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| European commission unveils its A-team of science advisers | European commission unveils its A-team of science advisers |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| Carlos Moedas, Europe’s commissioner for research, science and innovation, will today draw a line under months of controversy over the role of scientific advice in Brussels policymaking. The announcement of seven experts who will form its new high level advisory group, together with a six million euro grant to Europe’s national academies, cements a new architecture for independent scientific advice within the European Commission. This will replace the post of chief scientific adviser, occupied by the Scottish microbiologist Anne Glover until it was axed in November 2014, provoking dismay from scientific organisations. | |
| Nominations for the high level expert group were invited from learned societies and research bodies across Europe. Over 150 names were received, and sifted by a three-person nomination committee, which included Sir David King, former UK chief scientific adviser, before a final round of interviews. Further advice was sought from science policy experts around the world, including Sir Peter Gluckman, chief science adviser to the Prime Minister of New Zealand and chair of the International Network for Government Science Advice. | Nominations for the high level expert group were invited from learned societies and research bodies across Europe. Over 150 names were received, and sifted by a three-person nomination committee, which included Sir David King, former UK chief scientific adviser, before a final round of interviews. Further advice was sought from science policy experts around the world, including Sir Peter Gluckman, chief science adviser to the Prime Minister of New Zealand and chair of the International Network for Government Science Advice. |
| The final line-up is impressive. While no group of seven experts could fully represent the diversity of science and scientists across twenty-eight EU member states, the Commission is to be applauded for assembling a balanced group in terms of gender, nationality and disciplinary expertise. And importantly, most have some experience of operating at the science-policy interface. | The final line-up is impressive. While no group of seven experts could fully represent the diversity of science and scientists across twenty-eight EU member states, the Commission is to be applauded for assembling a balanced group in terms of gender, nationality and disciplinary expertise. And importantly, most have some experience of operating at the science-policy interface. |
| The UK is represented on the group by Dame Julia Slingo, chief scientist at the Met Office since 2009, and a key player in debates over climate science and policy. Other members include: | The UK is represented on the group by Dame Julia Slingo, chief scientist at the Met Office since 2009, and a key player in debates over climate science and policy. Other members include: |
| One of the frustrations of Anne Glover’s tenure as chief scientific adviser was the lack of staff and resources that she had to deliver her broad mandate. This issue has been addressed in the new advisory mechanism, through the establishment of an enlarged secretariat of up to twenty staff in DG Research and Innovation, led by Johannes Klumpers, a smart, experienced and well-connected civil servant. Funding of up to six million euros, to be made available through Horizon 2020 for Europe’s national academies and learned societies, will enable them to feed in and enrich the work of the new group. | One of the frustrations of Anne Glover’s tenure as chief scientific adviser was the lack of staff and resources that she had to deliver her broad mandate. This issue has been addressed in the new advisory mechanism, through the establishment of an enlarged secretariat of up to twenty staff in DG Research and Innovation, led by Johannes Klumpers, a smart, experienced and well-connected civil servant. Funding of up to six million euros, to be made available through Horizon 2020 for Europe’s national academies and learned societies, will enable them to feed in and enrich the work of the new group. |
| Of course, some uncertainties remain to be resolved. How will the new group safeguard its independence and navigate the political sensitivities that will inevitably arise at the boundaries between science, technology, policy and society? How will it strike a balance between work on topics requested by Commissioners, and emerging - possibly controversial - issues which the group itself feels are important? And how will it facilitate and improve connections between the different parts of Europe’s ecosystem of evidence and expertise, which includes a plethora of bodies across the Commission, the Joint Research Centre, the European Parliament, regulators like the European Food Safety Authority, national academies, learned societies, and universities in all of the member states. | Of course, some uncertainties remain to be resolved. How will the new group safeguard its independence and navigate the political sensitivities that will inevitably arise at the boundaries between science, technology, policy and society? How will it strike a balance between work on topics requested by Commissioners, and emerging - possibly controversial - issues which the group itself feels are important? And how will it facilitate and improve connections between the different parts of Europe’s ecosystem of evidence and expertise, which includes a plethora of bodies across the Commission, the Joint Research Centre, the European Parliament, regulators like the European Food Safety Authority, national academies, learned societies, and universities in all of the member states. |
| An initial paper from the Commission on the high level group, published in October, suggests that serious thought is being given to these questions. Further detail will need to be worked out in practice, once the group starts to meet regularly from January 2016. But today’s announcement is a serious step in the right direction for robust, independent and interdisciplinary scientific advice at the heart of European decision making. | An initial paper from the Commission on the high level group, published in October, suggests that serious thought is being given to these questions. Further detail will need to be worked out in practice, once the group starts to meet regularly from January 2016. But today’s announcement is a serious step in the right direction for robust, independent and interdisciplinary scientific advice at the heart of European decision making. |
| James Wilsdon is professor of science and democracy in the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of Sussex (@jameswilsdon). | James Wilsdon is professor of science and democracy in the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of Sussex (@jameswilsdon). |