Dear Futurists,

I write with news of three external events that may be of interest to you, along with some updates on our own London Futurists events.

1.) Last few hours to register for “The future of human health”

But first, if you’re thinking of attending tomorrow’s all-day event “The future of human health, with DSMLF”, and you’ve not yet received your confirmation calendar invite from DSMLF, you need to act quickly.

Recall that you need to email events@smlf.info to confirm that you plan to attend. This is so that DSMLF can manage numbers for catering, and comply with the security regulations of the venue.

2.) “How To Change the World” at the Royal Institution, 1st Dec

TimeOut are currently running a great offer – a 49% cost reduction, from £149 down to £75 – for a conference on 1st December at the Royal Institution that looks fascinating.

The details are here: https://uk-offers.timeout.com/deals/entertainment-how-to-change-the-world-conference.

I imagine that, at this price, tickets will run out quickly, so I advise you to check out the website asap.

It’s taking place 9.30am-5.30pm on Tuesday 1st December.

Here’s an excerpt from the website:

Moderated by Matthew Taylor, the Chief Executive of the RSA, this thought-provoking conference will feature 16 top scientists and technologists from the likes of Cambridge University, Imperial College and Oxford Martin School, each of whom will spend 20 minutes talking about their area of expertise and how it will change the world. Taking place at one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions in London and lasting a full day, it will also feature a keynote talk on the future of our world by Professor Ian Goldin from the Oxford Martin School.

And here’s the full list of speakers:

• The Future in 15 Years: Professor Ian Goldin – Oxford Martin School
• Driverless Vehicles: Christopher Choa – AECOM
• Fixing Hearts: Professor Eldad Tzahor – Weizmann Institute
• Quantum Materials: Dr Suchitra Sebastian – University of Cambridge
• Psychedelic drugs: Dr Robin Carhart-Harris – Imperial College London
• Fusion Energy: Professor Steven Cowley – Culham Centre for Fusion Energy
• The Future of Employment: Dr Michael Osborne – Oxford Martin School
• The Future of Employment: Dr Carl Benedikt Frey – Oxford Martin School
• Living to 100: Professor Sarah Harper – Oxford Martin School
• Quantum Technologies: Professor Vlatko Vedral – Oxford Martin School
• Artificial Intelligence: Dr Anders Sandberg – Oxford Martin School
• Dark Matter: Professor Patrick Decowski – University of Amsterdam
• Perfect Information: Sophie Hackford – Wired Education
• Genome Editing: Professor Julian Savulescu – Oxford Martin School
• Perceptual Neuroscience: Beau Lotto – Lottolab
• Cybersecurity: Professor Angela Sasse – Director of the RISCS
• Reducing Humanity’s Water Footprint: Professor Arjen Y. Hoekstra – University of Twente

I know around half of these speakers. They’re all fascinating. When I found out about this conference, I cancelled the rest of my plans for the day, in order to attend.

3.) Networking dinner for Investing in Deep Learning, 1st Dec

This is another event on 1st December. It’s in the evening, from 6.30pm-10pm, and is organised by Re.Work. Details are here: https://re-work.co/workshops/investing-in-dl-dinner-2015.

Here’s an excerpt:

An evening of discussions & networking around the opportunities and challenges of investing and raising capital in deep learning technologies.

Over the course of the dinner, esteemed investors will explore the opportunities and challenges of investing in deep learning startups, and founders will share experiences of raising capital in the field.

Attendees will arrive to a Champagne reception, followed by an exquisite 3 course dinner with wine to match and compliment the evening. After each course, we’ll hear short talks from experts, followed by Q&A and discussions throughout the meal.

It costs £90. I asked for a discount for London Futurists members, but it seems nearly all tickets are already sold, so there’s no wiggle room, sorry!

Speakers include:

• NATHAN BENAICH, Investor, Playfair Capital
• MARIA DRAMALIOTI-TAYLOR, Founding Managing Partner, Beacon Capital
• RODOLFO ROSINI, Co-Founder & CEO, Weave.ai
• AZEEM AZHAR, Founder, The Exponential View

4.) The Future of Healthcare at LBS, 7th Dec

LBS are holding their 7th “Future of Healthcare” conference from 5.30pm to 10.30pm on Monday 7th December.

The speakers include:

• Stuart Fletcher, Opening Keynote: Bupa, CEO
• Dr. Paul Stoffels, Closing Keynote: Johnson & Johnson, Chief Scientific Officer and Worldwide Chairman, Pharmaceuticals
• Dr. Richard Mason, Johnson & Johnson London Innovation Centre Head & former CEO of XO1 (venture-backed  biotechnology start-up acquired by J&J)
• Dr. Stephen Minger, GE Healthcare Life Sciences UK, Chief Scientist, Cellular Sciences
• Matthew Foy, SR One (GSK Corporate Venture arm), Partner
• Dr. Guy Gross, Imperial College Health Partners, Innovation Delivery Lead
• Dr. Virginia Acha, The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, Executive Director Research: Medical  & Innovation
• Daniel Perez, Oxbridge Biotech Roundtable and Hinge Health, Founder & CEO
• Dr. Bayju Thakar, Synergix Health, Founder & Director
• Dr. Anne Bruinvels, NHS Innovation Fellow & Px Healthcare, Founder
• Dr. Anil Ohri, Regent’s Park Heart Clinics, Founder & CEO

For more details, and to register to attend, see http://lbs.pickevent.com/e/lbshealthcareconference2015. Extract:

Address hot topics including The Emergence of Patient 2.0 and The Future of R&D and Innovation. Our panel of experts will explore answers to some of the industry’s most important questions:

• What are the challenges to unlocking medical value through technology in the next decade?
• Are life science companies capable of executing “beyond the pill” strategies?
• What are the R&D models that may provide sustainable innovation in the constantly evolving healthcare landscape?

On this occasion, a 10% discount is available for London Futurists, by using the code ‘friendsofLBS’ on registration.

Note that if you are  attached to an academic institution, you can sign up as ‘students’ (cheaper pricing).

5.) Forthcoming London Futurists events

Finally, in case you’ve missed any of the announcements about forthcoming London Futurists events, here’s a reminder:

• H+Pedia: Progress, plans, possibilities – a Hangout On Air, 6pm, Sunday 6th December
• The increasing role of soft power in a hard world, with Indra Adnan – 2pm Saturday 12th December
• Experiment Earth: Responsible innovation in geoengineering – 6.30pm Monday 14th December
• The future of cybersecurity and cybercrime – 2pm, Saturday 9th January.

And watch out for a few more events to be announced in the near future!

Regards,

// David W. Wood
Chair, London Futurists