The Centre for Science and Policy research questions programme (ReQuest)

Overview

The CSaP Science and Policy Studies Centre Interest Group has launched a programme to identify key questions concerning the relationship between science and policy. Both terms are defined broadly: 'science' includes the natural and social sciences and engineering; 'policy' means developments in the policies programmes and actions of governments and other organisations in both the short and longer term.

The Centre is seeking to include questions about the science-policy relationship as observed and conceptualised as well as more normative questions about 'how it ought to be'. The only condition is that questions should be capable at least in principle of being answered.

The process

Developed by Williams Sutherland and other colleagues, the process has been used successfully to identify key questions in ecology. The process involves:

• A call for questions (closing date 7 March 2011)
• A voting exercise to identify the questions worthy of discussion
• A one-day workshop to agree a final selection (7 April 2011)

The final list of questions will help establish a major research agenda in this increasingly important field.

How to apply

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CALL FOR QUESTIONS HAS NOW CLOSED.

More information on the project can be found here: http://www.csap.cam.ac.uk/projects/science-and-policy-key-research-questions/

Sponsors

The CSaP would like to acknowledge and thank the following organisations for their generous support of this Programme:

• NICE
• The Society of Biology