On 20 June, the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, announced a new initiative to promote links between politicians and scientists. ONAC – the national office for scientific advice – will work directly with the prime minister’s office to coordinate the scientific advisers in each government ministry. ONAC will also create a strategic support unit within the Spanish National Council of Scientific Research (CSIC), which will have 10 permanent staff and will reinforce the relationships between the country’s largest research institution and the government.
This follows the previous announcement of a parliamentary office for science policy in 2021, a direct consequence of lobbying by the citizen-led independent initiative ‘Ciencia en el Parlamento’. While this office sits in the house of representatives, the legislative branch of government, the new office, ONAC, will be in the cabinet and will provide policy advice to the executive offices. ‘The structures and dynamics for scientific advice differ, [but] solidify a diverse and rich ecosystem that benefits society,’ says Eduardo Oliver, current president of Ciencia en el Parlamento and a researcher at CIB ‘Margarita Salas’ in Madrid, Spain. ‘ONAC should help improve the execution of public policies and face emergencies,’ explains Oliver. ‘We hope that ONAC will demonstrate the usefulness of putting science advice at the heart of government, where it can be listened to.’
ONAC currently has a few staff working directly within the cabinet, dedicated to coordinating the different scientific advice structures and mechanisms across government. One of their first measures will be creating positions for science advisers in every single ministry. ‘The adviser will be dedicated exclusively to connecting the ministry’s questions with answers, provided by universities and research centres,’ said Sánchez in a speech announcing the initiative. The ministerial advisers – 22 people in all – will work closely with the new scientific advice office within CSIC, which has already begun the search for 10 graduates to join the unit before the end of the month and is offering salaries of €46,000 (£39,000).
On top of the 32 advisers within the ministries and CSIC, ONAC will further support science policy with the creation of an internship programme, which will allow researchers to spend between six to eight months in government bodies, and a grant of €2 million to fund projects that promote innovation and collaboration between researchers and policymakers. Among other things, the call will support the scanning and study of public databases ‘to transform rich, raw information … into scientific knowledge’, said Sánchez.
‘Promoting science in a policy ecosystem seeks to strengthen the relationship between scientists and decision-makers in the public sphere … improving the efficiency and effectiveness of government actions,’ says Oliver.
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