INGSA Horizons International Network for Governmental Science Advice - INGSA

INGSA Horizon Podcast - In-depth conversations with the leading global experts at the science/society/policy interface.
In the final months of his tenure as the UK Government's Chief Scientific Advisor, Sir Patrick Vallance sat down with Dr Mona Nemer, Canada's Chief Science Advisor, to discuss the challenges they've faced, the opportunities they see, and the future for science advice.
Both were in the middle of their tenures when COVID erupted and they found themselves at the very centre of the national and international response. What was it like to be a country's highest ranking science adviser, when unprecedented interest, scrutiny, and animosity was directed at scientists trying to do their jobs?
This is a candid and engaging discussion from two of the world's most experience science advice practitioners.
For more, follow @INGSciAdvice on Twitter or check out #INGSAHorizon​​​
Join the INGSA network for free at: https://www.ingsa.org/join/

INGSA Horizon Series - In-depth conversations with the leading global experts at the science/society/policy interface.
Prof John Lavis is the Co-Lead of the Global Commission on Evidence to Address Societal Challenges.
Dr Soledad Quiroz-Valenzuela is an INGSA Vice-President and one of the Commissions that was charged with investigating opportunities to arm the world's policy-makers with the world's best evidence.
The Global Commission on Evidence has now updated its 2023 report that was available in seven languages (https://www.mcmasterforum.org/networks/evidence-commission) encompassing 24 recommendations for how the world can improve its culture and practice of evidence-informed policymaking.
Convened by Laura dos Santos Boeira from Instituto Veredas, the INGSA Horizon Series sits down with Prof Lavis and Dr Quiroz to discuss the future of science advice for the great societal challenges we face.
For more, follow @INGSciAdvice on Twitter or check out #INGSAHorizon​​​
Join the INGSA network for free at: https://www.ingsa.org/join/

Bonus Episode: INGSA Horizons brings you a recent discussion from our sister podcast - Science for Policy - as they chat with INGSA's President, Prof Remi Quirion.

Cities are increasingly the key implementer of international, national, and local policy. They are where policy and theory intersect directly with people’s lives. What are the challenges encountered, and the practical solutions deployed, at the ‘pointy end’ of the Sustainable Development Goals?

Social science and the humanities is often forgotten or sidelined when policymakers seek advice. Yet these are a valuable resource in not only understanding the 'what' but also the 'why' and 'how' of a given policy response - particularly when it comes to global-level challenges, such as the SDGs or climate change.

Science does not exist in a vacuum - how science is seen, how its conclusions are perceived, and how readily it is utilised by policymakers, exists in a complex dynamic with the culture, values and collective emotions of the public. Science Advice cannot divorce itself from this fact, and must consider how to make space for values in the work it does.

Politics and policymaking draw on diverse inputs, and scientific evidence is only one of these input streams. Culture, values, and even collective public emotions inform the choices that political leaders make.