News

Science and Policy Key Research Questions Programme

1 October 2010

Share

We are delighted to announce the launch of an ambitious and exciting new programme in science and policy research. The programme will follow a process developed by Professor William Sutherland and colleagues, which has been used successfully to identify key questions in Conservation Biology.


It is widely accepted that the relationship between science and policy is of critical importance and that there are major unresolved issues; to help set the research agenda the CSaP Science and Policy Studies Group is running a programme to identify the key research questions. Professor Susan Owens Dr Rob Doubleday Professor Keith Richards and Professor William Sutherland this week invited a wide range of individuals and organisations to participate.

The group said: "We are 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 addressed through research." The programme will follow a process developed by Professor William Sutherland and colleagues which has been used successfully to identify key questions in another field (see here). It will include a call for questions (closing date 10 December 2010); a voting exercise to identify the questions most worthy of discussion (closing date 14 February 2011); and a two-day symposium to agree a final selection (5-7 April 2011).

Banner image: Union Terminal Window Abstract by Thomas Gehrke