SAPEA
Science Advice for Policy by European Academies
The SAPEA project is part of the European Scientific Advice Mechanism and
has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation progamme under grant agreement N° 737432.
Registration is open for SAPEA’s international symposium on science advice in Helsinki.
Places are limited.
The development of SAPEA
- 17.03.2016, Presidents of the European Academy Networks meet EU Commissioner Carlos Moedas and the High Level Group of Scientific Advisors
- 29.01.2016, First meeting of the newly-formed High Level Group of Scientific Advisors
- October 2015, the European Commission launched a Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM) Call specifically addressed to the five above mentioned organisations.
- 26.03.2015, in presence of the Director-General of DG Research and Innovation, Robert-Jan Smits, Presidents of five European academy organisations (AE, ALLEA, EASAC, Euro-CASE and FEAM) met in Berlin to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen inter-academy cooperation in Europe.
- 27.10.2016: SAPEA project submitted to the European Commission
- 22.11.2016: Approval of the Grant Application for the SAPEA project by the European Commission.
Objective
The objective of the SAM is to ensure that the Commission has access to the best possible scientific advice, independent of institutional or political interests. It will bring together evidence and insight from different disciplines and approaches, take into consideration the specificities of EU policy making, and ensure transparency. It will complement the in-house scientific services of the Joint Research Centre and existing specialist committees.
A grant of €6 million over 4 years for European networks of academies and learned societies is included in the 2016 work programme within Horizon 2020. The grant will support academies to collaborate across Europe in providing science advice for policy.
The European Academy Networks
Academia Europaea
Academia Europaea is a European-wide Academy with individual membership (3500 members) from Council of Europe states and other nations across the world, encompassing the full range of scientific disciplines from the natural sciences, life sciences, social sciences, to arts and humanities.
ALLEA
ALLEA is the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, representing more than 50 academies from over 40 countries in Europe. Since its foundation in 1994, ALLEA represents its Member Academies on the European stage and seeks to promote science as a global public good.
Our activities aim at shaping the conditions for science and research, providing the best science advice available for citizens and policymakers, and strengthening the role of science in society. In the spirit of true collaboration and cooperation, ALLEA offers a platform for European academies to work together on topics of mutual interest and for the betterment of the inhabitants of Europe. Solving challenges in an ever more complex world requires comprehensive interdisciplinary and international cooperation from beginning to end.
EASAC
The European Academies’ Science Advisory Council is the network of the 27 National Science Academies of the EU Member States, Norway and Switzerland. EASAC provides science advice for European policy makers, primarily in the areas of environment, energy and biosciences.
Euro-CASE
The European Council of Academies of Applied Sciences, Technologies and Engineering gathers 23 European Academies with a special focus on Innovation, energy and bioeconomy policy and has unique access to additional expertise from the business sector.
FEAM
The Federation of European Academies of Medicine brings together 18 National Academies of Medicine and medical sections of National Academies of Sciences.
The tasks
- To provide the Commission with independent scientific advice on specific policy issues where such advice is critical to the development of EU policies or legislation and does not duplicate advice being provided by existing bodies. The advice provided by the group shall identify the most important and relevant evidence and empirical findings that can support decision making on the specified policy issues, including an assessment of the robustness and limitations of the evidence and empirical findings.
- To support the Commission in identifying specific policy issues where independent scientific advice is needed.
- To provide recommendations for improving the overall interaction between Commission policy making processes and independent scientific advice concerning any field of Union policy making.