Embed science in policy to tackle global issues, say WEF Young Scientists

Ruth Morgan - We can better tackle global crises, such as pandemics, by firmly embedding science in policymaking, says the World Economic Forum (WEF) Young Scientists, led by a UCL academic. Professor Ruth Morgan,  Director of the  UCL Centre for the Forensic Sciences , has led on an open letter from the group, published by Frontiers Policy Labs, calling for policymakers to embed science at an early stage to more efficiently tackle global issues such as those caused by climate change, inequality and pandemics. They say this approach would work better than bringing science in once the problem is critical, and suggest that regular interactions between scientists and policymakers could help to mitigate scenarios when they arise. The letter has been signed by 52 scholars from academic institutions around the world including Yale University, the University of Hong Kong and ETH Zurich. The signatories say that for science to become rooted in decision-making, a new culture of engagement between policymakers and scientists needs to be established. The call urges higher education institutions to do more to support researchers in policy engagement, allowing for a more meaningful and impactful dialogue between policymakers and scientists. Specifically, the Young Scientists are calling for 10% of scientists around the world (roughly one million) to dedicate two hours per week to policy engagement, creating 100 million hours over a year.