SCIENCE ADVICE FOR POLICY
BY EUROPEAN ACADEMIES

YASAS in SAPEA

YASAS became an official member during the SAPEA+ project (2022). We have the task to develop, monitor, and support the implementation of a strategy to improve the involvement of EMCRs in SAPEA science for policy activities. Our network facilitates the participation of Young Academies members in SAPEA Working Groups and Workshops, among others. In addition, … Read more

How to be ready for wildfires? Professor Thomas Elmqvist

An interview with Thomas Elmqvist, Professor of Stockholm University, Stockholm Resilience Centre and one of the world’s most cited scientists. Professor Elmqvist is a part of the group of scientists from SAPEA that advised the European Commission on crisis management last year. Their report “Strategic crisis management in the EU” informed policy recommendations by the … Read more

Consumers shouldn’t be the only ones responsible for the shift to sustainable food consumption, say Europe’s science advisors

A group of top scientists from across Europe have advised the European Commission on how to transform European food consumption to become healthier and more sustainable. The advice comes in response to a request from the College of Commissioners to the Scientific Advice Mechanism to inform the revision of the Farm to Fork strategy. The … Read more

Interview with the president of YASAS, professor Moniek Tromp

YASAS is SAPEA’s youngest network, in both of its meanings, can you tell us something about the creation of YASAS?   The European Network of Young Academies(ENYA) has been, and still is, an informal forum for Young Academy Members, to share experiences and best practices, as well as discuss joint initiatives. There has been a longstanding … Read more

Europe needs better, more strategic crisis management, according to independent scientific and ethics advisors

The European Union is dealing with an increasing number of complex, overlapping cross-border crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to the scientific and ethical recommendations given to the Commission in Strasbourg, the Union has to improve how it prepares for and responds to crises. An evidence review … Read more

Barbara Prainsack on ethics advice in a crisis

We live in an age of crisis — and the crises that we face are more numerous, more widespread and more overlapping than ever before. In the chaos of high-pressure, life-and-death policymaking, politicians could benefit not just from scientific advice but also from the input of ethicists. That’s where Barbara Prainsack, chair of the European Group on Ethics and New Technologies, comes into the picture.

Rebecca Natow on politically-infused evidence use

Rebecca Natow

Dr Rebecca Natow talks to Toby Wardman about federal education policy in the US, a domain that employs a ‘negotiated rulemaking’ methodology to try to find consensus among many stakeholders — even though scientific input is also legally mandated. The result is a swirling, politically-infused debate around the meaning of both quantitative and qualitative evidence.