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Welcome to INGSA’s year-end newsletter. It seems an appropriate time to reflect on the network’s start-up phase and look forward to 2016’s series of events and collaborations, including a series of capacity building workshops and our 2nd International Conference on Science Advice to Government. |
Save the Date: 2nd International Conference on Science Advice to Government
We are pleased to announce that the European Commission and INGSA will host the 2nd International Conference on Science Advice to Government in Brussels, Belgium on September 29th – 30th 2016. Please book it into your calendars.
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Contents Reflecting on 2015
- Building our Foundations in 2015
- INGSA at World Science Forum 2015
- APEC Science Advisors and Equivalents Meeting 2015
The Year Ahead
- Table of Events
- Capacity Building Workshops
- Save the Date: 2nd International Conference on Science Advice to Government
What We’re Watching
- The European Commission’s Science Advice Mechanism
- UNISDR Science and Technology Conference on the Implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030
New Science Advice Resources
- New Resources on the INGSA website
- INGSA Welcomes Guest Blogs
- Palgrave Collection on Scientific Advice to Government
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Reflecting on 2015
Building our Foundations in 2015
As an emerging global network, INGSA is still growing and taking shape. In 2015 we worked with the support of our Network Development Group to develop an initial suite of activities and to grow our network and its reach. We would like to take this opportunity to thank to our Network Development Group for their support during 2015.
In 2015 INGSA participated in the following events:
| Event |
Location |
Date |
Partners/Venue |
| Book Launch: Future Directions for Science Advice in Europe |
Brussels, Belgium |
April 2015 |
Stiftung Mercator/ University of Sussex (SPRU) / Cambridge University (CSaP) |
| Future Earth Networking Conference on Integrated Science |
Lake Como, Italy |
June 2015 |
ICSU / ICSS / SPRU |
| Science Diplomacy workshop |
Trieste, Italy |
June 2015 |
TWAS / AAAS |
| World Science Forum: INGSA Development Group satellite meeting |
Budapest, Hungary |
November 4, 2015 |
World Science Forum / SciCom |
| Canadian Science Policy Conference: Science Advice Panel |
Ottawa, Canada |
November 25-27, 2015 |
Canadian Science Policy Centre / Office of the Chief Scientist of Quebec |
| South African Science Forum: Science Advice Panel |
Pretoria, South Africa |
December 9-10, 2015 |
Department of Science and Technology, Government of South Africa |
INGSA at the World Science Forum 2015
On November 4th 2015 in the margins of the 7th World Science Forum (WSF) held in Budapest Hungary, INGSA convened a seminar of practitioners and thought leaders in science advice to governments to discuss an identified challenge in science advice practice: the provision of science advice at the international level. A summary of presentations and discussion can be found on our blog.
The impact of the seminar and of OECD, ICSU and INGSA efforts more broadly, was visible in the World Science Forum Declaration. Clause 4 of the WSF 2015 Declaration specifically calls for science advice to inform policy making. |
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“We are deeply convinced that sound, independent scientific advice largely improves the quality of policy-making. We welcome recent global trends for the more pronounced use of science in policy-making and the efforts to bridge the difficulties inherent in the roles of scientists and policy makers.”
from the final Declaration of the World Science Forum, Budapest 2015
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| For a summary of the seminar presentations visit our website blog. The next World Science Forum will be organised by Jordan in 2017. |
APEC Chief Science Advisors and Equivalents Meeting 2015
A number of INGSA affiliates and development group members are also represented within the APEC region’s Chief Science Advisors and Equivalents (CSA&E) grouping.
The third meeting of the APEC CSA&E was held in Kuala Lumpur on October 14-16 2015. Convening under the theme, “Building Foundations for Scientific Advice Towards Inclusive Economies and a Better World,”
Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak underscored the importance of integrating science and technology into policymaking among economies in the APEC region. He called upon their scientific and policy communities to deepen engagement to strengthen environmental protection and security for all sectors of society, and specifically requested science advice to address the haze caused by rampant fires that has again engulfed large areas of Southeast Asia. CSA&Es accepted this challenge and subsequently provided relevant contact points in their respective science communities to address the trans-boundary haze issue.
This was an apt demonstration of how the CSAE network could work in assisting with trans-boundary issues that are priorities within the APEC region.
Just as with the WSF declaration, the 2015 APEC Economic Leaders Declaration also explicitly recognised the science advice community. In this declaration, world leaders within APEC task officials to further explore the issue of providing science advice surrounding and during emergencies. |
The Year Ahead
INGSA are still finalising our calendar of events for 2016 however the below table reflects confirmed activities and those under development. Keep an eye on the INGSA website and follow INGSA on Twitter (@INGSciAdvice) for details of these events as they are confirmed.
Upcoming 2016 events involving INGSA:
Capacity Building Workshops
In response to a request from network members of developing countries, beginning in 2016 INGSA is planning a series of capacity building workshops for both scientists and policy practitioners on the provision of robust science advice to decision-makers.
The first workshop on science advice in the African region will be held on February 26th to 27th 2016 in Hermanus, South Africa preceding the Inter-Academies Panel Annual General Meeting and in collaboration with the Academy of Sciences of South Africa. Applications for this workshop have now closed. There is considerable enthusiasm and support for this workshop with an excess of 400 applicants for 50 delegate spots.
With INGSA collaborators, there are plans for other capacity building workshops through late 2016 and 2017, including in Small Island States, Latin America, Europe and Francophone Africa. Please check the website, sign up for news or follow us on Twitter. |
Save the Date: the 2nd International Conference on Science Advice to Government
We are pleased to announce that the European Commission and INGSA will host the 2nd International Conference on Science Advice to Government in Brussels, Belgium on September 29th – 30th 2016.
In 2014, the Auckland international conference on science advice to governments was a landmark event for science and public policy. This summit marked a turning point in the global awareness that robust and credible science has an important place in public policy making. Significantly, there was a strong call from delegates to strengthen international collaboration which led to an agreement to formalise the INGSA network.
Through partnership with the European Commission, the 2nd International Conference on Science Advice to Government will bring together key people at the centre of providing advice to governments on critical, global issues to explore best practices in a variety of current and challenging policy contexts. It will also present the new Scientific Advice Mechanism of the European Commission to the international community.
Watch out for more information on the conference in early 2016, but in the meantime please book the conference into your calendars for September 29th and 30th 2016. |
What We’re Watching
The European Commission’s Science Advice Mechanism
In November the European Commission announced members of its new Science Advice Mechanism (SAM). SAM is designed to provide independent and interdisciplinary scientific advice within the European Commission. INGSA development group co-chair and influential commentator on the science policy interface, Professor James Wilsdon, provides a good summary and initial observations on the SAM at the Guardian’s science policy blog
UNISDR Science and Technology Conference on the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030
Mark your calendars for the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) “Science and Technology Conference on the Implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030”, to be held in Geneva on 27-29 January 2016.
The conference aims to bring together the full diversity of the science and technology community, policy makers, practitioners and researchers from all geographical regions, at local, national, regional and international levels to discuss how the science and technology community will best support the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.
The conference will launch the UNISDR Science and Technology Partnership for the implementation of the Sendai Framework and discuss and endorse the UNISDR Science and Technology road map. Click here for more information |
New Science Advice Resources
Our website is home to a growing list of resources and organisations at the forefront of science advice to government. This is intended as an information portal to share both seminal texts and emerging ideas. We encourage you to visit the site regularly and send us your links to add to this page. Two recent additions include:
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INGSA Welcomes Guest Blogs
We encourage network members to exchange lessons, evidence and new concepts. To support this, INGSA would like to invite network members to submit guest blogs for the INGSA website. Please send your blog submissions to [email protected]. |
Palgrave Collection on Scientific Advice to Government
The first wave of a new thematic collection of open access peer-reviewed articles on Scientific Advice to Government is due to be released in April 2016. Edited by Sir Peter Gluckman and James Wilsdon, the Palgrave Communications will feature more than twenty papers on the theory, practice and politics of scientific advice, drawn from scholars and practitioners. While the submissions period is now formally closed, network members with further article ideas should contact Gino D’Oca. |
| For more information about INGSA, to join the network and to find out about upcoming events and new resource material, visit our website www.scienceadvicenetwork.org |
| Copyright © 2015 INGSA Secretariat, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up for updates at the INGSA website and/or because you registered for the August 2014 Science Advice to Governments conference. Our mailing address is:
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We are pleased to announce that the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA) and the European Commission will hold the 2nd International Conference on Science Advice to Government in Brussels, Belgium on the 29th and 30th of September 2016. Please book it in your calendars. More information to follow.
Sir Peter Gluckman’s address to the INGSA workshop on International Collaboration in Science Advice, a satellite meeting to the World Science Forum, is available here.
It is not too late to apply for the February 2016 Science Advice Workshop for African Scientists. More information on the workshop and the application process, which closes on October 30, can be found here.
The Future Earth Young Scientists Networking Conference, convened by INGSA Network Development Group member Dr James Wilsdon, has just kicked off in Villa Vigoni, Italy. The ISSC has more information about the conference here.
INGSA News
May 12, 2015
| “Scientific advice has never been in greater demand, nor has it been more contested. From climate change to cyber-security, poverty to pandemics, food technologies to fracking, the questions being asked of scientists, engineers and other experts by policymakers, the media and the wider public continue to multiply and increase in complexity. At the same time, the authority and legitimacy of experts is under increasing scrutiny, particularly in areas that often spark intense debate.” (Wilsdon et al., Science Advice to Governments Briefing Paper 2014) |
Introducing INGSA
As a legacy of the first global conference on science advice to governments held in Auckland New Zealand last August, the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA) was formed.
INGSA’s mission is to provide a forum for policy makers, practitioners, academies, and academics to share experience, build capacity and develop theoretical and practical approaches to the use of scientific evidence in informing policy at all levels of government. Read more about INGSA’s mission, values and structure at our revamped website, now located at scienceadvicenetwork.org. read more
The International Council for Science (ICSU), together with the International Social Science Council (ISSC), have released a new report, Review of Targets for the Sustainable Development Goals: The Science Perspective. Links to the full report and its accompanying supplement and blog post can be found here.
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