26 June 2019: Director General of Science Foundation Ireland and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government of Ireland, Professor Mark Ferguson, will host the fifth ESAF (European Science Advisors Forum) meeting at Trinity College Dublin. The meeting which will be held over the course of two days will welcome leading European, science-based policymakers from INGSA (the International Network of Government Science Advisors), EU GCSA (the EU Group of Chief Scientific Advisers) and EU JRC (the European Commission Joint Research Centre). 

This event, which is taking place in Ireland for the first time, is an opportunity for some of the world’s most distinguished advisers to discuss the link between science, policy, society and politics. The meeting will tackle key societal issues that currently face the European population; big data, trustworthiness in communication and AI are just a handful of topics on the agenda. Speakers from leading European universities and governmental agencies will present and take part in panel discussions.  This event will further strengthen Ireland’s position as a centre of research excellence and provide attendees at the event the opportunity to build strong working relationships with their European counterparts enabling further dialogue and engagement.

Prof Mark Ferguson commented on the meeting: “I am delighted to welcome such a distinguished group of speakers, panellists and chairs to Dublin. This is a platform for some of the world’s leading thinkers and policy influencers to have an open discussion on science and its impact on society. Here in Ireland, we have some of the world’s leading researchers and research centres, so it is fitting that we are now hosting such a key event.”

Commenting on the meeting the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, Carlos Moedas: “Policy makers in Europe and around the world are in increasing need of high quality, timely, unbiased scientific advice in areas such as food safety, energy, climate and security. This event hosted by Science Foundation Ireland will allow us to re-examine the current relationship between scientists, policy makers and our citizens while casting our minds forward to the future challenges facing our science advice ecosystem.”

The meeting will be attended by 100 people from around the globe, many of whom are practitioners and experts in the science, evidence and policy nexus.