The Workshop
on translating science into advice (WKSCIENCE2ADVICE) took place 9-11
October at ICES Headquarters in Copenhagen and considered ways to further advance
the uptake of science into advice.
A key criterion for ICES advice is that it should be based
on the best available science. For this reason, ICES wants to facilitate the
uptake and translation of science into the advisory process. Despite this, there
has been little evaluation of the processes that best achieve this. There is
also a need to guide scientists and advisors on ways in which the scientific
work carried out in ICES can be more readily translated into advice and
advisory products, and science carried out in relevant external projects be
brought into the ICES realm. WKSCIENCE2ADVICE aimed to meet this need.
The translation of science into advice is an important topic
for scientists who would like to see their discoveries and innovations make a
difference; for advisers, it would allow the growing range of questions posed
by clients to be addressed with the best available knowledge.
The workshop was chaired by the outgoing Advisory Committee (ACOM)
chair Eskild Kirkegaard and the Science Committee
(SCICOM) chair, Simon Jennings and joined by participants representing
science and advice and the natural and social sciences. Together the group examined the factors that
might influence the uptake of science by advice – from developing scientific
calls and setting expert group Terms of Reference to practices within project
and group work, including potential funding mechanisms.
The group revealed that translation of science into advice
requires a significant commitment of time and resources to engage people and
groups with expertise in advice generation. On the other hand, translating
science to advice is highly rewarding for the people involved. It can also create
an impactful legacy for expert groups and projects by making a real difference
to the conservation and management of the seas.
Outcomes from the workshop include draft guidance for expert
groups and projects on how to accelerate the translation of science into
advice. The participants hope that their
work will help more scientists in the ICES network understand how they can make
greater contributions to a range of advice, including fisheries and ecosystem
overviews, and conduct their work in ways to better meet advisory standards and
the needs of advice recipients. The initiative should also help to strengthen
links between science and advisory processes, as well as guide the development
of scientific projects.
Read the workshop report.