In this edition

To all INGSA Members and supporters,

Even with summer holidays approaching for those of you in the Northern Hemisphere, the activity across the network continues to be busy!

Thanks to all of you who have made comments on our draft strategic plan - these are being reviewed and a final version will be approved by the Governing Board before being posting on our website.

Our Chapters continue to lead the way on opportunities to engage with INGSA. I participated in research days of the Latin American and Southeast Asian chapters and will have the opportunities to meet leaders of all chapters before the end of the month.

Progress is also being made toward the development of INGSA's presence in Europe and North America with various planning sessions in Brussels, Geneva and Montreal. More to come on that front at the upcoming ESOF (Leiden) and CSPC (Ottawa) meetings.

Alongside this, I have begun a series (in total well over 30) of virtual meetings with heads of Academies, Royal Societies and funding organisations in order to explore possible collaborations on topics relevant to INGSA. For example, interesting exchanges with various academies, including the US National Academies of Sciences, regarding support for Ukrainian scientists and how INGSA could provide a leadership role. As I have said previously, science and science diplomacy open doors, while wars close them.

On the topic of creating new networks, the call for the creation of the ‘Réseau Francophone International en Conseil Scientifique’ is up on our site with a deadline for submission of August 30th. It is great to see lots of interest from many countries.

Finally, I'm looking forward to the upcoming ESOF meeting in July, STS in Kyoto, CSPC in Ottawa and WSF in Cape Town in December, to continue to link the global science advice discourse to the excellent work of our Chapters and members.

I look forward to meeting many of you in person at these various meetings.

Rémi Quirion

President of INGSA

New Era: New Name and New Logo!

GLOBAL: A lot has changed since INGSA was founded in 2014. The scope of evidence-to-policy practices and stakeholders is now far broader.

As such, we believe the term 'Governmental' - rather than 'Government' - better reflects the full breadth of the INGSA membership and their work. We encourage partners to update references to "International Network for Governmental Science Advice" wherever practical.

Likewise, The INGSA Compass is readily recognised among science advice practitioners, and continues to provide an apt metaphor for the role that rigorous evidence can play in policy and society. 

To reflect the new era of INGSA, we have refreshed the logo, according to the iconic colour palette of the Sustainable Development Goals. This change reflects INGSA's commitment to the aims of Agenda2030 and the critical role that science advice has in achieving the SDGs.

If you are a partner who has the logo on your website, please get in touch with the Secretariat for a new logo pack.

ANNOUNCING:

GLOBAL: To help create INGSA's Special Interest Division on 'Science Advice in the the Francophonie', the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) has announced support and launched a call for international partners to apply to develop and manage the new network.

Applicants need to be within a recognised institution of higher education in Quebec, but are expected to have co-applicants from other countries in the Francophonie. This is an exciting opportunity for partners to build a new global community of practice with a mandate to increase the capacity for scientific advice to governments throughout the French-speaking world!

The deadline for submitting an application: 30 August 2022, 4pm EST.

FRQ will support the new network for a period of five years.

See the detailed Call for Proposal for more information (French)

AFRICA: INGSA-Africa has opened nominations for its first science advice mentorship program - the Science Advice Skills Development Program (SASDP).

INGSA-Africa is looking for 20 mid-career researchers interested in learning more on science advice on the topic of Climate Change in Africa across issues of Health, Water, Energy, Food Security etc. Successful candidates will be matched up with local or international experts for a 3-month mentorship program.

Applications close soon - 15th July 2022 - so find out more and get your applications in now!

If you're someone with experience in science advice in Africa and would like to become a mentor for the program, please contact INGSA-Africa to register your interest

SOUTHEAST ASIA: On the 20th of June, the Southeast Asia Science Advice Network (SEA SAN) successfully held its first physical meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Themed “Bridging the Gap Between Science and Policy in Southeast Asia”, the meeting was attended by network members and key stakeholders, including Prof Zakri Abdul Hamid as Chair of the SEA SAN, and Dr Zurina Moktar, Head of the S&T Division at the ASEAN Secretariat.

The meeting was also officiated by the Honorable Dr Adham Baba, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) Malaysia, and featured a Keynote Speech by Professor Yongyuth Yuthavong, Former Deputy Prime Minister and Former Minister of Science and Technology of Thailand.

The high level of engagement of the members and stakeholders during the meeting was testament of the success of the SEA SAN in connecting the science and policy sectors, obtaining endorsement and buy-in from government ministries, and demonstrating the support and demand for stronger structures for science advice in the Southeast Asian region. Underlined by its credibility, salience and legitimacy, the network is currently exploring avenues to expand its potential to serve as an independent, regional advisory body or a centre for excellence for science advice and diplomacy to address local as well as shared regional and global issues.

Photos and videos from the meeting are available HERE

OPPORTUNITIES:

EUROPE and ONLINE: The complex contradictions between knowledge and uncertainty, evidence and ideology are increasingly in the public eye. Giving and taking science advice is a high stakes game in a world struggling with overlapping and polarising fault-lines on all sides.

ESOF 2022 (13-16 July) is Europe’s largest generalist scientific conference and this joint INGSA/Euroscience panel will bring together some of the world's leading science advice practitioners to map-out what these challenges and to propose reformed or new regional or global institutions that might be needed, where and why? 

Panelists include:

• Professor Pearl Dykstra - Chair in Empirical Sociology, Erasmus University (Moderator)
• Irena Bokova - Co-chair of the Global Commission on Science Missions for Sustainability for ISC; former Director-General of UNESCO 
• Paul Rübig - Member of European Economic & Social Committee, Former Member of the European Parliament
• Professor Rémi Quirion, Chief Scientist of Québec; & President of INGSA
• Professor Derrick Swartz, Special Adviser to the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of South Africa 

Check out the ESOF Programme and search for Session: SS2.23 Giving and Taking Scientific Advice: Mind the Gap. Register for the conference here

GLOBAL: On the 12-15th September, the World Forum for Women in Science will be held as a Virtual Conference, hosted by the Malaysian Academy of Science.

The Forum is open to researchers and stakeholders at all stages of career and from all over the world, including males.

The theme for this multidisciplinary forum will be “Building A Gender Inclusive Sustainable Future through Science, Technology and Innovation,” in support of the Global Agenda 2030.

Special offers and fees may be waived for distinguished young scientists specifically from low-income countries.

Submission of Abstracts closes: 20th of August 2022 

Register and more info: http://www.wiswb.upm.edu.my/

GLOBAL: Every year, under the vision of “Using the future to build the present”, the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipation Summit (GESDA Summit) brings together hundreds of high-level representatives to explore ways to make the most of the benefits of emerging science and technology while tackling the challenges that come with them.

From 12-14 October 2022, at Campus Biotech in Geneva, GESDA will showcase the cutting edge of science anticipation with their second edition of the Science Breakthrough Radar®. In addition, they will unveil their Solution Pathways.

The 2022 GESDA Summit programme enables participants to: engage with the political authorities in charge of multilateralism; exchange views in cross-cutting conversation with peers; jump into active workstreams and support inclusive science deliberation; convene and hear from the world’s leading experts; and share experiences onsite with robotics, neurotech, VR/AR, and interactive displays and sessions.

Open registration begins in early July. Please visit the 2022 GESDA Summit homepage to learn more about what’s on and when and how to participate. Please also have a look at the Proceedings of the 2021 GESDA Summit.

News From Across The Network:

LATIN AMERICA: On May 31st, INGSA's Latin American & Caribbean Chapter held its first annual meeting on "Governmental Science Advice: Where we are and where we are going".

The event brought together more than 20 experts in science advice and science diplomacy from 12 countries in the region, Canada and the UK, including the President of INGSA, Dr. Remi Quirion and the Vice-President for Policy, Dr Soledad Quiroz.

With more than 80 attendants, the meeting brought together scientists, policy makers, and members of civil society for a half-day of lectures and debates, based on experiences of science advice in the region.

The objective of the meeting was to promote instances of participation to identify the challenges in science advice and science diplomacy in several areas and sectors.

Find out more information and watch the sessions online: https://bit.ly/3mJ4EDp

SOUTHEAST ASIA: The INGSA-Asia Regional Chapter and the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) have completed the first regional workshop to investigate the factors associated with zoonotic spillover risk in the live animal supply chain in the Southeast Asian region.

The first workshop invited leaders, stakeholders, and policy makers in various fields across wildlife conservation, veterinary medicine, virology, microbiology, agriculture, and food safety, to provide perspectives on the challenges and strategies used to prevent zoonotic disease spillover in the region.

Read the Workshop #1 Executive Summary here.

The second of the four project workshops will take place from the 12th July. If you or your organisation work in research, regulation or policy development in the live animal supply chain in Southeast Asia or China, please contact Hazel Yean Ru Ann at the INGSA-Asia office.

New Reports and Resources:

GLOBAL: The recent joint paper from INGSA and the International Science Coucil (ISC) outlines some of the general background on science advice structures around the world and some of the considerations for parties wanting to be involved in these systems.

The paper provides an introductory discussion of possible training modules developed by INGSA to better prepare ISC members, and their own constituents, to get involved at the science-policy interface.

Read the report here.

GLOBAL: Evidence users (e.g. policymakers) and providers (e.g. researchers) are faced with an urgent need to increase the capacities for effective policymaking to rise to the global challenges and to reinforce trust in both democracy and science. This requires complementary cross-cutting competences for researchers and policymakers.

The JRC, in collaboration with other parts of the European Commission, has for the first time mapped these competences and unpacked them across four levels of proficiency in the ‘Innovative Policymaking’ (targeting policymakers) and ‘Science for Policy’ (targeting researchers) competence frameworks.

More information, including report, interactive visuals and podcast, available online.

GLOBAL: The ISC's new flagship report, Unprecedented & Unfinished: COVID-19 and Implications for National and Global Policy, presents lessons and recommendations to assist all governments in their responses to the pandemic beyond its initial crises, highlighting that decisions made over the coming months and years need to be informed not only by short-term priorities but also by long-term challenges.

With hundreds of interdisciplinary experts consulted, the report seeks to support the shift in thinking that is required to achieve a more comprehensive ‘worldview’ of pandemics and similar emergencies by presenting tools to map policy domains and scenarios, and to observe interactions over approximately a five-year timeline.

Find out more on https://council.science/covid-19-scenarios/

GLOBAL: Participants of the INGSA-Asia funded Grassroots workshop on ‘Participatory Science Advice for Policy Making’ have published a policy brief titled “Citizen Science as a Tool and Collaborative Approach to Address Air Pollution”.

The policy brief represents a valuable output of the two-day workshop which was held in India in December last year. The workshop was conducted by winners of the INGSA-Asia Grassroots Science Advice Promotion Awards 2021, Dr Jenice Goveas and Dr Moumita Koley, with guidance from INGSA-Asia Steering Committee Member, Dr. Anders Karlsson.

INGSA-Asia is proud to be a part of such impactful collaborations with scientists across the region that contribute towards the science-policy-society interface.

Find out about the workshop and read the policy brief on the DST- CPR website. 

The International Network for Government Science Advice is a New Zealand-based

International Organisation hosted at the University of Auckland.

INGSA operates under the auspices of the International Science Council (ISC). 

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