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UK health expert Natasha Mutebi visits ITA

In the summer, the ITA received a visit from the UK: Natasha Mutebi, science advisor to the British Parliament, spent a week exchanging ideas with experts at the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Austrian Parliament. ‘We can understand so much more about each other when we see each other,’ says Ulrike Bechtold, the organiser of the visit.

 01.10.2024
Natasha Mutebi is a Biological Sciences, Health and Medicine Adviser at POST, the British Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (Photo: POST)

For a week in July, the ITA had the opportunity to gain an interesting insight into the work of the research and innovation team at POST, the UK's science advisory body to Parliament. Highlights included a visit to the Austrian Parliament and a vivid presentation of the UK Parliament's Horizon Scanning 2024 initiative, which sparked a stimulating discussion on AI regulation, quality assurance and forward-looking policy frameworks.

‘Together, we were able to talk in depth and exchange views on different aspects of project work. This opportunity, to take time to look at something from different angles, was very important. Sometimes important aspects and insights can only be reached via detours - a real discussion simply takes time,’ says Bechtold.

‘What particularly impressed me was the ITA's diverse portfolio of work,’ says Mutebi. ‘I look forward to further strengthening the link between the UK and the EU in the area of technology assessment and science policy.’