Scientific Advice Mechanism

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The Scientific Advice Mechanism is a service created by the European Commission which provides independent science advice on request directly to European Commissioners. [1]

Contents

The Mechanism consists of three parts: the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors, an expert group consisting of up to seven leading scientists; [2] SAPEA, a consortium of five European academy networks collectively representing around 120 academies and learned societies across Europe; [3] and a unit within the European Commission (Unit RTD.02 Science Policy, Advice and Ethics) which serves as a secretariat to the Advisors. [4]

Group of Chief Scientific Advisors

The core of the Scientific Advice Mechanism is the European Commission's Group of Chief Scientific Advisors, an expert group consisting of up to seven leading scientists, selected by the European Commission assisted by an independent identification committee. The Advisors are supported by a dedicated secretariat, Unit RTD.02, informally known as the "SAM Unit", staffed by the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation and Joint Research Centre.

The Group of Chief Scientific Advisors currently consists of the following six members, with one vacancy as of June 2023:

NamePortraitRole in the GroupAcademic position University or institution
Naomi Ellemers [5]
Naomi Ellemers .jpg
Distinguished Professor of Social and Behavioural Sciences Utrecht University
Nicole Grobert [6]
Nicole Grobert.jpg
ChairProfessor of Nanomaterials University of Oxford
Maarja Kruusmaa [7]
Maarja Kruusmaa.jpg
Vice-rector for research and Professor of biorobotics Tallinn University of Technology
Eric Lambin [8]
Eric Lambin.jpg
Professor of Geography and Sustainability Science Université catholique de Louvain and Stanford University
Alberto Melloni [9]
Alberto Melloni.jpg
Professor of the history of Christianity; holder of the UNESCO Chair on Religious Pluralism and Peace University of Modena/Reggio Emilia; University of Bologna
Nebojsa Nakicenovic [10]
Nebojsa Nakicenovic.jpg
deputy chairDirector The World in 2050
Eva Zažímalová [11]
Eva Zazimalova.jpg
Professor of Plant Anatomy and Physiology Institute of Experimental Botany at the Czech Academy of Sciences

Previous members of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors include: [12]

SAPEA

SAPEA brings together around 120 academies, young academies and learned societies. Its role as part of the Scientific Advice Mechanism is to provide high-quality, independent evidence to underpin the Scientific Opinions produced by the Chief Scientific Advisors. SAPEA has the ability to convene Fellows from some 40 countries across Europe, spanning the disciplines of engineering, humanities, medicine, natural sciences and social sciences.

The SAPEA consortium brings together five umbrella networks jointly representing Europe's academies:

At present, SAPEA is funded by a grant from the European Union's Horizon Europe programme through to the end of 2024. [18]

Scientific advice

The Scientific Advice Mechanism has issued advice in the form of Scientific Opinions, explanatory notes or statements, supported by evidence review reports, on the following topics: [19]

TopicDateEvidence review and scientific opinion
Glyphosate June 2016
Light-duty vehicle real-drive CO2 emissionsNovember 2016
Cyber-security in the European Digital Single Market March 2017
New techniques in agricultural biotechnology April 2017
Food from the oceansNovember 2017
Novel carbon capture and utilisation technologies: research and climate aspectsMay 2018
Authorisation processes of plant protection products in EuropeJune 2018
A scientific perspective on microplastics in nature and societyJanuary 2019
Transforming the future of ageingJuly 2019
Making sense of science for policy under conditions of complexity and uncertaintyJuly 2019
Towards a sustainable food system for EuropeApril 2020
Adaptation to climate change-related health effectsJune 2020
COVID-19, future pandemics and other crises in the global contextNovember 2020
Biodegradability of plastics in the open environmentDecember 2020
A systemic approach to the energy transition in EuropeJune 2021
Improving cancer screening in the European UnionMarch 2022
Strategic crisis management (with European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies)November 2022
Sustainable food consumptionJune 2023
AI in scienceApril 2024
Solar radiation modification(expected) Autumn 2024
One Health governance(expected) Autumn 2024

History

Until 2016, science advice in the European Commission was provided by a single Chief Scientific Advisor who reported directly to the President of the European Commission. The last Chief Scientific Advisor, serving from 2012 to 2014, was Dame Anne Glover.

On 1 November 2014, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker asked Carlos Moedas, Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science in his mission letter to "make sure that Commission proposals and activities are based on sound scientific evidence and contribute best to our jobs and growth agenda". Following this, on 13 May 2015, Juncker announced the establishment of the Scientific Advice Mechanism. The first seven members of the Advisors were identified, following a European call for nominations, in January 2016.

In December 2016, SAPEA was officially launched to support the Advisors by providing scientific evidence review reports.

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References

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