The Young Journalists’ Academy is a scheme run by Journalism Education, a not-for-profit organisation. The main YJA programme is a journalism summer school, held in August in Canary Wharf. Our other activities include school visits by YJA staff, the YJA alumni programme and the YJA ambassador scheme.

Social policy is apparently everywhere these days, embedded in everything from soap opera storylines to arts funding criteria. Yet, for all its pervasiveness in our culture, it is rarely discussed in its own terms. This is a problem because instead of policy makers trying to find ways to better meet people’s needs, they are more likely to be found promoting behavioural change or advocating intrusive interventions into people’s lives. The Social Policy Forum aims to challenge social policy by stealth, while taking a closer look at some key policy debates on everything from housing, social care and welfare, to the reforms of local government and public services.

Leeds Salon is a discussion group founded in early 2009 by Michele Ledda and Paul Thomas, inspired by similar initiatives they had attended and, in particular, their participation in the Institute of Ideas & Pfizer sixth-form debating competition Debating Matters.

The aim of Leeds Salon is to establish a public forum for debate around contemporary political, cultural and scientific issues and, hopefully, challenge any orthodoxies along the way. Writers, academics and experts in their field are invited to present their ideas and to have them debated and held up to scrutiny by the audience. The Salons are lively, informal and open to all.

We are also interested in suggestions for debate and establishing fraternal links with other debating organisations in West Yorkshire and beyond.

Blackwell University Bookshop is Manchester’s leading academic bookstore. We stock cult fiction, graphic novels, cookery and craft books, along with best sellers and new titles. Blackwell offers the widest range of academic books: our dedicated subject specialists will source any book for you. We stock text books for the Manchester universities, as well as HSE/TSO publications. We also do Ordnance Survey mapping. No request is too small or too big. Pop in now to our Oxford Road shop, ring 0161 274 3331 or email us: manchester@blackwell.co.uk.

Index on Censorship is delighted to be a partner in this year’s Battle of Ideas. Freedom of expression is at the heart of the festival, with its mix of dynamic, challenging, robust debate. And standing up for freedom of expression is what we do on a daily basis at Index. So it’s a perfect match.

John Kampfner, CEO of Index on Censorship

The Institute of Ideas has provided through its Battle Satellites a series of charged arenas for vigorous debate about the most urgent local and global issues of our time.  The University of Notre Dame (USA) regularly facilitates such debate at its London Centre, an international study abroad centre and cultural institution dedicated to public scrutiny of urgent cultural concerns, past and present, through conferences, symposia, lecture series, university classes, and the type of robust debates characteristic of Battle Satellites.  Given the University of Notre Dame’s special concerns with the arts, religion, global studies, and social justice, we are particularly delighted and honoured to host Battle Satellites on these themes.

Greg Kucich, Director, University of Notre Dame (USA) in England, London Program

The role of the museum in contemporary society has significantly changed during the last twenty years and at Tate this is reflected in the gallery’s developing relationship to global culture and communities through international programmes and partnerships. Tate Britain, as the home of the National Collection of British Art, is committed to engaging in cultural debate around the role and value of the arts in relation to the internationalism of its audiences both within the UK and abroad. The Battle Satellites programme presents a timely opportunity to collaborate with the Institute of Ideas in creating public debate about the changing place of the museum in contemporary culture.

Victoria Walsh, Head of Public Programmes, Tate Britain

For nearly two hundred years the Royal Philharmonic Society has been shaping the musical life of Great Britain. Perhaps now more than ever, in today’s society of sound-bites and slogans, finding the time for rigorous debate is much needed and arguably more so for cultural matters. The Institute of Idea’s ‘Battle’ provides this platform and the RPS is proud to be a sponsor.

Tom Hutchinson, RPS Project Coordinator

The Research Councils Energy Programme, led by EPSRC, is committed to helping reduce Carbon Dioxide emissions and providing a secure affordable energy system for the UK. But it is clear that if we are to achieve the UK’s energy, environmental and policy targets we require transformational changes in the way we generate, distribute and use energy. The RCUK Energy Programme welcomes the opportunity to engage in the lively and open debate that the Battle of Ideas offers on a subject that is at the top of the national and international policy agenda. We look forward to hearing your views at the three debates we are involved in….

Dr Rachel Bishop, Research Councils UK Energy Programme

The British Library prides itself on being a physical and online space that allows its Readers to research, debate, challenge and interact with our collections.  Within our vaults are manuscripts, documents and periodicals that have, over the past few centuries, enlightened scholars, encouraged discussion and provided solutions to issues of great importance.  Every day thousands of researchers and visitors converge on the Library to continue this scholarly tradition and the Library is constantly looking at new ways of making material both relevant and accessible to researchers.  The British Library plays a crucial role underpinning the UK research infrastructure and works closely with researchers working alone and as part of large collaborative projects. We are pleased to be part of this debate which provides the Library with the chance to collaborate with the Institute of Ideas in what is a crucial challenge for researchers, public institutions and government today.

Dr Joanna Newman, Head of Higher Education, British Library

We are the latest thing in experimental online news channels. We are home to a monthly alternative news programme which aims to get behind the headlines and promote a people-first perspective. Critical reports will put the case for a better life for all and expose everything and anything that smacks of inequality and moral hypocrisy. We are not impressed by the mass of non-news, celebrity nonsense, or by the current preoccupations with crime and people’s weird problems. But we are not just shouting at the telly; we are serious about clarifying issues, understanding trends, challenging bad ideas and changing minds.

Research Partner

Inon is a behavioural economics based software house and research consultancy. Its behavioural research helps public bodies make better policy, and helps companies increase their sales and get more out of their employees. Inon’s software turns empirical and theoretical economic research into a set of tools which non-specialists can use to achieve their policy and commercial goals.

The London International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film

The UK’s only dedicated Sci Fi and Fantasy film festival - films, books,reviews, news, forums - we are the home of fantastic film!

The UK after the recession is not about the recession, it is about what happens after the recession. The UK has been experiencing relative economic decline for more than 100 years. Over the past ten years it appeared that this process had been arrested, but now the financial sector, property and retail bubbles have burst it looks as if further decline is likely.

The UK has become a risk averse and politically stagnant country where the state is intervening constantly at every level. Is it possible for genuine innovation and change to thrive inside a society which is wedded to risk aversion,state intervention and welfarism?

- Rob Killick

The College was founded in 1930 as a residential college for students from The Dominions. Its aim was to improve international tolerance and understanding amongst people on the brink of their careers by providing a forum in which they could interact. The College has expanded greatly since that time and now consists of a community of 650 postgraduate students from over ninety countries. It is an independent educational charity which receives no state funding and relies instead on the generation of its own income.

SCETT is the one of the key organisations in relation to the education of teachers in the UK.  It brings together teacher unions and associations, providers, practitioners and other professionals who share our interests. 

One of the central aims of SCETT is to provide opportunities for debate and the interrogation of ideas and proposals related to the education of teachers. 

Thanks to our wide membership and open door, contrasting views abound.  The result is lively debate backed up by the in-depth knowledge and experience of those participating.

SCETT is proud to support and be associated with the Battle of Ideas - it is a natural partnership for us.

Mary Van de Water, Chair, SCETT

‘The Battle of Ideas is a new platform for us to challenge and debate some of the current views on Israel. We at the AIA work to present a different and wider perspective on a complex situation to promote informed judgement and create a better understanding of Israel and her people. We are delighted to be associated with the Battle of Ideas and look forward to a thought-provoking exchange of views.’

The IoI Current Affairs Forum (CAF) provides an opportunity for people to discuss what is behind the news headlines, with the intention of developing a deeper understanding of the world. More than just a talking shop, the CAF encourages an examination of the way that ideas can be taken forward in society, with discussions ranging from international affairs to lifestyle issues, from culture to the state of politics.

The CAF is run by a group of young professionals and students who wanted to create a lively and informal environment to interrogate contemporary social and political issues. The Forum meets regularly in Central London to investigate a specific issue in the news, and draws on the thoughts and experience of its members and occasional guest speakers.

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“The Battle of Ideas is a breath of fresh air. Freedom of speech is actively encouraged, which is hugely liberating. Audience and speakers are refreshingly candid. Apart from speaking their minds, many of them enjoy a drink. Others like to smoke. This is the real world, not the grey, bland, sanitized world our political masters would like us to inhabit.”

Simon Clark, director, The Free Society

In a world of Twitter, Facebook and MySpace there is still no substitute for an intelligent and spirited face-to-face debate. The Battle of Ideas provides a perfect platform to explore the many challenges presented by new scientific discoveries. The Wellcome Trust looks forward to another lively year of debate at the Battle of Ideas festival.

Mark Walport, Director of the Wellcome Trust

Research Councils UK is very pleased to be supporting the Battle of Ideas this year. It provides an excellent opportunity for people to come together and participate in lively, thought provoking debates covering a wide range of issues. It is important for Research Councils UK to be involved in the Battle of Ideas as it provides the opportunity for Researchers to engage the public with their contemporary research.  Go along to any debate and you can be sure to have fun and have your views challenged.

“A lot of people think that education is all about knowledge. Facts are indispensible, of course, but education is also about ideas –good ones, bad ones and more still in contention. They all need to be tested under the rigour of scholarly debate and intellectual analysis. But there’s another thing about education: it shouldn’t end at the college gates. That’s why I’m delighted to be involved in the Battle of Ideas. It helps bring ideas out of the seminar room and into the crucible of public debate.”

Dr Richard Howells, Director, Centre for Cultural, Media and Creative Industries Research, King’s College London

Bpas is not just committed to providing a world-class abortion service, we are also committed to informing the public and policy makers about why such a service is necessary and ethical. Engaging with the ideas of those who oppose us is an essential part of what we do. The Battle of Ideas has established an international reputation as a forum – for informed and intelligent intellectual engagement. We are delighted to be a part of it.

Ann Furedi, Chief Executive