Trustees of the Royal Institution (Ri) have appointed a Future Direction Committee, including Lord Robert Winston and Professor Brian Cox, to come up with a new vision for the troubled charity.
Lord Winston, who is also a trustee of the charity, will chair the committee which includes Professor Brian Cox, Mark Miodownik and Jim Al Khalili. The full make-up of the committee is still being finalised and a spokeswoman for the charity said that “everyone is working as quickly as possible”, but couldn’t be anymore specific on a timeframe for the new vision.
The charity’s chairman, Sir Richard Sykes, said: “This committee is determined to come up with a vision that is shaped in consultation with the wider community, including the Ri membership. In my opinion, this is our opportunity to create a national strategy for science communication, advocacy and public engagement if we want Britain to be the best place in the world to do science.”
Last month it was revealed that the charity may have to sell its building in Mayfair after a £22m refurbishment of the 21 Albemarle Street building in 2008 plunged it into financial difficulty.
In a statement posted on the Ri’s website, Sykes said: “Since the story made headlines a few weeks ago, the level of public support has been overwhelming and inspiring. The trustees and I are tremendously grateful for all the support and offers of help, but what we need to do is convert those into action and, frankly, income.”
A new board was elected in 2010 with Sykes saying: “It was clear from the outset that a wholesale overhaul of the Institution’s governance structure was necessary.”
He added that the charity has reduced the annual operating loss from a peak of £2.6m in 2010 to £600,000 in 2012, that membership is at an all-time high and that audience numbers for its public lectures have increased. But the charity is still £5m in debt and needs to replenish the original endowment by £7.5m, which is what led to the trustees’ decision last year to consider subletting or selling all, or part of, its Albemarle Street property.
In 2010 the charity was involved in a legal dispute with a former director (settled out of court) and was the subject of a Charity Commission regulatory investigation after it misapplied £3.2m of restricted funds for the redevelopment of the building.
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