We are delighted to launch our new three-year strategy, covering both the Biochemical Society’s activities and those of our publishing arm, Portland Press.

Devised against a backdrop of extraordinary and ongoing change across social, political, and scholarly landscapes, the next three years look towards broadening our reach in a way that supports the ongoing fulfilment of our mission in a rapidly evolving world. Developed collaboratively by Biochemical Society Trustees, Committee, Board and Panel members, as well as staff, our goal has been to build on the progress made over the last phase of strategy, embracing the opportunities created by such change and foregrounding themes of transformation, community, and synergies and collaboration.

We remain strongly committed to providing the best possible support and experience for the molecular bioscience community, adapting and transforming our approach to optimize opportunities for agile, multidisciplinary, and interconnected ways of working. Our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) also remains essential to our efforts as we continue to develop a more diverse and representative space where everyone feels welcome and included. The principles of EDI are fundamentally embedded across the core objectives of our strategy. Through these, we will:

• Promote and share knowledge, foregrounding opportunities for our community to share research, ideas, and understanding, using our platforms to create meaningful connections.

• Support career development and lifelong engagement, prioritising the needs of those working across the sector and supporting molecular bioscientists throughout the entirety of their careers.

• Bring together molecular bioscientists and encourage wider dialogue, fostering opportunities to connect individuals from shared and cross-disciplinary backgrounds and helping to influence a positive science culture that supports the well-being of all those working within it.

• Develop and transform our working practices and business model, embedding inclusive, flexible, and agile approaches, maintaining strong financial and governance frameworks to safeguard support for our staff and community well into the future.

Read our 2022–2025 strategy

We could not continue to deliver our activities without the ongoing support and dedication of our Members, Trustees, Committee, Board and Panel members, Local Ambassadors, and journal Editorial Boards, Reviewers, and Authors. Our thanks go to these individuals, to our staff members, who alongside all those working across the community have shown considerable resolve and adaptability, and to the various organizations and learned societies with whom we work together closely. Huge thanks also go to the Society’s outgoing President, Professor Sir Pete Downes, who has overseen a great many positive changes and innovations during his term, the work of which has laid the foundations for our ambitions as we look ahead to the next three-year period.

“The vital importance of expertise in the molecular biosciences was demonstrated by our response to the Covid pandemic and, like many others, the past two years caused us to reflect on our strategy. This new phase represents a key point in the Society’s 110-year history as we look to support the continued advancement of molecular bioscience and the careers of all those working across our increasingly global, interconnected, diverse, and multidisciplinary community. I am delighted to assume the role of the Society’s President at this exciting time and look forward to working with you all over the next three-year period. In supporting the science and our scientists, we hope to show how great the impact of the molecular biosciences can be for the whole of society.” 

Professor Dame Julia Goodfellow
President, Biochemical Society