Open-access content
Monday 2nd November 2015
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updated 5.50pm, Wednesday 29th April 2020
Derek Cribb looks at the achievements of the Research and Thought Leadership Committee

At this time of year, we are once again celebrating our two largest conferences. Life Conference will enjoy its 30th anniversary, with over 1,000 attendees, and GIRO this year is putting "Research" firmly back at the centre of the agenda. As ever, these conferences give us the opportunity to showcase the great research done by our members through our working parties.
While ours are business qualifications, we have always said that research is the lifeblood of the profession, allowing our members to ever improve their unique position as business-focused professionals. With the Research and Thought Leadership Committee (RTLC), under the chairmanship of Professor Mark Cross, celebrating its first birthday and its first 'call for research', there is much to look forward to.
The RTLC has rejuvenated our approach to commissioned research, and I am delighted to report that our call for research has generated significant interest from around the world.
As I write, we have received 25 proposals from 103 institutions, covering 21 countries. This is the beginning of a diverse, multi-disciplinary and international research programme that will allow for learning and research both within and outside traditional actuarial practice areas, supporting our charter objective to promote actuarial science and opening new opportunities for our members. Research commissioned through RTLC will complement and enhance member research undertaken by our working parties, which will continue to play a vital role in our research agenda.
These certainly are exciting times for RTLC and the wider profession. With our first call for research under our belt, I am looking forward to seeing proposals commissioned and the outputs disseminated as widely as possible. This will not only help promote the value that actuaries add to society but will also play a crucial role in furthering the development of actuarial science for the benefit of the whole profession.
If you or anyone you know are interested in feeding into our research programme, please contact Sarah Mathieson, head of research and knowledge, at [email protected]
Or if you'd like to get involved in one of the IFoA's working parties, visit the volunteer vacancies areas of our website (bit.ly/1oaKuJZ) or contact Debbie Atkins at [email protected]
While ours are business qualifications, we have always said that research is the lifeblood of the profession, allowing our members to ever improve their unique position as business-focused professionals. With the Research and Thought Leadership Committee (RTLC), under the chairmanship of Professor Mark Cross, celebrating its first birthday and its first 'call for research', there is much to look forward to.
The RTLC has rejuvenated our approach to commissioned research, and I am delighted to report that our call for research has generated significant interest from around the world.
As I write, we have received 25 proposals from 103 institutions, covering 21 countries. This is the beginning of a diverse, multi-disciplinary and international research programme that will allow for learning and research both within and outside traditional actuarial practice areas, supporting our charter objective to promote actuarial science and opening new opportunities for our members. Research commissioned through RTLC will complement and enhance member research undertaken by our working parties, which will continue to play a vital role in our research agenda.
These certainly are exciting times for RTLC and the wider profession. With our first call for research under our belt, I am looking forward to seeing proposals commissioned and the outputs disseminated as widely as possible. This will not only help promote the value that actuaries add to society but will also play a crucial role in furthering the development of actuarial science for the benefit of the whole profession.
If you or anyone you know are interested in feeding into our research programme, please contact Sarah Mathieson, head of research and knowledge, at [email protected]
Or if you'd like to get involved in one of the IFoA's working parties, visit the volunteer vacancies areas of our website (bit.ly/1oaKuJZ) or contact Debbie Atkins at [email protected]