Scientific Advice Mechanism

The Scientific Advice Mechanism is a service created by the European Commission which provides independent science advice directly to European Commissioners to inform their decision-making.[1] The Mechanism consists of two parts: the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors, an expert group consisting of up to seven leading scientists,[2] and SAPEA, a consortium of five European Academy Networks collectively representing around 100 academies and learned societies across Europe.[3]

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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".[4] 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.

Structure

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, 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 seven members:

Name Portrait Role in the Group Academic position University or institution
Nicole Grobert[5]
Chair Professor of Nanomaterials University of Oxford
Carina Keskitalo[6]
Professor of Political Science Umeå University
Éva Kondorosi[7]
Research Director Institute of Plant Biology, Biological Research Centre (Hungarian Academy of Sciences)
Maarja Kruusmaa[8]
Vice-rector for research and Professor of biorobotics Tallinn University of Technology
Alberto Melloni[9]
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]
Director The World In 2050
Paul Nurse[11]
Deputy chair Director Francis Crick Institute

Previous members of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors include:

Science Advice for Policy by European Academies (SAPEA)

SAPEA brings together more than 100 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 2020 programme through to the end of 2021.[17]

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:

Topic Date Advisors' advice SAPEA evidence review
Glyphosate June 2016 none
Light-duty vehicle real-drive CO2 emissions November 2016 none
Cyber-security in the European Digital Single Market March 2017 none
New techniques in agricultural biotechnology April 2017 none
Food from the oceans November 2017
Novel carbon capture and utilisation technologies: research and climate aspects May 2018
Authorisation processes of plant protection products in Europe June 2018
Statement on the regulation of gene editing November 2018 none
A scientific perspective on microplastics in nature and society January 2019
Transforming the future of ageing July 2019
Making sense of science for policy under conditions of complexity and uncertainty July 2019
Towards a sustainable food system for Europe April 2020
Adaptation to climate change-related health effects June 2020 none
COVID-19, future pandemics and other crises in the global context (with European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies) November 2020 none
Biodegradability of plastics in the open environment December 2020
A systemic approach to the energy transition in Europe Spring 2021

References
  1. "About the Scientific Advice Mechanism | SAM – Research and Innovation – European Commission". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  2. "Group of Chief Scientific Advisors | SAM – Research and Innovation – European Commission". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  3. "About us | SAPEA". www.sapea.info. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  4. Juncker, Jean-Claude (1 November 2014). "Mission letter to Commissioner Moedas" (PDF). European Commission.
  5. "Group of Chief Scientific Advisors | SAM – Research and Innovation – European Commission". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  6. "Group of Chief Scientific Advisors | SAM – Research and Innovation – European Commission". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  7. "Group of Chief Scientific Advisors | SAM – Research and Innovation – European Commission". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  8. "Group of Chief Scientific Advisors | SAM – Research and Innovation – European Commission". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  9. "Group of Chief Scientific Advisors | SAM – Research and Innovation – European Commission". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  10. "Group of Chief Scientific Advisors | SAM – Research and Innovation – European Commission". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  11. "Group of Chief Scientific Advisors | SAM – Research and Innovation – European Commission". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  12. "Academy of Europe: SAPEA". www.ae-info.org. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  13. "SAPEA: Science Advice for Policy by European Academies -". Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  14. "SAPEA". EASAC Website. 25 January 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  15. "SAM: Scientific Advice Mechanism". www.euro-case.org. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  16. "SAPEA | FEAM". www.feam.eu. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  17. "Cordis project database". cordis.europa.eu. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
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