Science policy USA: Scientific collections
The White House Office of Science & Technology Policy recently issued a new policy on the management of scientific collections, accompanied by a White House blog.
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Biodiversity Policy UK and EU: Invasive alien species
The UK parliament's Environmental Audit Committee produced a report on 16 April 2014 on Invasive Non-Native Species - it's a fair overview of the current situation in the UK and was prompted by the drafting and development of EU regulation on invasive alien species. The EU measures are still in process and include the use of lists of invasive organisms that are common priorities across the EU.
update June 2014: the Government response to the EAC report has been published also.
Biodiversity Policy EU: European Council approves regulation on Access and Benefit Sharing of Genetic Resources
On 14 April 2014 the European Council approved a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on compliance measures for users from the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization in the Union (PE-COS 131/13).
This is the final step for regulation on ABS on an EU level: member countries will now bring in measures to implement on a domestic level to fulfill obligations under the Nagoya Protocol to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. The regulation discusses and interprets the Nagoya protocol but develops particular measures of interest to collections-holding institutions:
- a voluntary register of collections will be established with the intention of reducing risk of accessing non-compliant genetic resources: the standards associated with registration will mean that users can state that they have exercised due diligence with respect to information on origins, consent and terms of access.
- provision for recognition of best practice in the form of procedures, tools and mechanisms, developed by associations of users or others. The intention of this is that adherence to recognised best practice will enable compliance with key requirements of the regulation. Not stated in the regulation, but forming part of the discussion between various interest groups, is the intended benefit of maintaining international confidence on compliance and so facilitating continuing international scientific collaboration on collections materials.
Climate Science: IPCC 5th Assessment reports
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued three Working Group Reports for its Fifth assessment
- The Physical Science Basis
- Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability (in two volumes)
- Mitigation of Climate Change
A synthesis report is expected following a meeting of IPCC in Autumn 2014.
Science policy: natural history in science and society
An interesting paper on the decline of scientific natural history in developed countries:
and an editorial in response from Nature:
Editorial (2014) Natural Decline. Nature 508, 7–8 (03 April 2014) doi:10.1038/508007b
The project that gave rise to the Tewksbury paper has a website:
Climate Science UK: Communicating climate science
The House of Commons Science and Technology committee published Communicating Climate Science (with additional evidence) on 2 April 2014, the report of an inquiry that looked at channels, messages, impact and responsibilities in the UK. Criticism of the BBC, government and scientific agencies and organisations such as the Met Office and Royal society - a need for clearer messages on the science; clearer distinction of science and policy; more effective use by science organisations of media channels; and much better messages and coordination across government.
Update June 2014: Government response published
Foreign policy UK: Soft Power report
The UK House of Lords has published a report on its inquiry Soft Power and the UK’s Influence. A primary focus on public diplomacy, including the activities of science, education, museums and others in the context of diplomacy. Makes a substantial list of recommendations to the UK government.
Science Policy UK: Women in Scientific Careers inquiry reports
The UK parliament's House of Commons Science and Technology Committee has published the report of its inquiry on Women in Scientific Careers. Key points:
- Despite imperatives and attempts to improve the under-representation of women, only 17 per cent of STEM professors are women.
- The UK economy needs more STEM workers and cannot meet the demand without increasing the numbers of women in STEM.
- The lack of gender diversity in STEM is the result of perceptions and biases combined with the impracticalities of combining a career with family.
- Diversity and equality training should be provided to all STEM undergraduate and postgraduate students. It should also be mandatory for all members of recruitment and promotion panels and line managers.
- Early career short term contracts are a barrier to job security and continuity of employment rights. This career stage coincides with many women considering starting families - they are more likely than men to end their STEM career at this stage.
- Government should work with the higher education sector to review the academic career structure and increase the number of longer-term positions for post-doctoral researchers.
Science Policy UK: scientific infrastructure inquiry
The UK parliament’s House of Lords Science and Technology held an inquiry in 2013 on Scientific Infrastructure. Their report was positive, but argued that the UK lacked a long-term strategy and investment plan for scientific infrastructure; and failed to provide adequately for operational costs at facilities.
The report also recommended a more active role for the UK in developing EU infrastructures. There were concerns that the benefits of Public Sector Research Establishments (PSREs) in providing national capabilities and acting as custodians of data, expertise and facilities, was being eroded by an over-emphasis on profit margins and uncertainty over long term funding.
The UK government has now responded and has announced a consultation on long term science and research capital and an advisory group that will inform a roadmap on long term science capital – this is seen as a central element of a Science and Innovation Strategy to be published in Autumn 2014. The UK Research Councils also provided a short response.
Science Policy: international comparisons of Science, technology and Industry
The UK Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has published Science and Innovation: international benchmarking, showing the UK in an international context with a few other countries. Shows areas of strength and weakness for the UK, with a strong message of the importance of sustained national investment in R&D, where the UK is falling behind similar countries.
In a broader international context, it's interesting to read the biennial OECD Science, Technology and Industry Scoreboard 2013: Innovation for Growth which gives detailed international comparisons within OECD and for a range of other countries. This is published in alternate years to an outlook statistical report, the latest being the OECD Science, Technology and Industry Outlook 2012.
UK statistics on Science, Engineering and Technology are published annually, with the most recent for 2013. A useful overview since 1995 was produced in 2013 by the National Audit Office for the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee to inform its 2013 inquiry on Research and Development Funding for Science and Technology in the UK.