Hello and welcome to 2025 with an update on the Future of Human Reproduction (FoHR) project!

As we enter the next phase of this project, we’re excited to share highlights of what we accomplished in 2024 and to offer a glimpse of what’s ahead.

Before diving into the details, we’d like to thank our collaborators and supporters for their invaluable contributions. These partnerships have been instrumental in developing innovative approaches to addressing the complex cultural, ethical, legal, and social challenges posed by advancements in reproductive technology.

We begin 2025 with clear intentions to continue to develop our research so it can be used to inform meaningful conversations about research practice and influence policy decisions and social issues that matter. We’d love to hear from you about opportunities to collaborate in the future so please do not hesitate to be in touch, we’d be delighted to connect.

What We’ve Been Working on in 2024

The Wellcome-funded Future of Human Reproduction project is structured around three core themes:

• Ectogenesis
• In vitro-derived gametes (IVG)
• Genome editing

Collaboration and engagement have been central to our 2024 activities. Highlights include:

• Supporting three small research grant holders and three visiting collaborators, whose creative and interdisciplinary contributions—ranging from exhibitions to performances—have enriched the scope of our work.
• Offering learning and career development opportunities, inviting early-career and established researchers to share their expertise as speakers, chairs, and authors at FoHR events.

Showcasing Our Progress

In 2024, we prioritized raising awareness of the FoHR project and ensuring our research is widely accessible and impactful. Highlights include:

• Publishing popular blog posts and increasing our presence on social media, which have helped expand our networks and research engagement.
• Presenting at key events, including:
  • • Socio-Legal Studies Association Conference
    • Festival of Futures
    • IVG Ethics and Policy Symposium
    • European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology Annual Meeting
    • International and Interdisciplinary Conference on Communication, Medicine and Ethics
    • International Conference of Three Societies on Literature and Science

Shaping Policy and Building Networks

FoHR continued their efforts to use their research to inform policy discussions.

• Members contributed to a government policy briefing on human stem cell-based embryo models (SCBEMs), published by the Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology, calling for new governance frameworks.
• We organised the IVG Ethics and Policy Symposium in the Netherlands, which brought together academic experts and ethics and policy professionals from Europe, the US, and Japan. This event laid the foundation for a new IVG Ethics and Policy Network, fostering deeper dialogue on these critical issues.

To learn more, visit our website to see the Live Scribe Art created at the event and listen to follow-up discussions with the G-STEP project. If you’d like to join the IVG Ethics and Policy Network or sign up to receive news and updates about the project, please contact us at futureofhumanreproduction@lancaster.ac.uk.

Looking Ahead

As we approach the project’s conclusion in late summer 2025, we’re excited to share what’s coming up:

Future of Human Reproduction Milestone event

This summer, we will celebrate a major milestone for the Future of Human Reproduction as a Wellcome-funded research project.

In June, we will host a special event bringing together participants from academia, research, the reproductive health and policy communities, and beyond. This diverse group will contribute a range of perspectives, experiences, and ideas to this collaborative gathering that offers the opportunity to engage with work related to the Future of Human Reproduction.

Together, we will explore and develop a shared understanding of current and future ethical, legal, and social implications of advancing reproductive technologies.

Through presentations, discussions, and collaborative sessions, the event will focus on key themes: access and equality, fostering positive research and cultural practices, and envisioning how this work can evolve and continue in the future. This will be a platform to generate actionable ideas and shape next steps that address critical issues in this area.

2025 Research Showcase

Since 2022, we’ve been researching the social, ethical, and legal implications of emerging reproductive technologies and the methods used to address these challenges. In the coming months, we’ll be consolidating our work and engaging with groups and individuals at the forefront of applying this research in practice.

Our 2025 Research Showcase invites you to learn about the research we’ve done so far. Read more about the series and sign up here for the launch event on January 28, 1:00-2:00pm UK time, where FoHR Principal Investigator Stephen Wilkinson will discuss In Vitro Gametogenesis: what issues does it raise? with Sarah Norcross, Director of the Progress Educational Trust.

We’re excited to see how the final phase of the project unfolds and look forward to keeping you updated.

p.s In 2024 we also celebrated the achievements of two team members: Zoe Bolton (now part of the Mathematics for AI in Real-world Systems project at Lancaster University) and Laura O’Donovan (appointed Lecturer in Law at the University of Sheffield). Laura will continue to be part of FoHR, and we’re excited to see their impact in their new roles. I also joined the team, taking on the role of Partnership and Communications Manager.

By Zindzi Cresswell, published 13th January 2025.