Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SAPEA (Science Advice for Policy by European Academies)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2022-05-01 do 2023-10-31
The Scientific Advice Mechanism provides independent scientific evidence and policy recommendations to the European institutions by request of the College of Commissioners.
It consists of three parts:
• the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors, seven eminent scientists whose role is to make policy recommendations
• the SAM secretariat, a unit within the European Commission, and
• SAPEA (Science Advice for Policy by European Academies), a consortium of Europe’s Academy Networks, whose role is to review and synthesise evidence.
SAPEA is funded by the EU through Horizon Europe. SAPEA comprises five European Academy Networks: Academia Europaea, ALLEA, Euro-CASE, FEAM and YASAS. It contributes to widening participation by mobilising its network of some 110 science academies from more than 40 countries across Europe, each with hundreds of Fellows.
SAPEA assembles interdisciplinary working groups of scientific experts who work out Evidence Review Reports which inform the related Scientific Opinion of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors. Experts contribute on a voluntary basis. The process is supported by Systematic Literature Reviews.
SAPEA follows a Strategy of Diversity and Inclusiveness which ensures that each working group has the full range of interdisciplinary expertise necessary to cover the scope of the topic, wide geographical coverage, including Widening Countries, together with gender diversity, an open and inclusive approach to involve experts who are not Academy Fellows as well as early and mid-career researchers.
The work is guided by principles and procedures set out in the SAPEA Quality Assurance Guidelines.
Main pathways to Impact: The SAPEA Evidence Review Reports will enhance the capacity for sound evidence-informed policy-making by a) informing the Scientific Opinions of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors, b) maximising policy uptake of the science advice provided by the Scientific Advice Mechanism by the EC and other policy-makers, and c) involving a large number of experts in its activities who may make use of their experience gained to strengthen the science for policy eco-system, for example, also at a national level.
Furthermore, via a series of events, social media and further communications activities to disseminate the project’s results and the work of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors, SAPEA undertakes an inclusive dialogue about major societal challenges while engaging with the EC, other policy-makers, academies, individual experts, the scientific community, other stakeholders, and the wider public. These activities also contribute to increasing awareness of the significance of science advice for policy in general and to improving transparency of the EU policy-making process.
Scale and significance: Since the EC’s Scientific Advice Mechanism is designed to provide science advice at the request of the EC, a high policy uptake in EC’s initiatives and legislation and a high impact on society is expected.
It consists of three parts:
• the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors, seven eminent scientists whose role is to make policy recommendations
• the SAM secretariat, a unit within the European Commission, and
• SAPEA (Science Advice for Policy by European Academies), a consortium of Europe’s Academy Networks, whose role is to review and synthesise evidence.
SAPEA is funded by the EU through Horizon Europe. SAPEA comprises five European Academy Networks: Academia Europaea, ALLEA, Euro-CASE, FEAM and YASAS. It contributes to widening participation by mobilising its network of some 110 science academies from more than 40 countries across Europe, each with hundreds of Fellows.
SAPEA assembles interdisciplinary working groups of scientific experts who work out Evidence Review Reports which inform the related Scientific Opinion of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors. Experts contribute on a voluntary basis. The process is supported by Systematic Literature Reviews.
SAPEA follows a Strategy of Diversity and Inclusiveness which ensures that each working group has the full range of interdisciplinary expertise necessary to cover the scope of the topic, wide geographical coverage, including Widening Countries, together with gender diversity, an open and inclusive approach to involve experts who are not Academy Fellows as well as early and mid-career researchers.
The work is guided by principles and procedures set out in the SAPEA Quality Assurance Guidelines.
Main pathways to Impact: The SAPEA Evidence Review Reports will enhance the capacity for sound evidence-informed policy-making by a) informing the Scientific Opinions of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors, b) maximising policy uptake of the science advice provided by the Scientific Advice Mechanism by the EC and other policy-makers, and c) involving a large number of experts in its activities who may make use of their experience gained to strengthen the science for policy eco-system, for example, also at a national level.
Furthermore, via a series of events, social media and further communications activities to disseminate the project’s results and the work of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors, SAPEA undertakes an inclusive dialogue about major societal challenges while engaging with the EC, other policy-makers, academies, individual experts, the scientific community, other stakeholders, and the wider public. These activities also contribute to increasing awareness of the significance of science advice for policy in general and to improving transparency of the EU policy-making process.
Scale and significance: Since the EC’s Scientific Advice Mechanism is designed to provide science advice at the request of the EC, a high policy uptake in EC’s initiatives and legislation and a high impact on society is expected.
SAPEA has published on request of the European Commission since May 2022 two Evidence Review Reports:
1. ´Strategic crisis management in the EU´, in reply to the question ‘Based on a broad and multidisciplinary understanding, how can the EU improve its strategic crisis management?’ The report was published in November 2022, alongside the Scientific Opinion of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors.
2. ‘Sustainable food consumption’, in reply to the question ‘What tools could be used at EU level, in addition to those mentioned in the 2020 Farm-to-Fork Strategy, to overcome the barriers preventing consumers [from adopting] sustainable and healthy diets, fostering the necessary change towards sustainability in the food environment? The Group’s advice should be based on an analysis that identifies the elements refraining consumers from making healthy and sustainable choices’. The report was published in June 2023, alongside the Scientific Opinion of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors.
Currently SAPEA is working on the following scientific topics:
1. ‘Successful and timely Uptake of AI in Science in the EU’, in reply to the question: ‘How can the European Commission accelerate a responsible uptake of AI in science (including providing access to high quality AI, respecting European Values) in order to boost the EU’s innovation and prosperity, strengthen EU’s position in science and ultimately contribute to solving Europe’s societal challenges? The report will be published in Spring 2024.
2. ‘Solar Radiation Modification’, in reply to the question ‘How to address the risks and opportunities associated with research on Solar Radiation Modification and with its potential deployment? What are the options for a governance system for research and potential deployment taking into account different SRM technologies and their scale?’ The report will be published in Autumn 2024.
3. ‘Cross Sectoral Evidence-Based Governance for One Health in the EU’ in reply to the questions: ‘a) What governance models have been successful in applying One Health? b) What interdisciplinary arrangements have proven to be effective and what criteria have been proposed to measure progress towards One Health?, and c) What are good examples of successful One Health integration of environmental, urban planning, climate change adaptation and mitigation?’.
The report will be published in autumn 2024.
All SAPEA reports are freely available under the principles of open access and open science, and the contents are communicated widely.
1. ´Strategic crisis management in the EU´, in reply to the question ‘Based on a broad and multidisciplinary understanding, how can the EU improve its strategic crisis management?’ The report was published in November 2022, alongside the Scientific Opinion of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors.
2. ‘Sustainable food consumption’, in reply to the question ‘What tools could be used at EU level, in addition to those mentioned in the 2020 Farm-to-Fork Strategy, to overcome the barriers preventing consumers [from adopting] sustainable and healthy diets, fostering the necessary change towards sustainability in the food environment? The Group’s advice should be based on an analysis that identifies the elements refraining consumers from making healthy and sustainable choices’. The report was published in June 2023, alongside the Scientific Opinion of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors.
Currently SAPEA is working on the following scientific topics:
1. ‘Successful and timely Uptake of AI in Science in the EU’, in reply to the question: ‘How can the European Commission accelerate a responsible uptake of AI in science (including providing access to high quality AI, respecting European Values) in order to boost the EU’s innovation and prosperity, strengthen EU’s position in science and ultimately contribute to solving Europe’s societal challenges? The report will be published in Spring 2024.
2. ‘Solar Radiation Modification’, in reply to the question ‘How to address the risks and opportunities associated with research on Solar Radiation Modification and with its potential deployment? What are the options for a governance system for research and potential deployment taking into account different SRM technologies and their scale?’ The report will be published in Autumn 2024.
3. ‘Cross Sectoral Evidence-Based Governance for One Health in the EU’ in reply to the questions: ‘a) What governance models have been successful in applying One Health? b) What interdisciplinary arrangements have proven to be effective and what criteria have been proposed to measure progress towards One Health?, and c) What are good examples of successful One Health integration of environmental, urban planning, climate change adaptation and mitigation?’.
The report will be published in autumn 2024.
All SAPEA reports are freely available under the principles of open access and open science, and the contents are communicated widely.
The impact of the advice provided by the Scientific Advice Mechanism will be evaluated at a later stage.