”.

We sold a phenomenal 7,500 tickets for seminars throughout the month, with delegates choosing from panel sessions, tackling big issues such as climate change and how data can make children’s lives better, learning seminars and connection opportunities, as well as daily blog posts from colleagues across the Analysis Function, giving us an insight into their work.

We enjoyed exploring topics such as data visualisation, Reproducible Analytical Pipelines (RAP) and how to make spreadsheets accessible, rounding the month off with a fantastic Hackathon event, really capturing the month’s theme of connectivity. During the Hackathon, groups of 45 delegates from 17 different departments and various professions, worked together to answer six research questions posed by the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC), The Office for the Children’s Commissioner and the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The best thing is that it’s not too late to catch up on the terrific stories told by your government analyst colleagues through blogs and videos, all of which are available on our Analysis in Government Month hub page. Make sure to follow us on YouTube for more on highlights from the month.

We’d love to hear from you, what were your highlights and what would you like to see more of at future events? Email analysis.function@ons.gov.uk to let us know.

Make sure you don’t miss out on any of our exciting events in the future, subscribe to the Analysis Function Newsletter and follow us on Twitter.

The Environment Agency’s Boston Barrier scheme has reached another milestone with the arrival on site of the second set of defence gates today (Friday 4 June 2021).

The vertical sector gates at the Port of Boston were transported across the North Sea from Rotterdam by barge, as was the primary barrier gate, which opened in December 2020.

The Boston Barrier scheme is expected to be fully completed at the end of 2022. Work on the scheme, which was identified by the government as critical infrastructure, has continued in line with the government’s coronavirus advice.

Adam Robinson, Boston Barrier project director for the Environment Agency, said:

The delivery of the vertical sector gates is another exciting milestone in this important scheme which takes us one step closer to final project completion.

These new gates will replace the current ones installed at the Port of Boston wet dock entrance, which were overtopped in the 2013 tidal surge. They will ensure continuity in the defence and better protection of homes and businesses downstream of the primary barrier gate over the next 100 years.

The gates will be lifted from the barge by crane onto Self-Propelled Modular Transporters, a type of remotely controlled vehicle, and will be driven to a temporary storage location on site in the coming days.

They will then be installed in the wet dock entrance by scheme contractors BAM Nuttall & Mott MacDonald Joint Venture (BMMJV) later this year.

Once installed and fully operational, the gates will better protect a further 524 properties from tidal flooding. This will take the total number of homes and businesses in Boston being better protected by the scheme to more than 14,000.

Hollandia Infra, the Dutch company which manufactured the gates, have painted the gates with 3 layers of a 150 micrometre technical coating, thereby ensuring they have sufficient corrosion protection for their 100-year design lifetime.

Once in place the wet dock entrance gates will be one of the final large components of the Boston Barrier scheme.

The scheme, along with the adjoining Boston Haven Banks improvement scheme – a separate Environment Agency project, which is raising the river banks either side of the Haven – is part of the Boston Combined Strategy, which provides a 100-year flood risk management plan for Boston.

As flooding cannot ever be fully prevented, people are advised to be prepared. Information and advice is available on www.gov.uk including checking your flood risk, signing up for flood warnings, and knowing how to get help and what to do during and after a flood.

The Boston Barrier scheme has been funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as part of its commitments to reduce the risk of flooding to 300,000 properties across the country between 2015 and 2021, and to 336,000 properties between 2021 and 2027.

Notes for editors

• PLEASE NOTE: the barrier delivery time may be postponed due to adverse weather conditions.
• Those wanting to view the vertical sector gates delivery can do so from the footpath at Maud Foster sluice, but are reminded to do so in line with current coronavirus restrictions.
• The Boston Barrier scheme was given the green light by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in 2017. Work began on site in January 2018.
• The primary Boston Barrier gate is now fully operational and can be raised in just 20 minutes, better protecting more than 13,500 homes and businesses in the town.
• Over 800 properties were flooded across the town in a tidal surge on 5 December 2013. The scheme is a National Priority Project for the Environment Agency.

It is a pleasure to join you all today at the end of a fantastic summit.

This is a vital year for climate action. In November, the countries of the world will meet in Glasgow for the next United Nations Climate Conference COP26

Our ambition is that it will be a watershed moment when the world gets on track to avert the worst effects of climate change, to limit global temperature rises and to make the goals of the Paris Agreement, a reality.

That is the international deal the world signed in 2015 to tackle the threat of climate change.

This includes a commitment to limit global temperature rises to well below two degrees, aiming for a 1.5 degree rise. To keep that 1.5 degree target alive we must halve global emissions by 2030 and reach global net zero emissions by the middle of the century.

As president of COP26 one of our central aims is to put the world on a path to net zero to keep the 1.5 degree target alive.

And that means governments taking action, but it also means companies coming on board.

And this is vital for two key reasons.

Firstly, meeting the goal of the Paris Agreement and limiting global temperature rises depends on changes across the real economy.

Secondly, action from companies encourages action from countries. To make bold commitments governments need to know that they will be welcomed and not resisted by business.

We’re urging all companies and all investors to join the race to zero campaign ahead of COP26. And we’ll be celebrating new recruits on our COP26 social media channels.

And I know you’ve heard about the recent zero campaign already of this summit. This commits you to reach net zero by 2050 at the latest, and a science based targets to get there.

And I want to emphasise why joining is so important ahead of COP26.

We’re at a critical point in the fight against climate change. Climate action that is not in line with the Paris Agreement is simply not enough.

The race to zero is a gold standard. These are robust and rigorous targets based on the science that showed net zero is not some vague aspiration for a distant point in the future, but a concrete plan for the here and now.

Joining is not only good for the planet, it’s good for business. 70% of the global economy is now covered by net zero targets. So ultimately, business practices are going to have to shift, they’re going to have to go green, and you’ve got a choice to make. Whether you lead the charge, catch up as the world changes around you, or you fade away.

Joining the race to zero ahead of COP26 can keep you ahead of the curve. Being part of this campaign can save you money by encouraging you to work more efficiently.

And it shows your customers and investors that you’re serious about climate action, and about taking the enormous opportunities presented by the clean economy.

Don’t just take my word for it. We’re hearing the same from some of the leading names in the business community.

Back in 2018, Anand Mahindra said at Davos and I quote, “everything our group of companies has done to try to improve energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, has given us a return.”

Earlier this year, I interviewed Bill Gates, who spoke about the tremendous opportunities presented by the global move to a clean economy.

Just last month David Prezzano, Managing Director of HP in the UK and Ireland, said that sustainability had been a factor in their winning a $1 billion worth of business a year.

Action across supply chains is a vital part of corporate climate action. And I know you have heard a lot about that already today.

Using your purchasing power to drive down emissions allows your impact to be multiplied numerous times, and helps to future proof your business.

Companies like IKEA and L’Oreal are taking tangible action, and I urge all of you to join them. Work with your suppliers to drive down emissions and to remove deforestation from your supply chains.

Play your part in this vital year for climate change, drive meaningful climate action across the corporate world and help to deliver COP26 as the moment that we put the world on a path to making the goals of the Paris Agreement, a reality.

Thank you.

• FoundOcean secures a contract to supply the foundations for a 100-turbine offshore wind farm in Taiwan, creating 30 new jobs in Livingston, Scotland
• 80% of FoundOcean’s revenue now comes from renewable energy projects as companies transition to low carbon future
• Export win follows £500 million UKEF guarantees to help finance offshore wind farms in Taiwan

International Trade Minister, Graham Stuart, visited the world’s largest offshore construction grouting specialists FoundOcean in Livingstone, Scotland, to announce a major new export contract won by the firm which will create 30 new green jobs in the local area.

FoundOcean have won a contract to provide the foundations for a 100-turbine offshore wind farm in Taiwan after receiving financial support from UK Export Finance (UKEF), the government’s export credit agency.

The company will provide the foundation grouting to enable wind turbines to be secured to the seabed to form the wind farm. The farm will then be able to produce over 1GW of power – equivalent to 20% of the level the UK produces.

Graham Stuart MP, Minister for Exports said:

The UK has one of the world’s best export credit agencies in UKEF, which will help Scottish exporters like FoundOcean as we level up every part of the UK and build back greener from the pandemic.

UKEF is helping us to accelerate the transition to clean energy, which will bring prosperity and a wide range of sustainable jobs to Scotland.

UK Government Minister for Scotland, David Duguid, said:

Seeing a pioneering Scottish company like FoundOcean win this contract underlines UKEF’s important role in showcasing Scotland as a thriving hub of industry on the world stage.

As well as creating 30 jobs, this work demonstrates the global potential for Scottish businesses in supporting clean energy, part of the UK Government’s ambitious ten point plan for an industrial green revolution.

FoundOcean has transitioned towards renewable energy over the last decade, and is now supplying some of the largest offshore wind farms in the world.

80% of FoundOcean’s businesses now comes from renewable energy projects and the firm now has clients across the globe in South East Asia, Gulf of Mexico and in the Netherlands, anticipating that over half of its contracts will be abroad this year.

Jim Bell, CEO of FoundOcean, said:

Our business has been running for over fifty years and in the last few, we’ve managed the transition to mainly renewable energy.

Thanks to UKEF’s support, we have been able to fulfil a major contract, grow our business and create vital jobs for people across the country. We’re so proud to play a part in powering Taiwan’s own green energy drive.

The UK is the world’s biggest offshore wind market with 10.4GW of total installed capacity, and the UK government is helping UK companies export the country’s expertise to new, emerging markets – a core part of its ten point plan for a Green Industrial Revolution.

UKEF has provided £500 million of financing for 3 offshore wind projects in Taiwan since late 2019, helping to unlock the export potential of the UK’s offshore wind sector.

Offshore wind projects often require a performance bond – ensuring completion of the project – at up to 15% of the contract value before work is even commenced. This would have meant putting a significant deposit forward and, due to the scale of the Taiwan project, FoundOcean was unable to arrange this through its bank. UKEF stepped in with bond support that enabled FoundOcean to fulfil the contract.

Craig Green, Export Finance Manager at UKEF, said:

Businesses like FoundOcean are central to the world’s renewable energy revolution, and UKEF is here to ensure they can export their specialist products across the globe, get paid, and create more jobs to support the transition.

About UK Export Finance

UK Export Finance is the UK’s export credit agency and a government department, working along-side the Department for International Trade as an integral part of its strategy and operations.

Established in 1919, it exists to ensure that no viable UK export should fail for a lack of finance from the private market. It provides finance and insurance to help exporters win, fulfil and get paid for export contracts.

• Intention to work towards the ambition of a 100 Days Mission follows crucial discussions at UK-hosted G7 Health Ministers’ and life sciences meetings in Oxford
• CEOs and representatives of life science companies discussed the emerging recommendations in the pandemic preparedness partnership roadmap, which Sir Patrick Vallance and Melinda French Gates will present to G7 leaders at the Carbis Bay Summit next week

Life science industry leaders are joining forces with governments to step up collective efforts to save lives from diseases and tackle global pandemics, with a new commitment for partnership working to achieve the ambition of better pandemic preparedness announced today at the conclusion of the G7 health event on life sciences.

Following discussions at the G7 Health Ministers’ Meeting – hosted by the UK government as part of its G7 Presidency – CEOs and representatives of companies among those leading the efforts to develop COVID-19 diagnostics, vaccines and treatments backed the ambition of the 100 Days Mission set out by the pandemic preparedness partnership.

The government and industry leaders agreed to work towards a plan to develop and deploy high-quality diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines in just 100 days after a new pandemic threat is identified. Success would take the great achievement of delivering COVID-19 vaccines in 326 days to the next level and protect people from potential future pandemics.

CEOs and representatives from some of the world’s largest life sciences companies participated in the UK’s G7 health event on life sciences, which also included deliberations on how the public and private sectors can work together to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

All the participants recognised the crucial importance of sustained political and industry leadership in between outbreaks and of the public and private sectors working together to tackle the most complex global health threats.

Lord Bethell, Minister for Innovation at the Department of Health and Social Care, and Sir Patrick Vallance, Government Chief Scientific Adviser and PPP Chair, convened sessions between industry and experts to discuss overcoming challenges around the development, production and deployment of diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines at scale, and effective sharing of data, methods and standards to facilitate robust clinical trials.

The pandemic preparedness partnership aims to ensure the world is better protected against future pandemics by putting into place the comprehensive set of actions needed in order to achieve the ambitious target of 100 days. New therapeutics, vaccines and diagnostics against potential future pathogens should be part-developed before the next pandemic starts, involving sustained innovation and collaboration between large and small companies, academic and medical researchers, regulators and global health bodies.

This collective aspiration to support the 100 Days Mission represents a significant milestone. It will ensure industry is part of a robust collaboration alongside governments, international organisations and academia over the coming months and years to take action towards a common goal: protecting people from future pandemics through developing and deploying safe, targeted and effective diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines at scale, with a good safety profile. This meeting is the starting point for partnership between industry and government to achieve this mission together. Further engagement will take place over coming months.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said:

This past year we’ve witnessed unprecedented scientific innovations and breakthroughs, made possible by collaboration between medical experts, governments and industry.

Safe and highly effective vaccines have been delivered in record time, which is an incredible achievement, with life-saving jabs produced at scale and now being delivered to countries globally. We are going to build on that with the 100 Days Mission.

We are only going to get out of this global pandemic if the whole world is able to get out. As I gather with my ministerial counterparts from major democratic nations, along with influential business leaders, we are embracing the expertise, knowledge and capabilities of organisations and individuals across all of science, industry, academia and government to help beat this virus and build back better.

The G7 Health Ministers’ meetings taking place in Oxford represent a unique opportunity to demonstrate the commitment of the world’s major economies to protect lives across the world from current and future global health threats. Attendees are coming together to address the issues of global health security, antimicrobial resistance, clinical trials, and digital health.

Government Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said:

Partnerships between academia, industry, international organisations and governments have been key in responding to this pandemic and scientists and engineers have played a huge role in making safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines available in just 300 days. This has been an incredible achievement.

However, the first 100 days in a pandemic are crucial to changing the course of a disease. In those 3 months, diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines are key weapons. Given the extent of the social, economic and health impacts caused by COVID-19, the 100 Days Mission is rightly ambitious and sets a goal for us to which we can all aspire.

The last 18 months has seen exceptional collaborative working between industry, academia, international organisations and governments, which has enabled a host of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics to be developed in record time.

Over 2 billion vaccines have been delivered across the world to tackle a virus that there was very limited knowledge of a little over a year ago. The Oxford/AstraZeneca collaboration alone has seen 500 million vaccine doses span 160 countries.

Data shows the vaccination roll-out programme has already saved 13,200 lives and prevented 39,700 hospitalisations in England alone.

Following discovery through clinical trials, the use of dexamethasone has cut deaths from COVID-19 by up to a third, and has likely saved thousands of lives – an important example of the impact such trials can have – while lateral flow devices provide quick and accurate information to identify positive cases, immediately breaking chains of transmission.

Nevertheless, the pandemic has seen significant loss of life and disruption to economies and societies around the world. While this pandemic is still being tackled, leaders in public and private sectors agree that steps must be taken now to ensure that we are better prepared for the future.

Jean-Christophe Tellier, chair of BCR and President of IFPMA (International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations) said:

The life science industry has stepped up to the COVID-19 pandemic in an unprecedented way, with a number of safe and highly effective vaccines, as well as essential diagnostics and a number of important treatments. While it is too soon to learn all the lessons of the current pandemic, 3 things are clear.

Early detection and immediate and unhindered sharing of pathogens is essential. Science and the innovative ecosystem is a powerful tool to research, develop and manufacture solutions to prevent and tackle pandemics. And finally, partnerships and collective action have been the foundation for success towards a shared goal of equitable and fair access for all.

The 100 Days Mission provides an important framework for future pandemic preparedness response, and a clear statement of a shared ambition to compress the already amazing achievement of 326 days for a COVID-19 vaccine to 100 days.

Minister for Innovation Lord Bethell said:

The COVID-19 pandemic is a watershed moment in the history of humankind, and we must capitalise on the innovation we’ve seen in the trialling, development and deployment of solutions to tackle this unprecedented situation.

Vaccines are our route out of the pandemic, therapeutics reduce severe disease and diagnostics keep us one step ahead. These vital tools can swiftly tackle future health threats and the joint working of governments and industry will ensure they’re always at our disposal.

The joint input of industry leaders and G7 Health Ministers is a key step in the preparations to present the pandemic preparedness roadmap at the UK-hosted G7 Leaders’ Event at Carbis Bay, in Cornwall on 11 June.

The UK’s G7 Presidency concludes at the end of 2021. The pandemic preparedness partnership roadmap will set out recommendations for current and future governments to take to address upcoming health crises and build on the collective scientific effort made over the last year.

Pandemic preparedness partnership

CEOs and representatives of companies that have backed the ambition of the 100 Days Mission set out by the pandemic preparedness partnership:

• Dr Albert Bourla, CEO and Chairman of Pfizer
• Dr Giovanni Caforio, CEO and Chairman of Bristol Myers Squibb
• Marc Casper, CEO of Thermo Fisher Scientific
• Thomas Cueni, DG, International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Association (IFPMA)
• Robert Ford, CEO of Abbott
• Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen, CEO of Novo Nordisk
• Paul Hudson, CEO of Sanofi
• Martin Meeson, CEO of Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies
• Mr Vas Narasimhan, M.D. of Novartis
• Daniel O’Day, CEO of Gilead
• Stefan Oelrich, Member of the Board of Management of Bayer AG and President Pharmaceuticals
• Tom Polen, CEO of BD
• David Ricks, CEO and Chairman of Eli Lilly & Company
• Dr Severin Schwan, CEO of Roche
• Mr Paul Stoffels, M.D. of the Executive Committee and Chief Scientific Officer, Johnson & Johnson
• Pascal Soriot, CEO of Astra Zeneca
• Dame Emma Walmsley, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline
• Christophe Weber, CEO of Takeda
• Jean-Christophe Tellier, CEO of UCB & President of International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA)