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.
While the INGSA secretariat currently operates out of the Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor in New Zealand, it has been agreed that INGSA will operate under the aegis of the International Council for Science, which will act as trustee of INGSA funds and provide validation of its governance arrangements.
Science advice resources
You can access a growing list of resources and key contact organisations at the forefront of science advice to governments. Two recent additions include:
- James Wilsdon and Robert Doubleday: Future Directions for Science Advice in Europe, Centre for Science and Policy (2015)
- OECD – Global Science Forum: The Role and Responsibility of Expert Bodies and Individual Scientists (2015)
Send us your links to add to this page!
You can still access all the rich material from the inaugural Science Advice to Governments conference, held in Auckland last August. Please see the revamped INGSA website for archived conference material for your use and reference, including:
INGSA events calendar
As discussed at the Auckland Conference, a representative Network Development Group has been established to lead the development of an initial suite of INGSA activities. Here’s what’s planned so far. Where these activities are INGSA-driven, they are marked as such. Other events involve individual INGSA members, drawing a deliberate connection to the wider network.
| Event | Location | Date | Partners/Venue |
| Book Launch: Future Directions for Science Advice in Europe | Belgium (Brussels) | 27 April 2014 | SPRU / CSaP |
| Future Earth Young Scientist Networking Conference on Integrated Science | Italy (Villa Vigoni) | 24–30 May 2015 | ICSU / ISSC |
| INGSA Development Group satellite meeting | Hungary (Budapest) | November 2015 | World Science Forum / SciCom |
| Canadian Science Policy Conference | Canada (Ottawa) | November 2015 | CSPC / Office of the Chief Scientist of Quebec |
| INGSA Capacity building workshop on science advice | South Africa (Cape Town - TBC) | February 2016 (TBC) | Department of Science & Technology, South Africa |
| INGSA Panel session (proposed) | US (Washington) | February 2016 | AAAS |
| INGSA session at ESOF (proposed) | UK (Manchester) | July 2016 | Various (INGSA) |
| 2nd INGSA Summit | Belgium (Brussels) | 4th quarter 2016 (TBC) | TBC |
Keep an eye on the INGSA website and follow INGSA on Twitter (@INGSciAdvice) for all the details as they are confirmed.
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