1.1. The Genomics Forum The ESRC Genomics Policy and Research Forum (the Forum)1 is a novel initiative funded by the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). The Forum is a knowledge exchange unit that aims to connect social science research on genomics and related areas of the life sciences with policymakers, business, the media and civil society. The Forum also has a capacity-building remit, strengthening UK and international research capacity in this field, and in particular building capacity for interdisciplinary research by enabling dialogue and networking between researchers in different disciplines. The Forum is based at the University of Edinburgh and is part of the ESRC Genomics Network,2 a major ESRC investment spanning five UK universities, which researches ethical, legal and social aspects of genomics, biotechnology and the life sciences.