International Network for Governmental Science Advice

International Network for Governmental Science Advice
Name	International Network for Governmental Science Advice
Abbreviation	INGSA
Formation	2014
Type	Non-governmental organization
Headquarters	Canberra
Region served	Global

International Network for Governmental Science Advice

The International Network for Governmental Science Advice is a global forum connecting United Nations agencies, national advisory bodies such as the Royal Society and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and multilateral initiatives like the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to improve the use of scientific evidence in public decision-making. Founded with links to actors including the InterAcademy Partnership, the Wellcome Trust, and the World Health Organization, the network fosters dialogue among advisors from countries such as Australia, United Kingdom, United States, India, and Brazil. Through conferences, training, and policy briefs, it engages with institutions ranging from the European Commission to the African Union and collaborates with research funders like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the European Research Council.

History and formation

The network originated from dialogues among leaders of the Royal Society, the National Academy of Sciences (United States), the Australian Academy of Science and the InterAcademy Council following high-profile episodes involving scientific advice in settings such as the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster and the 2014-2016 West African Ebola epidemic. Initial convenings brought together representatives from the World Bank, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and the Global Young Academy to design a peer network modeled on initiatives like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Millennium Project. Early funders included philanthropic organizations such as the Wellcome Trust and national bodies including the National Science Foundation (United States). The formal launch coincided with international meetings hosted by the Australian Government and linked to agendas pursued at summits like the G20 and the United Nations General Assembly.

Structure and governance

Governance draws on examples from the International Council for Science and the InterAcademy Partnership, employing a secretariat hosted by academic institutions and featuring a rotating steering committee with representatives from regional organizations such as the African Academy of Sciences, the European Academies Science Advisory Council, and the Pan American Health Organization. Advisory panels include senior figures from the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and the International Labour Organization, and policy oversight aligns with norms established by bodies like the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Funding and partnerships are managed through memoranda with entities including the Global Challenges Research Fund and national ministries such as the Department of Industry, Science and Resources (Australia). The governance model aims to balance inputs from professional academies like the Royal Society and national science advisors in cabinets associated with administrations in capitals such as Canberra, London, and Washington, D.C..

Activities and programs

Programs mirror capacity-building initiatives run by the InterAcademy Partnership and training schemes similar to the Newton Fund. Activities include workshops for ministers' science advisers, summer schools for early-career advisers modeled on the Global Young Academy programs, and thematic fora addressing crises like pandemics referenced by the World Health Organization and climate responses linked to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The network produces guidance documents and toolkits for liaison offices in ministries and for parliamentary science committees such as those in the United Kingdom House of Commons and the United States Congress. It convenes conferences attended by delegations from the European Commission, the African Union Commission, and bilateral partners like the Japan Science and Technology Agency and the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt. Collaborative research projects have been run with universities such as University of Oxford, Harvard University, and University of Tokyo and with funders like the Wellcome Trust.

Membership and participating entities

Members encompass national science advisory offices in countries including Canada, France, Germany, South Africa, Mexico, and China as well as supranational organizations such as the European Commission and the United Nations Environment Programme. Affiliated partners include learned societies like the Royal Society of Canada, the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, and the Indian National Science Academy. Collaborative membership profiles feature international research councils such as the European Research Council and foundations like the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Non-state actors engaged in the network range from the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization to policy institutes such as the Brookings Institution and the Chatham House.

Impact and influence on policy

The network has contributed to strengthening national advisory arrangements in jurisdictions influenced by reforms inspired by models from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Norway, advising on protocols used during emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic and environmental crises addressed at meetings of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC. Its convening role has supported cross-national learning between advisory offices that informed legislation debated in parliaments such as the European Parliament and the Canadian House of Commons. By facilitating exchanges among offices in capitals including Pretoria, New Delhi, and Canberra, and by producing syntheses used by agencies like the World Health Organization, the network has influenced practice in areas covered by international agreements such as the Paris Agreement and public health frameworks negotiated at the World Health Assembly.

Criticism and challenges

Critiques echo concerns raised about other transnational science-policy interfaces like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the World Health Organization regarding issues of representativeness, transparency, and equity between high-income funders — including the Wellcome Trust and national research councils such as the National Science Foundation — and lower-income members represented by the African Academy of Sciences and the Latin American Academy of Sciences. Tensions have arisen over language access, north–south power asymmetries exemplified in debates seen at the G7 and G20 fora, and the risk of instrumentalization highlighted in controversies involving advisory arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Operational challenges include sustainable financing, coordination with entities like the United Nations system, and aligning standards across diverse legal regimes from European Union directives to national statutes in Brazil and India.

Category:Science policy organizations