Following discussions with EPSRC, a National Advisory Board (NAB) for the Institute was established during 1999, and held its first meeting on 20 March 2000.

The remit of the NAB was “To advise the Director in all matters relating to the role of the Newton Institute as a National Institute for the Mathematical Sciences.”

Some of the issues addressed by the NAB have been:

  1. The attendance of young UK scientists
  2. The Institute’s strategy vis-à-vis its national role, interdisciplinarity and outreach
  3. Flexibility in the scientific programming to respond to new developments
  4. The interests of the EPSRC programmes which contribute to the Institute
  5. A focus on the Institute’s databases to enable it to produce information on subject coverage, the geographical distribution of participants and the status of participants
  6. The Institute’s mode of interface with industry
  7. The relationship with the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences in Edinburgh

Following review of the Institute in 2007, the EPSRC requested that the role of the NAB be clarified. After extensive discussion by the Institute committees (including the NAB), and consultation with the learned societies of the Council for Mathematical Sciences, the Heads of UK Mathematics Departments and the Institute Correspondents, the decision was taken to disband the NAB, which was seen as having fulfilled its role, and to strengthen Correspondents and the independence of the Management Committee. In particular, a Chair of Correspondents will be identified who will be co-opted to the Management Committee, as an additional external member. An independent Chair has also been appointed to the Mangement Committee, Howard Covington, CEO of New Star Asset Management.

Membership in the final year of the NAB:

Name Institution
Professor Sir John Ball University of Oxford
Professor JW Bruce University of Hull
Professor P Grindrod Lawson Software, Oxford
Dr RE Hunt Deputy Director, Newton Institute 
Professor Sir Peter Knight Imperial College, London
Professor J McWhirter University of Cardiff
Professor EG Rees (Chair) University of Edinburgh
Professor G Roberts University of Warwick
Professor FA Rogers King’s College London
Professor E Salje University of Cambridge
Professor S Schaefer London Business School
Professor JF Toland ICMS, Edinburgh
Sir David Wallace Director, Newton Institute

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