Opinion: Science should be at the centre of all policy making

Science has played a key role in policymaking during the pandemic and must continue to be central if we are to make breakthroughs in global issues, says Professor Ruth Morgan (UCL Security & Crime Science). The rate of ice melt, the impact of a global pandemic, the capabilities of artificial intelligence, and the impact of fake news. These are all big challenges where science informs us and pioneers the tools we need to unlock the next steps in tackling them. Yet in an age where science has never been more advanced, and where our capabilities to collect and analyse data are unsurpassed, we are still having to contend with some of the biggest threats we've ever faced. The role of science has traditionally been reserved for enabling developments. Think about getting humans to the Moon, how we've transformed medicine and surgical procedures, or created new ways of communicating and keeping our societies secure; or simply how we've come to understand the workings of our planet. But science will need to become more than this if we are to make the breakthroughs in the global issues we currently face.