Meeting the challenges of the next decade: LBAS and UK strategic research investment

The five Language-Based Area Studies centres welcomed supporters from Parliament, business, the media, diplomacy and international organisations to the British Academy on Wedensday February 24th to celebrate the success of the UK Funding Councils’ Language-Based Area Studies (LBAS) initiative.

This well-attended event gave those present an enjoyable opportunity to consolidate the fruitful links and networks generated through the interaction of the five LBAS centres with their user communities since the launch of the initiative, and highlighted the high level of support and encouragement which each Centre has received from key figures both inside and outside of academia

These warmly-received speeches, introduced by Lord Woolmer of Leeds, all addressed the vital importance of expanding upon the achievements of the initiative in the years ahead in order to ensure that the UK’s strategic advantage in this area is maintained. The role of Language-Based Area Studies in building capacity for the UK to successfully meet the challenges of the next decade was underlined; indeed it was forcefully argued that the expertise and knowledge-base produced by the work of the Centres was something which simply could not be neglected in an increasingly globalised world.

In short, the Reception was an enjoyable and productive evening which made an eloquent and persuasive case for the continuation of the Language-Based Area Studies initiative beyond 2011

 (From left to right: Sir Adam Roberts, Professor Jeremy Clegg, Bridget Kendall, Sir Roderic Lyne)

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