© DUSAN PETRICIC
Unfortunately, most researchers are not fully aware of the logical sequence whereby science leads to innovative technologies that are then governed by regulatory policies. Likewise, policy makers are not fully aware that such regulatory procedures need sound scientific advice to be pertinent.
All regional, local, national, and indeed, international governments need scientific advice when making policy decisions. We have been reminded of this recently by issues in nuclear-energy safety, biofuel limitations, shale-gas extraction, and climate-change mitigation.
In most countries, evidence-based policymaking relies on advisory committees of some sort, whereas some rely on chief scientific advisors or their equivalent in government. Recently, the European Commission (EC) established a chief scientific advisor position, to which I report, and a science-and-technology advisory council, both reporting to the EC ...
