The Royal Society of Biology (RSB), previously called the Society of Biology, is a

learned society A learned society (; also learned academy, scholarly society, or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and science. Membership ...

and

professional association A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that profession, and t ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

created to advance the interests of

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary ...

in academia, industry, education, and research. Formed in 2009 by the merger of the

Biosciences Federation The Biosciences Federation (BSF) was a United Kingdom body formed in 2002. Function The Federation aimed to unite the bioscience community over issues of common interest that related to both research and teaching. These organisations are a key ...

and the Institute of Biology, the society has around 18,000 individual members, and more than 100 member organisations. In addition to engaging the public on matters related to the

life sciences This list of life sciences comprises the branches of science that involve the scientific study of life – such as microorganisms, plants, and animals including human beings. This science is one of the two major branches of natural science, th ...

, the society seeks to develop the profession and to guide the development of related policies.

Organisation

In May 2015, the society, previously called the Society of Biology, was granted permission to become the "Royal Society of Biology". The society is also a

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

. The first president of the society was Nancy Rothwell (

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The university owns and operates majo ...

); the current president is Julia Goodfellow. The society has six Special Interest Groups: the Animal Science Group, UK Biology Competitions, Natural Capital Initiative, the UK Plant Sciences Federation, Biology Education Research Group and Heads of University Biosciences. The Royal Society of Biology supports university students and early-career researchers with careers advice, travel grants and Life Sciences Careers Conferences. In 2012 it developed a Degree Accreditation Programme to promote high standards in the biosciences and highlight degrees which provide graduates with the skills required for academic and industry careers.

Professional Qualifications

Members of the society are entitled to employ postnominal letters: AMRSB for associates, MRSB for members, and FRSB for

fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

s. The society is a member of the

Science Council The Science Council is a UK organisation that was established by Royal Charter in 2003. The principal activity of The Science Council is the promotion of the advancement and dissemination of knowledge of and education in science pure and applie ...

, and is licensed to award the professional qualifications of

Chartered Scientist Chartered Scientist (CSci) is a professional qualification in the United Kingdom that is awarded by the Science Council through its Licensed member organisations. Holders of this qualification can use the post-nominal letters CSci. Chartered sci ...

(CSci),

Registered Scientist Registered Scientist (RSci) is an extension to the Science Council's existing professional registers, that was introduced in 2012. This register extends the framework to allow professional recognition for higher technical roles. Holders of this qual ...

(RSci), and Registered Science Technician (RSciTech) status to suitably qualified members. The society can also confer the status of

Chartered Science Teacher Chartered may refer to: * Charter, a legal document conferring rights or privileges ** University charter ** Chartered company * Chartered (professional), a professional credential * Charter (shipping) * Charter (airlines) * Charter (typeface) * Cha ...

(CSciTeach). The original professional qualification of the society is Charted Biologist, which can only be conferred by the Royal Society of Biology. The title "Chartered Biologist" is legally protected in the UK, and Chartered Biologists have the exclusive entitlement to use the designation CBiol after their names. Unlike academic qualifications such as a BSc (which indicate a level of training) Chartered status confirms both an academic level of training combined with a period of professional work experience. It therefore indicates a level of competence combined with practical experience. The title of Chartered Biologist was originally designated with permission of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mo ...

to appropriately qualified members of the Institute of Biology (the original precursor body to the Royal Society of Biology) in July 1984. According to the

CBiol "provides evidence that a biologist's professional qualifications and experience have been approved by his peers and is a definite measure of knowledge and ability." The right for the Institute of Biology to confer CBiol was incorporated into the Institute's Royal Charter. On 7 October 2009, this right was transferred by the final meeting of the former Institute of Biology Council to the newly formed Society of Biology; that meeting was also the first Society of Biology's Council meeting. Subsequently, in May 2015, this once more transferred to the Royal Society of Biology when the Society of Biology was rebranded. The status of Chartered Biologist today is conferred upon both Fellows and Members of the Royal Society of Biology. The conditions for qualification are a university degree-level qualification (or equivalent) in biology or a related bioscience in addition to either (a) two years of training in their programme of continuing professional development, or (b) substantial professional experience over 10 years. CBiol has European recognition. In 1983, the Institute of Biology's General Secretary, Philp O'Donoghue ''FIBiol'', in preparing to submit the original proposals for Chartered Biologist to the Privy Council, chaired the first meeting of the European Communities Biological Association (an umbrella body for biologists' professional bodies within the European Economic Communities that preceded the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...

). At that meeting Paolo Fasella, the then

European Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lis ...

Directorate-General XII responsible for coordinating science research across Europe, helped pave the way for eventually enhancing the status of Chartered Biologist in the European Union. This took place on 4 January 1991 under EC Directive 89/48 when the 'single market' came into effect: the directive harmonised member nations' professional qualifications. The Chartered Biologist designation is today covered by Directive 2005/36/EC, of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 7 September 2005. This directive establishes furthered EC Directive 89/48 that provided a system for the recognition of professional qualifications, in order to help make labour markets more standardised and transferable across EU nations, further liberalise the provision of services, encourage more automatic recognition of qualifications and simplify administrative procedures. In June 2016 the society launched the Plant Health Professional Register, which was developed in conjunction with

Nicola Spence Nicola Jane Spence (born 22 February 1961) is the Chief Plant Health Officer and Deputy Director for plant and bee health at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Early life and education Spence was educated at The Mount S ...

, chief plant health office at Defra and Charles Lane of Fera Science. The register provides an opportunity for those working in plant health to have their profession recognised, and to be able to continue their

professional development Professional development is learning to earn or maintain professional credentials such as academic degrees to formal coursework, attending conferences, and informal learning opportunities situated in practice. It has been described as intensive ...

Competitions

The Society runs two competitions for schools, the British Biology Olympiad and Biology Challenge, which are designed to challenge Britain's most talented students and reward them for their success. The four winners of the British Biology Olympiad go forward to compete in the

International Biology Olympiad The International Biology Olympiad (IBO) is a biological olympiad for pre-university students under the age 20, and is one of the most well-known International Science Olympiads. The first IBO was held in Czechoslovakia in 1990, and it has since be ...

Biology Week

The society has organised an annual Biology Week since 2012. It takes place in October and aims to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds with biology. It involves a series of events for scientists, schools, and members of the public.

Surveys

The society runs citizen science projects with the University of Gloucestershire. Since 2012 it has been collecting records of flying ants as part of the Flying Ant Survey with Adam Hart. In 2013, it launched a House Spider Survey, also with Hart, to collect reports of sightings of ''

Tegenaria ''Tegenaria'' is a genus of fast-running funnel weavers that occupy much of the Northern Hemisphere except for Japan and Indonesia. It was first described by Pierre André Latreille in 1804, though many of its species have been moved elsewhere. ...

'' spiders using an app. In 2014 the society launched the Starling Murmuration Survey to study why starlings murmurate and thus inform research into why this species is in decline.

The Biologist

''The Biologist'' is a bimonthly British professional magazine published by the society. The magazine was initially established by one of the two predecessor bodies, the Institute of Biology, in 1953. It is edited by the science journalist Tom Ireland. The magazine is abstracted and indexed in several

EBSCO databases EBSCO Information Services, headquartered in Ipswich, Massachusetts, is a division of EBSCO Industries Inc., a private company headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. EBSCO provides products and services to libraries of very many types around the ...

, including full-text access through Academic Search Complete.

References

External links

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The Biologist
{{DEFAULTSORT:Royal Society Of Biology British biology societies Biologists * Learned societies of the United Kingdom Organisations based in the London Borough of Camden Scientific organisations based in the United Kingdom Scientific organizations established in 2009 2009 establishments in the United Kingdom