Why Transformative Change Remains Elusive

News & Academies' activities

The Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) was the place to be at the start of this week as it hosted the Scientific Advice Mechanism conference "Building Bridges: Shaping Europe's Science-for-policy Landscape" (26-27 May).

Several sessions explored not only how to connect the scientific and political communities better and overcome institutional inertia, but also how to regain public trust. During a fishbowl session hosted by EASAC and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences and the Arts with MEP Bas Eickhout and Prof. Louise E.M. Vet over 70 participants discussed "Why transformative change remains elusive", and how the science-for-policy community can help move the political agenda forward.

Our main take-aways:

To influence EU policies, we must put more effort into understanding political thinking, cycles, agendas, and needs, and adjust formats and language of our publications.
Scientific complexity has its beauty, but so has simplicity: Policymakers are looking for clear, actionable recommendations that consider the political priorities of the moment.
Crowd intelligence can be a great asset in creating better products and improve acceptance, which is a good reason to make science advice more inclusive and co-creative.