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Certificate Programme: ‘Participatory Science Advice for Policy Making’

The Department of Science and Technology’s Centre for Policy Research (DST-CPR) at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore in conjunction with the Science Policy Forum and Global Young Academy is organising a virtual two-day certificate program titled “Participatory Science Advice for Policy Making” funded under the INGSA-Asia Grassroots Science Advice Promotion Awards 2021. STEM Scientists and academicians from South Asia will learn about the role of Science Advice in national policymaking through the example of India’s new Science Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP).

Workshop description

The COVID-19 pandemic brought to the fore our dependence on scientific research and technological innovation to develop quick and effective solutions. The timely need for vaccines is reflected in other global issues which have ticking clocks. The call for climate action is another such example that this month’s COP26 shone a light on. While each global issue requires unique scientific and technological developments they are undoubtedly aided by a structured plan of action. This is where the need for a well-oiled evidence-driven science-policy mechanism backed by robust scientific advice steps in. 

A sustainable recovery path requires scientists to play a significant role in educating policymakers and the public. Only through evidence-based research and its communication can comprehensive and effective policies be formulated. Therefore, bridging the gap that exists between these two parties is essential.

  1. The policymakers who make key decisions on funding patterns and allocation of resources.
  2. The researchers and academicians who work at the grassroots of the STI ecosystem.

We know the first one well. The second is what this workshop aims to empower.

Through open conversations on science policy and the tools of advocacy, workshop attendees will be equipped to contribute to the larger government science advice mechanism.  

The workshop will focus on how it was grassroots science advice that played an integral role in formulating two chapters of the STIP, ‘Open Science’ and ‘Science Communication and Public Engagement’. Through lectures, open conversations with experts and practical activities, attendees will understand the value of Science Advice for STEM stakeholders (scientists, researchers and academicians) in promoting effective policy change. Attendees will also be equipped with the various tools required to develop the skills needed to create evidence-based policy changes. Attendees would test their newfound knowledge through a concluding policy memo contest where the most effective memo would be awarded. Finally, the workshop would create a network of empowered young scientists and academicians to drive the science advice mechanism from the grassroots up. 

Speakers:

Day 1: Open conversation with Experts

Opportunities and Challenges in the practice of Open Access- A South Asian Perspective

Dr Arul George Scaria

Open Access to scholarly knowledge

Dr Arul George Scaria is the Co-Director of the Centre for Innovation, Intellectual Property and Competition (CIIPC). He is also an Affiliate Faculty of the CopyrightX program offered in collaboration with the Harvard Law School. He works in open science, open innovation, and regulation of digital markets in the context of big data, AI, and IoT. He has published two single-authored books – Ambush Marketing: Game within a Game (Oxford University Press,  2008) and Piracy in the Indian Film Industry: Copyright and Cultural Consonance (Cambridge University Press, 2014). 
Dr Anders Karlsson

-Open research data 

Dr Anders Karlsson is Elsevier’s Japan chapter Chair of the International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers (STM) and a member of the INGSA Asia Steering Committee. Dr Karlsson wears a number of hats – he was a Science Counselor at the Embassy of Sweden in Tokyo, Japan, a Professor of Quantum Photonics at the Royal Institute of Technology, KTH, Stockholm, Sweden and has been a Visiting Scientist at various universities across the globe including NTT Basic Research Labs, Stanford University, École Polytechnique Paris, Zhejiang University.
Dr S. A. Shivashankar

– Sharing of research infrastructure

Prof. Shivashankar has been a faculty member of the Materials Research Centre, IISc, Bangalore, since 1990. He has been associated with  CeNSE since June 2010. His research interest involves the chemical synthesis of nanomaterials, specifically nanostructured thin films. He is the author of numerous research papers and several patents. From 1979 to 1990, he was a research staff member in the Materials Laboratory at IBM’s T.J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, USA
Dr. Shannon Olsson

– Citizen Science

Dr Shannon Olsson is a chemical ecologist and faculty member at the National Centre for Biological Sciences. She is currently a member of the Biodiversity Collaborative, a founding member of ECOBARI, and tbe Global Director of the Echo network, a social innovation partnership focussed on increasing scientific awareness, engagement, and insight regarding India’s human and environmental ecosystems..  
Dr Karishma Kaushik

– Science Communication

Karishma S Kaushik is a faculty member at Savitribai Phule Pune University and the co-founder of Talk To A Scientist, a weekly webinar-based interactive science outreach platform for children in India. Funded through the IndiaBioscience Outreach Grant, TTAS is a unique bridge between working scientists and young minds. It aims to build pride in science being done in the country and foster contemporary science role models for children in India.

 

Organising Team:

Dr. Jenice Jean Goveas, Dr. Moumita Koley (Recipients of INGSA- Asia grant for the promotion of grassroots Science Advice and Postdoctoral Fellows, DST-CPR, IISc)

Dr. Karishma Kaushik (Global Young Academy- Science Diplomacy in South Asia Working group Project Leader

Dr. Chagun Basha (Founder, Science Policy Forum)

Aishwarya Viswamitra (Student Associate)

 

Event Details

From: 04/12/2021 10:00 am (IST)
To: 11/12/2021 1:00 pm (IST)
Location: Online
Registration Deadline: 24/11/2021
Watch here

Registration

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