The Royal Society of Biology’s annual Biology Week returns this autumn and will take place from Monday 7 October – Friday 11 October 2024.

Biology Week is an opportunity to bring together people from across the biosciences sector – from researchers, teachers and students to people working in industry and anyone with an interest in biology – to celebrate the biosciences. The theme of this year’s ‘Biology Week is Biology for a better tomorrow’.

The week will see a variety of events take place in person and online to foster conversations and connections, enabling people to come together wherever they are in the world.

RSB Chief Executive, Dr Mark Downs CBiol CSci FRSB, said: “Biology Week is a chance for everyone with an interest in biology to come together, whether they are teachers, students, academics or industry specialists, to share knowledge and put the focus on the importance of biology to all. It is a pivotal time in the RSB’s calendar and I’m looking forward to this year’s fantastic line-up of events.”

Innovation in biology will help us to support all life on Earth – from biomedical science and mycology to ecology and anatomy – now and in the coming decades. Biology Week aims to celebrate and raise awareness of these achievements and the important work that bioscientists are doing through generating conversation around this and highlighting it to public audiences.

Events

Events during the week will include:

• RSB Annual Awards Ceremony and Biology Week Reception in London
• A visit to Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew featuring keynote talks, exclusive tours of the facilities, and networking opportunities with professionals in the plant health sector
• Molecular modelling, coral reef research, and studying wildlife from space online talk and Q&A
• An opportunity to create a biology-inspired 3D artwork from recycled, or other, materials to enter into the RSB BioCraft Competition
• The return of the RSB’s ‘A to Z of the Biosciences’ – short films shining a spotlight on different bioscience careers – returns for a third series launching weekly videos starting in Biology Week
• A new online RSB Memory Game launches
• A virtual afternoon with Sir Patrick Vallance Hon FRSB discussing his varied career to date
• The nation-wide biology National Spelling Bee competition final

Event promotion

We have downloadable assets and logos to use for promotion, and we encourage use of the hashtag #BiologyWeek across social media.

Organising an event

More information for running your own event can be found here, or email: events@rsb.org.uk

Funding

Organisations and individuals are also encouraged to host their own events as part of Biology Week. Funding of up to £1,000 is available to RSB members to host an outreach event, anywhere in the world, via the RSB Outreach and Engagement Grant Scheme.

For any other queries, contact: parliamentaryandpublicaffairs@rsb.org.uk

This year's RSB Biology Week events and activities are kindly supported by BBSRC.