SCIENTIST Daniel Page, 27, from Malmesbury, will be at Parliament to make a presentation on his research to politicians and a panel of expert judges on Monday.

Mr Page, a PhD student at University of Southampton, was shortlisted from hundreds of applicants to appear in Parliament to take part in SET for Britain - a poster competition in the House of Commons.

It involves more than 200 early stage or early career researchers - judged by professional and academic experts.  All presenters are entered into either the engineering, the biological and biomedical sciences, the physical sciences (chemistry), the physical sciences (physics) session, or the mathematics session, depending on the researcher’s specialism. 

Mr Page's poster is on research investigating the use of new clay gels for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers and will be judged against dozens of other biologists’ research in the only national competition of its kind.

He said: "I am honoured to be a part of SET for Britain as this is an excellent opportunity to present my research about a novel treatment for chronic diabetic wounds. It is a fantastic way of communicating with members of Parliament whilst raising further awareness of the severe problems diabetes can cause.”

Andrew Miller MP, Chairman of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee, said, “This annual competition is an important date in the parliamentary calendar because it gives MPs an opportunity to speak to a wide range of the country’s best young researchers.

“These early career engineers, mathematicians and scientists are the architects of our future and SET for Britain is politicians’ best opportunity to meet them and understand their work.”

Mr Page's research has been entered into the Biological and Biomedical Sciences session of the competition, which will end in a gold, silver and bronze prize-giving ceremony.

Judged by leading academics, the gold medallist receives £3,000, while silver and bronze receive £2,000 and £1,000 respectively.

Dr Mark Downs, chief executive of the Society of Biology, said: “Scientists and politicians both have major roles in addressing some of society’s biggest challenges, from climate change to food security. SET for Britain is a rare opportunity for politicians to meet some of our most promising young scientists and understand their work.

“It is important that MPs make policy decisions informed by evidence, and a greater mutual understanding between MPs and scientists will improve this.

"This is a message that is even more important just ahead of a General Election. The next government needs to ensure the UK continues to lead the world in biological research where we have enormous strength.”

The Parliamentary and Scientific Committee runs the event in collaboration with the Society of Biology, the Council for the Mathematical Sciences, the Institute of Physics, The Physiological Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the Society of Chemical Industry, with financial support from INEOS, Institute of Biomedical Science, Wiley, BP, Essar, WMG, Clay Mathematics Institute, and the Bank of England.