The Projects  

POLICY EXPLAINED – WORKSHOPS FOR SCIENTISTS

The purpose of this project is to deliver interactive workshops, materials and web resources, with specialists providing scientists and engineers with an improved understanding of the policy process as well as giving them ‘hints and tips’ on how to communicate their ideas and research findings to policy-makers.  

The workshops are open to researchers of all stages – from student to senior professor. Click here to see information on upcoming workshops.

Newton’s Apple developed these workshops because although there are numerous training programmes offered to scientists and engineers in the areas of science media and public engagement, there are no equivalent opportunities for them to receive a similar high standard of information on the policy process and the use of science in policy.

Workshop structure;

An introduction to Science Policy; supplemented with educational materials explaining the field of Science Policy.

Guest Panellists; who are either science policy advisors from Learned Societies or grant-making bodies, or officials from Government bodies/structures, providing information from their own unique perspective on ways in which scientists can communicate their research to a policy audience.

Discussion; Participants are then given the opportunity to question the panellists on science policy issues and how the science-into-policy process can be improved, including how information about the policy process can be given more effectively to them through funding bodies, Government and other organisations.

Participants who are particularly keen to take part in the ‘Explored’ dialogue (see below – Science Policy Explored) will be invited to take part in the science-into-policy stakeholder consultation seminars run by Newton’s Apple.

To date Newton’s Apple has run a series of successful workshops as part of the Newton’s Heirs programme at;

Women in Science (WISE) Conference in Oxford.

National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) Crucible in 2007 and 2008, and

British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA) Science Communication Conference 2008.

For information on current workshops click here.

 

SCIENCE EXPLAINED – WORKSHOPS FOR POLICY MAKERS;
(CURRENTLY UNDER DEVELOPMENT)

The purpose of this project is to deliver interactive workshops, materials and web resources, with specialists providing policymakers with an understanding of the scientific process, methodology and terminology, as well as giving them advice on how best to communicate their requirements and formulate their questions to scientists. 

Proposed Workshop Structure;

An introduction to the science arena in the UK, with a particular emphasis on the processes, methodology and terminology used, as well as how the various scientific bodies are interlinked, funded and governed.

Guest panellists; each representing a science-generating body (such as a university, company or Learned Society) provide a detailed overview of how their body operates and what - in their view - the challenges are, in particular with regard to communicating their work to policy-makers.  The panellists will advise on how best to communicate with scientists and their scientific peers, and provide ‘hints and tips’ useful for policy-makers in their interactions with scientists: e.g. how to formulate queries, interpret data, and understand the timeframes and pressures which scientists work under.  

Discussion; Participants will be given the opportunity to question the panellists on science policy issues and how the science-into-policy process can be improved. This includes ways in which information about scientific processes can be more effectively presented to them by scientific bodies and how scientists can provide information in a format that is more user-friendly for the policy-making audience.

Participants who are particularly keen to take part in the ‘Explored’ dialogue (see below – Science Policy Explored) will be invited to take part in the science-into-policy stakeholder consultation seminars run by Newton’s Apple.

 

SCIENCE POLICY EXPLORED:
(CURRENTLY UNDER DEVELOPMENT)

It is of crucial importance that the workshop participants in the Science Policy Explained projects are able to use what they learn in an applied fashion.  It is equally important that Newton’s Apple is able to capture the feedback and the enthusiasm created by the training and use it to create practical recommendations to those formulating and supporting the science-into-policy process. 

Newton’s Apple is making a concerted effort to build a sustainable programme, which will develop easy-to-use tools for its participants and for the wider science in society community.  In addition, the programme will also enable long-term dialogues, learning and exploration. Funding bodies, Government, charities, Learned Societies and other stakeholders involved in the science-into-policy process, will work together with scientists and engineers.  This in turn will effectively contribute to the improvement of the science-into-policy process.  Newton’s Apple will facilitate this through a number of activities:

Seminar series’ that bring scientists together with the policy-community.  The seminars aim to explore how the science-into-policy process can be improved so that science can more effectively inform the policy process for the public benefit.  

Consultations with key stakeholders in order to formulate policy recommendations that can be submitted to key organisations and the public in general.   For example, Newton’s Apple recently submitted some key statements based on a stakeholder consultation to the Higher Education Funding Council for England regarding the Research Excellence Framework [PDF].

Collaboration with other organisations by involvement in their projects and events; such as the NESTA (National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts) Crucible programme and the British Association for Advancement of Science, Science Communication Conference.