On Friday 21st October 2022, NMITE’s new Skylon campus was humming with energy and eager anticipation. Over 160 guests gathered to hear from the woman who led the taskforce that would ultimately save thousands of lives during a global pandemic. This was the first time that NMITE hosted an event of this scale at our impressive new facility – and we could not think of a more fitting way to mark the occasion.
When appointed by the UK Government to lead the Covid-19 Vaccine Taskforce in 2020, Kate Bingham was told that the likelihood of any Covid-19 vaccine working was 15% at best. Now nearly every adult in Britain has had a jab, and we are living with Covid.
In The Long Shot: The Inside Story of the Race to Vaccinate Britain Kate shares her story of leading this hand-picked team in a race against time. The book has been described as “a gripping account of the UK Government Vaccine Task Force’s response to the pandemic by a remarkable, determined, thoughtful, and practical individual who was at the heart of the critical decisions that had to be made.”
Dame Kate has been a huge supporter of NMITE for many years, and so we were honoured when she suggested that our new, state-of-the-art campus should be used to host the launch of her incredible insider account.
It was no surprise that the event drew crowds of people from across Herefordshire who were eager to hear Kate’s story and take home a signed copy of her highly acclaimed book.
On the evening, Kate spoke openly about the challenges she faced during her seven-month stint as Chair of the Vaccine Task Force and how she navigated the virtual corridors of Whitehall to drive forward the development of the vaccine. She took questions from the audience that reflected on her experience and the lessons learnt along the way.
NMITE, being an interdisciplinary engineering institution, it was apt to hear Kate talk about this critical approach in science, engineering and government. In her words: “Engineers are always behind the scenes. You don't see them, but you couldn't make the drugs if you didn't have engineers. We need to manufacture the drugs. We've got to bottle them, put them in vials. We've got to do all the experimental work to actually validate them. All of that needs engineers and yet engineers are not shouting from the rooftops saying, "Look at what we're doing."
These inspirational words hit home with the audience, and copies of The Long Shot sold out before the evening closed.
In an act of incredible generosity, Kate has chosen to donate her proceeds from the book to NMITE. This means that every copy of the book purchased on the evening, and indeed every copy sold, will support our important work to educate the next generation of work-ready, world conscious engineers of the future.
