22/03/2021
Can unofficial or self-appointed science advice structures be valuable, or are they destabilising? What responsibilities does a science advisor have when they disagree with the consensus view? What’s going wrong, if anything, when a politician picks up the phone and calls their own favourite scientist for input? Roger Pielke Jr discusses these questions with Toby […]
News
11/03/2021
The EU’s Farm-to-Fork strategy needs to be reframed to avoid an unjustified focus on food as simply a commodity, according to a group of top European experts whose independent science advice was used to inform the strategy last year. In an article published in Nature Food today (11 March), the experts write: “The European Commission’s Farm to Fork strategy seeks to facilitate a transition towards […]
News
08/03/2021
How widespread is the use of big data in government decision-making? What questions should policymakers ask when presented with policy recommendations based on data modelling? Should opaque models based on machine-learning algorithms come with a health warning? Tracey Brown discusses these questions with Toby Wardman of SAPEA. We also discuss spurious precision in scientific results, […]
News
04/03/2021
Commissioner Mariya Gabriel presented the recent advice on biodegradability of plastics in the open environment to a meeting of European research ministers on 26 February. In her remarks at the informal Council of the EU meeting, the Commissioner informed ministers about the SAPEA evidence review report and outlined recommendations provided by the Group of Chief […]
News
25/02/2021
During this time of crisis, when policymakers and citizens are listening closely to the advice of scientists, trust in the integrity of research and scientific evidence has never been more important. Policymakers and the public must have confidence that scientists have acted with honesty, and have adhered to principles of rigour, transparency and openness in […]
News
21/02/2021
What does the worldwide scientific community think of how science advice was used in 2020? What impact have lockdown, home-working and the race for a vaccine had on the life and work of individual scientists? Have other areas of science-related policy, such as climate change, been boosted or sidelined since COVID? Fred Fenter and Stephan […]
News
10/02/2021
The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre is conducting a survey of science for policy and science advice eco-systems in Europe. This short questionnaire is aimed at professionals working at the science-policy interface in universities, public research institutes, academies of science, scientific councils to government, government and Parliamentary administrations at national, regional and local level, and […]
News
08/02/2021
The Dutch parliament is trialling a new, radical way to take advice from scientists on every draft law that comes before it. How legally robust is it? What are the risks for scientists of getting involved in the cut and thrust of parliamentary debate, and for politicians of inviting professors to “mark their homework”? Pieter […]
News
05/02/2021
Key findings from the SAPEA report ‘A sustainable food system for the European Union’ were presented at a public hearing in the European Parliament by working group member Marianne Penker on 4 February. Professor Penker focused her presentation on framings of food and how different framings of food (for instance as a commodity or a common good), lead to different policy interventions and, at […]
News
05/02/2021
What has been the role of the media, including social media and local news, on our public debate, attitudes and behaviour during this current pandemic? As we emerge from this crisis, could we rethink the role that media and digital platforms play in facilitating the flow of information and dialogue between experts, policymakers and the public, […]
News
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