Strengthening Evidence-Based Science and Technology Policy-Advisory Capacity

Science advice can have a profound impact on decision-making that can in turn improve people's lives.  Science, engineering, and medical academies—and the communities they represent—can be trusted sources of independent advice to government decision-makers on scientific and technological matters. 

The US government, for example, often turns to the National Academies for independent advice.  In response, the National Academies mobilize experts who provide analysis of the science and technology underpinning policy decisions and recommendations for action.  The impacts of the national Academies' policy-advisory work have been far-recaching and include influencing legislation, influencing local or national policies and regulations, establishing or reogranizing goernment programs or guiding new research directions, and providing widely used reference material. 

The National Academies have assisted other countries in strengthening the capability of their own scientific, engineering, and medical communities to provide independent, evidence-based policy advice to their governments and nations.  The National Academies also provide training opportunities for students interested in science policy and the policy-advisory process.  Examples of those activities are listed below:

African Science Academy Development
The US National Academies recently initiated a program to assist African academies in strengthening their capability to provide scientifically grounded guidance to policy-makers and the public. The 10-year initiative (2004–2014), funded by a generous grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will focus on health-related issues. Learn more about the program.

Strengthening Science-Based Decision Making
The National Academies lead a series of “science in decision-making” workshops in developing countries that provide an opportunity for scientists and policy-makers to discuss practical applications of science in decision-making. The first workshop, concerning sustainable management of groundwater, was held in February 2004 in Mérida, Mexico. The second workshop, on reducing risks posed by persistent organic pollutants, was held in June 2004 in Beijing, China. Learn more about the program.

Cooperation in the Energy Futures of China and the United States
The United States and China share a challenge of providing adequate and reliable energy in the near and long terms while minimizing adverse health, economic, and environmental impacts associated with energy production and use. A study conducted with the Chinese Academy of Science and the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 2000 identified challenges and opportunities in which collaboration in the development and deployment of energy technologies can contribute to meeting the needs of both countries. The study process facilitated cooperation among the Chinese academies and strengthened their role in advising the Chinese government on science and technology policy. Read the report.

Building Ocean-Science Partnerships: The United States and Mexico Working Together
The National Academies' Ocean Studies Board worked with the Mexican Academy of Sciences to form a Joint Working Group on Ocean Sciences that included scientists from both nations with representation of all the major ocean-science disciplines. The Joint Working Group identified important scientific issues that could form the basis of binational research projects. Its report, published in English and Spanish in 1999, describes how cooperative programs could be built through enhancement of opportunities for education and training, shared scientific infrastructure, regional ocean-observing systems, joint planning of science events and publications, and development of binational funding sources. Read the report.

Water for the Future: The West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israel, and Jordan
The Royal Scientific Society of Jordan, the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, and the Palestine Academy for Science and Technology cooperated in a joint study, led by the US National Academy of Sciences of opportunities for enhancement of water supplies and avoidance of overexploitation of water resources in the Middle East. The 1999 study has led to a greater role for the Palestine Academy for Science and Technology and enabled discussion and critical analysis of shared regional challenges to sustainability. Read the report.

Training Early-Career Professionals in the Science and Technology Policy-Advisory Process
The National Academies Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship is a career-development program that engages students and early-career professionals in the science policy-advisory process. Non-US students studying at US institutions are eligible and encouraged to apply. More than 25 non-US students from countries as varied as Colombia, Ghana, and Romania have participated in fellowships. Learn more about the fellowship program.

Strengthening Science and Technology Research Capacity

Developing countries need science and technology research capacity both to address local concerns and to promote economic growth. Given the constraints of national budgets in many developing countries, public investment in local research capacity generally does not have high priority, and industrial research and development expenditures are low. The National Academies have a strong commitment to developing research capacity, promoting excellence in research, and facilitating international research collaboration.

Strengthening the Quality of International Collaborative Research
The National Academies provide assistance to the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in administering the peer review of research proposals and monitoring grants for two international collaborative research programs:  the US–Israel Cooperative Development Research Program and the Middle East Regional Cooperation Program.  Those programs provide an opportunity for researchers in the Middle East and developing nations to collaborate with counterparts in Israel and the United States.  They help to build research capacity by exposing researchers to competitive, merit-based funding approaches, by training scientists and students, and by providing materials and equipment to support research.  Growing numbers of peer-reviewed publications by and degrees awarded to participants and research activities that continue after the completion of the grant-funded research are among the beneficial effects of the program.  Learn about the programs.

Providing Career Opportunities in Research
The National Academies administer research grants, fellowships, associateships, and exchanges in science, engineering, and medicine, several of which support collaboration among US and international scientists. Information on eligibility and application deadlines is available on each program’s Web site. The most recent addition is the Vietnam Education Foundation, which provides opportunities for Vietnamese nationals to pursue graduate and postgraduate studies in science and technology in the United States and for American citizens to teach in science and technology fields in Vietnam. Learn about research opportunities.

Expanding Opportunities for International Collaborative Research
As part of the International Council for Science (ICSU), the National Academies support scientific research through two initiatives. The ICSU Grants Program supports collaborative research projects, and the Visiting Scientist Program provides travel support for short-term visits by senior scientists to institutions in developing countries.  Learn about ICSU grants programs.

Strengthening the Next Generation of Research Leaders
The National Academies Frontiers of Science and Frontiers of Engineering annual symposiums bring together some of the very best young scientists—the next generation of scientific leaders— from a wide variety of disciplines to discuss exciting advances and opportunities in their fields. Joint Frontiers programs are under way with Germany, China, Japan, and the Middle East, and future efforts are planned for India and the United Kingdom.

Strengthening Education Capacity

The National Academies work to promote better education worldwide through a variety of activities, including education research, curriculum development, international collaboration, strategic-planning workshops, and resource-sharing.

Improving Education Through Research
The National Academies strive to improve education, particularly mathematics and science education, for people of all ages through better educational standards, teaching methods, education technology, and education research. The Academies maintain a library of education studies that address how people learn—from kindergarten to graduate school and beyond.  Learn about the Center for Education.

Improving the Teaching of Science
The National Science Resources Center (NSRC) is operated by the National Academies and the Smithsonian Institution to improve the teaching of science with inquiry-centered approaches.  The NSRC collects and disseminates information about exemplary teaching resources, develops and distributes curriculum materials, and sponsors outreach activities to help school districts to develop and sustain hands-on science programs.  NSRC’s approaches are now used in about 20% of the school districts in the United States and have been piloted internationally in Sweden, Mexico, Canada, and Chile. Research and evaluation indicate that inquiry-centered approaches to science education enhance student achievement.

The NSRC has provided leadership in international discussions of science education. In June 2003, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, in cooperation with the NSRC, organized the conference Science and Mathematics Education in the 21st Century in Alexandria, Egypt, to discuss the experiences of science-education development programs worldwide. The NSRC also provided leadership at the Asian Regional Seminar on Science Education in New Delhi, India, in October 2002; the Second Monterrey International Conference on K-12 Science Education in Monterrey, Mexico, in May 2003; and a symposium on science education at the first meeting of the InterAmerican Network of Science Academies in Santiago, Chile, in May 2004. Learn more about NSRC.

Improving Education Through Sharing Resources, Information, and Best Practice
The National Academies support efforts in international science education through involvement in the International Council for Science and the InterAcademy Panel on International Issues. Together those organizations have created Teaching Science, a project whose goal is to bring high-quality science-education resources to a variety of stakeholders.  Learn more about the Teaching Science program.

Global Partnerships in Support of Science and Technology Capacity Development

The National Academies partner with and provide leadership to other organizations concerned with science and technology capacity-building on a global scale. The National Academies also provide policy guidance to US government institutions engaged in capacity development through foreign-policy and development-assistance programs.

Strengthening US Government Efforts in Capacity-Building

Science and Technology in International Development
At the request of USAID, the National Academies are conducting a study on the use of science and technology in international development. The report, to be published in 2005, will assess the capabilities of USAID to draw on the science and technology resources of the nation in designing and carrying out development-assistance programs and in building capacity in developing countries. It will also recommend steps that USAID should consider in enhancing its capabilities.  Learn more about the project.

Science and Technology in Foreign Policy
The Pervasive Role of Science, Technology and Health in Foreign Policy: Imperatives for the Department of State (1999) studied the contributions of science, technology, and health (STH) expertise and activities in the formulation and implementation of foreign policy by the US Department of State. The report’s recommendations focus on leadership in addressing STH issues, personnel policies, and practices as they affect STH competence, the STH capabilities of relevant units, and interactions of the department with other departments and agencies involved in STH activities. Read the report.

International Partners in Capacity-Building

InterAcademy Panel on International Issues (IAP)
The IAP is a global network of more than 90 science academies designed to help its members to develop the tools needed for science-based input to policy processes nationally, regionally, and globally. The National Academies have worked closely with the IAP to help young academies, particularly those in developing countries, to strengthen their role in providing independent advice to governments on issues of national and global concern.The program has led to the creation of regional networks of science academies in Africa, in the Americas, and among member states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Visit the IAP homepage.

InterAcademy Council (IAC)
The IAC was created by the IAP to mobilize the best scientists and engineers worldwide to provide high quality advice to international bodies—such as the United Nations and the World Bank—and other institutions. In January 2004, the IAC published a landmark report on science and technology capacity-building in developing countries: Inventing a Better Future: A Strategy for Building Worldwide Capacities in Science and Technology. The report provides strategic direction and concrete recommendations for building science and technology capacity around the world, particularly in developing countries. Visit the IAC homepage.

International Council for Science (ICSU)
ICSU is a nongovernment scientific organization established to address major international interdisciplinary issues. The National Academies serve as the US National Committee for ICSU and its member unions, associates, and committees. Many ICSU programs have contributed to building capacities of developing countries. An independent panel has been established to carry out an assessment to help in defining ICSU’s role and future strategy in capacity-building, with a focus on the needs of developing countries. Visit the ICSU home page.

InterAcademy Medical Panel (IAMP)
The IAMP is a voluntary association of the world''''s medical academies or medical divisions of science academies that is committed to improving health around the world. Its work includes collaboration to strengthen the role of all academies alleviating poverty, to build scientific capacity for health, and to provide independent scientific advice on promoting health-science and health-care policy to national governments and global organizations. Visit the IAMP home page.

The International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences (CAETS)
CAETS is an independent nonpolitical, nongovernment international organization of engineering and technological sciences academies. Some of its goals are to give advice on technical and policy issues, to promote sustainable economic growth and social welfare through engineering and technological activities, to encourage improvement of engineering education and practice internationally, and to foster establishment of engineering academies in countries where none exist.  Visit the CAETS home page.