News & Blog

By Heather Douglas, Waterloo Chair in Science and Society, University of Waterloo Heather contributed this article as part of our call for blogposts on conference themes. Submit your blogpost: http://bit.ly/1yyo1P2 Here at the Science Advice to Governments Conference, the reality of uncertainty in science, … Read More

By Sir Mark Walport, UK’s chief science advisor Ebola infections, wars in the Middle East, an erupting volcano in Iceland – a glance at newspaper headlines in London last week shows how important issues requiring policy decisions are not constrained … Read More

One of the most difficult situations for science advisors to government is when evidence contradicts entrenched political (ideological) positions, whether these are within national, regional or local governments. Well established examples are seen in debates around controlled substances and public … Read More

Examples such as SARS, bird flu and natural/industrial disasters provide opportunities for science advisors not only to help provide strategic direction to governments, but also to play a key role in public outreach and risk communication. Panellists shared ideas from national … Read More

Opening speech to the First Global Conference on Science Advice to Governments, Sir Peter Gluckman FRS, Chief Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of New Zealand I want to welcome you to Auckland. When we planned this meeting we did not … Read More

Anne Glover, EU’s chief science advisor, tells us her story. [View the story “1000 days in the life of a science advisor” on Storify]

This session focused on the processes of procuring and synthesising evidence to provide scientific advice in typical policy development situations. It also considered the various systems in which these processes are embedded. Participants discussed challenges, opportunities and lessons learnt in … Read More

A symposium ahead of the Science Advice to Governments conference on 27 August that aimed to explore the place of science in foreign ministries. For more information on the event, click here  [View the story “Science and Diplomacy” on Storify]

By Aidan Gilligan, Founder & CEO of SciCom Aidan contributed this article as part of our call for blogposts on conference themes. Submit your blogpost: http://bit.ly/1yyo1P2  Representatives of the Offices of Chief Scientific Advisers, large membership organisations, and the fields of nuclear energy, genetically modified organisms … Read More