Science, Technology and Public Policy
A program of collaborative activities designed to bring together researchers, policy-makers and the public on key issues of research science, technology, innovation and public policy.
Program leader: Paul Harris
2013 events:
- 7 February 2013: International visitor Dr Ryan Meyer (California Ocean Science Trust) speaks at workshop on Linking research and policy: working at the boundary [read more]
- 26 February 2013: Paul Harris seminar on Pathways to policy impact [register]
2012 events:
In 2012 we welcomed a number of distinguished international visitors to Canberra, including Professor Daniel Sarewitz, Professor Roger Pielke Jr., Professor James Wilsdon, Dr Julia Lane and Dr Lars Klüver. Please see below for more information about their visits, videos, etc.
- 12 November 2012: Professor James Wilsdon (University of Sussex) delivered a public lecture on Chief Scientists and the role of expert advice in public policy [link and video]
- September 2012: International visiting fellow Lars Klüver (Danish Board of Technology) delivered the keynote address at the Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences national forum on the human and social dimensions of technology and innovation – see presentation here. He also took part in a workshop with government on the role of technology assessment in science and innovation policy [slides].
- 19 July 2012: As part of the Crawford School's public policy week, we brought together a diverse group of researchers and policy-makers to talk about the role of science in addressing future policy challenges in food and agriculture [details here]
- 15 May 2012: workshop on assessing the impacts of research, science and technology with Professor Daniel Sarewitz [link]
- 14 May 2012: Professor Daniel Sarewitz (Arizona State University and Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes) public lecture: “Can humanity manage the consequences of its ingenuity? Technological complexity and the limits of understanding” [link]
- 22 March 2012: Dr Julia Lane speaks about the US National Science Foundation’s STAR METRICS initiative and measuring the impacts of public investments in research [link]
- 24 February 2012: Science meets Policy-makers, a major event in partnership with Science and Technology Australia and the Australian Government Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education [link]
- 2 February 2012: Professor Roger Pielke Jr (University of Colorado) speaks about his book The Climate Fix and the links between science and policy [link]
Current projects:
- Collaboration with the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education in support of the APS200 project on the place of science in policy development in the Australian Public Service (contact: Paul Harris).
- final report launched 17 September 2012 [link]
- mapping existing Australian Government investments and institutions that support the linking of science and policy
- Working with the Queensland Government on science policy and the evaluation of elements of the Smart State strategy (contact: Dr Mark Matthews)
- Working with the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education to promote discussion of the assessment of research impact (contact: Paul Harris). This includes:
News and Publications:
- January 2013: Innovation, financial crisis and the "Asian century" [link]
- September 2012: Paul Harris writes at The Conversation on science, policy, politics and why we should stop calling problems "wicked" [link]
- May 2012: International visiting fellow Professor Daniel Sarewitz speaks on ABC Radio National’s Future Tense program about the “techno-human condition” and the relationship between technology and human progress
- Science policy discussion paper for the Australian Government
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