Humanity’s greatest societal, technological and political challenges are exposed at the intersection of science and policy, and the COVID-19 pandemic has made them even more visible.
From increasing epistemic risk to decreasing public trust in institutions and expertise, many complex and interrelated threats have been accelerated by the virus in the context of rapid digitalisation, social inequalities, and political polarisation. This is shifting the theory and practice of science advice to governments.
There is no singular future trajectory for the field, but a multiplicity of possible pathways which address the diverse contexts and the dramatic shifts in the relationship between science, policy and civil society.
The INGSA2021 conference will be a 4-day interactive hybrid conference, hosted by the Chief Scientist of Quebec, in collaboration with the Chief Science Advisor of Canada. We expect that most delegates will have to join digitally and that only Canadian participants will be able to join the conference in person, due to ongoing travel restrictions.
The conference will be an opportunity to examine the direct and indirect lessons from the pandemic, while looking to the future for the global community as we build back wiser.
Find out more and register for free at ingsa2021.org