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THE OECD GLOBAL SCIENCE FORUM Strategic Directions 2015-2019
THE OECD
GLOBAL Science*, technology and innovation (STI) policy is a
SCIENCE critical area of focus for the OECD’s overall mission of
FORUM ‘promoting better policies for better lives’.
New scientific knowledge and technologies These challenges include:
are needed to ensure human development l The divergent impacts of the fiscally
and wise stewardship of planetary resources constrained environment on STI in most
during the 21st century and beyond. There jurisdictions and a need to demonstrate
is a growing demand on STI to support the impact and benefits of public
inclusive economic growth and lasting investment in science.
solutions in areas such as environmental
l The growing complexity of science and
change, energy, water and food security,
technology, requiring greater international
demographic change and public health.
and inter-disciplinary cooperation.
Over the next decade, STI policies will help
determine whether or not countries are able l The rapid development of Information
to effectively respond to the challenges and and Communication Technologies and
opportunities before them as they emerge associated ‘open science’ and ‘big data’
from the global economic crisis. developments.
l Growing societal engagement with science
At the same time, there are a number
and the need to ensure public trust.
of immediate challenges relating to the
conduct and organisation of science that l The growing importance of emerging
the OECD’s work on STI policies needs to economies in global STI, expanding
respond to. the global competition for talent and
requiring new approaches to international
*Science, as considered by GSF, includes natural sciences,
mathematics, social sciences and humanities. cooperation and its governance.
The Forum
The Global Science Forum (GSF) was established in 1992 as the ‘Mega-science Forum’ in order
to act as a venue for OECD members and relevant partner countries to discuss issues relating
to large international research infrastructures. Its mandate was revised and expanded in 1994
to focus on providing analysis and advice to governments concerning international science
collaborations.
The name was changed to the Global Science Forum in 1999 to more accurately reflect its
broader science policy role. The GSF membership includes 33 countries that are either OECD
members or Key Partners, and the European Union. National delegates are from academia,
funding agencies or science ministries.
2 . THE OECD GLOBAL SCIENCE FORUM – STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS 2015-2019
Mandate and principles
The Global Science Forum is concerned mainly with the health of the science
base that underpins systems of science, technology and innovation.
This includes coverage of activities and Principles
policies relating to both academic and There are a small number of over-arching
private sector research actors and to the principles that guide all GSF activities.
infrastructures and human and financial
GSF work will:
resources associated with them. It covers
l reflect national policy priorities, while
both basic and applied research across all
having an international focus
disciplines, with a particular focus on inter-
disciplinary research. The interface between l inform more robust science policy-making
science and policy and science and society
l make a unique contribution and be
are important areas of interest.
complementary to other work in the area
The main target group for the outcomes
of GSF-projects are science policy-makers. l build on other efforts and, where
GSF plays a bridging role between the appropriate, be carried out in
research community and the science policy partnership with other international
community. organisations
All GSF activities should contribute to
l be forward-looking and designed to have
the development of better science policy. In
the maximum impact.
this regard, the Forum is uniquely positioned
to facilitate exchange of information and Projects may either be horizontal – addressing
best practices, propose global standards and generic policy issues, or vertical – leading to
foster collaboration between OECD member specific research activities or actions with clear
and partner countries. strategic goals, guided by agreed criteria.
The overall objective
Taking into account the need for international collaboration in
science to address complex and inter-related societal, environmental
and economic challenges, the overall objective of the OECD
Global Science Forum is to support countries to improve their
science policies and share in the benefits of international
collaboration.
MANDATE AND PRINCIPLES . 3
Priority themes
The GSF mandate for 2015-2019 defines four key priority themes. These provide
the basis for the development of specific activities and projects during this five-year
period. These themes are overlapping and individual projects may address one or
several of these themes.
1. Strengthening the 2. International cooperation
science enterprise in science
To assist countries in developing science policies To promote effective international
to strengthen their research systems in line with collaboration and cooperation in science.
national priorities, enabling them to compete
and collaborate internationally. This will be achieved by facilitating
the development of new collaborative
This will be achieved through providing mechanisms and policies that lower the
guidance for policy on issues such as: barriers to international cooperation.
research environments and infrastructures; Policies to promote ‘Open Science’ and the
research quality, reproducibility and global science commons, international
openness; research assessment, measure- governance and cooperation with
ment and incentives; research training developing countries are major priorities.
and careers. Building on past GSF work, there are
Science funding and socio-economic also important policy issues relating to
impact is a significant component of this large scale and distributed international
theme, including issues, such as balancing research infrastructures. These include:
investment in people, projects and facilities. methods for prioritising and evaluating
Critical issues related to the planning infrastructures; sustainable operating
and governance of science fall within this models; assessing socio-economic impact;
theme, although specific aspects of these legal status; data management and access;
topics will also relate to other themes. and human resource requirements. Policies
or best practices for access to such facilities
by private companies and assessment of
their role in innovation are specific areas
that might be explored.
4 . THE OECD GLOBAL SCIENCE FORUM – STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS 2015-2019
The science
enterprise
Science in society International
and science for policy cooperation
Global societal
challenges
3. Science to address 4. Science in society
global societal challenges and science for policy
To assist countries in developing To promote constructive public
effective policies to promote research that engagement and trust in science and
provides solutions to global societal challenges. enable the best use of scientific knowledge in
decision-making and policy development.
This will be achieved through initiatives
that promote inter-disciplinary research This will be achieved by promoting the
(bringing together natural and social responsible and effective communication
sciences) and trans-disciplinary research of science and the engagement of relevant
(co-design and co-production of knowledge stakeholders in foresight activities and the
with the end-users of research). design of scientific agendas, programmes
A particular obstacle is overcoming the and projects. Citizen science, public-private
disciplinary boundaries, which are embedded partnerships (PPPs) and the relationship
in academia (and hence in peer review) between science and the media all raise
and reflected in most research funding and important policy issues in this context.
publication processes. This is accentuated The science for policy focus will be on
by the lack of recognition and incentives, improving mechanisms and processes for
particularly for early-career scientists, who the provision of knowledge and science
wish to work across traditional disciplinary advice (and not on substantive advisory
boundaries. content per se). It will include fostering
Global societal challenges are by a greater understanding of policy needs
definition trans-national and are inherently for science advice and of the required
complex. Fostering international conditions and options to meet these
collaboration, including the effective needs in different situations. There will
involvement of developing countries, be a particular focus on the international
requires new approaches to governance, coordination of science advisory processes,
funding and peer review. for example in relation to global societal
challenges or international crises.
PRIORITY THEMES . 5
How projects are developed and selected
There are, broadly speaking, two routes via which projects can be proposed for
approval by GSF. The large majority of projects are proposed by GSF members.
Some activities may also be proposed by the Secretariat, specifically in cases where
there is potential for GSF to make a valuable contribution to other OECD programmes.
In all cases, activities must be approved ‘in-kind’ support that have been secured
by GSF before they are implemented. or sought. All preliminary proposals are
Part of this approval process involves the sent to delegations so that they have time
endorsement of the business case/proposal to consult and develop their respective
and the allocation of resources, which may national position before GSF meets.
come either from the GSF baseline budget All submitted concept proposals are
and/or from Voluntary Contributions (VCs) considered by GSF as a whole and decision-
or ‘in-kind’ support. making is by consensus. If a concept is
GSF members are encouraged to approved, then a full proposal is normally
propose activities, either individually invited and interested GSF members work
or in partnership, by submitting a short with the Secretariat to develop this for
(2-4pp) concept note or preliminary approval at the subsequent GSF meeting
proposal that addresses all of the project or by written procedure. Occasionally,
criteria listed. Such proposals must be if the original concept proposal is
received by the Secretariat a minimum sufficiently mature, a project may be
of four weeks before a GSF meeting approved straightaway without a further
and include an indication of any VCs or development phase.
A typical project will be implemented using one or more of the following mechanisms:
l Expert groups are inclusive and have a with the goal of exploring a selected issue
well-defined scope and limited duration, with a broader community of participants.
bring together leading international experts
and/or senior science policy-makers l Surveys and case studies are conducted
(nominated by GSF members and partner to gather and analyse information. Typically,
organisations) to share information and these activities will serve to inform debate
analyses and make proposals for actions at by GSF itself.
the policy level.
These mechanisms are not mutually exclusive
l Single-event workshops are organised and the choice of modality depends on the
to bring together government officials, specific task. Other mechanisms may be
scientific experts and other stakeholders, adopted as necessary.
6 . THE OECD GLOBAL SCIENCE FORUM – STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS 2015-2019
In approving a project, GSF members make a commitment to support the implementation
of that project, e.g. by responding to questionnaires or proposing experts or case studies.
Project Criteria
All proposals/business cases for GSF l novelty and state of the art, including an
activities must address and are considered analysis of complementarity and added-
against the following criteria: value relative to the activities of OECD
and other organisations in the same
l quality of the proposal itself and of the
thematic area
proposed participants
l relevance to GSF members and plans for
l relevance to the GSF strategic themes for
partnership with other countries and
2015-2019
organisations
l feasibility, including resource
l planned follow up, including
requirements, timeframe and required
communication and dissemination
commitment from GSF members
strategy.
l envisaged impact of the activities,
For projects that closely relate to ongoing
including definition of the key
OECD work – and which may be submitted
stakeholders, target audience(s) and
by the Secretariat – two additional criteria
deliverables
are also applied:
l relevance to the overall OECD priorities
and/or OECD Committee for Science and
Technology Policy (CSTP) work plan and
priorities
l potential for GSF to make a significant
and visible contribution.
HOW PROJECTS ARE DEVELOPED AND SELECTED . 7
GSF activities
The following is a short summary of key GSF activities that
had been completed or were ongoing at the time of writing.
1992-2014 Scientific integrity: Two studies, one focused
Physics and astronomy infrastructures: on practices to ensure scientific integrity and
Analyses of the needs and opportunities for prevent misconduct, the second providing
international collaboration and coordination a template for investigating misconduct in
in the fields of nuclear physics, astronomy international collaborations.
and radio-astronomy.
Earthquake risk: An initial activity on the
Infrastructure planning: Several policy evolution of earthquake science and its
reports on infrastructure road-mapping, on contribution to society led to the creation of
establishing single-site facilities as well as a new public-private partnership: the Global
distributed research infrastructures, and on Earthquake Model foundation. A report was
their socio-economic dimension. also produced on enhancing global modelling
of natural hazard risks.
Neuroinformatics: An early analysis of
the evolution of this discipline led to a new Clinical trials: A study on facilitating
international collaboration: the International international cooperation for non-
Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility commercial clinical trials led to an OECD
(INCF) based in Sweden. Council Recommendation on the governance
of clinical trials.
Mathematics and industry: Two reports
describing the intellectual, economic and Scientific collections: Facilitated the
societal aspects and proposing mechanisms creation of a new international network,
to develop new forms of collaborations. SciColl (Scientific Collections International),
to harness the potential of scientific
Science education: Analysis of overall collections for research.
trends in higher education enrolments and
the evolution of S&T compared with other Cooperation with developing countries:
subjects, including measures to improve Reports on the design and management
student interest. of collaborative research programmes,
particularly in the field of climate change
adaptation and biodiversity.
8 . THE OECD GLOBAL SCIENCE FORUM – STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS 2015-2019
2014 onwards International cooperation and impact:
Science advice for policy-making: A report A proposal to compare how different
that analyses various scientific advisory countries assess the overall impacts of
mechanisms, identifies emerging challenges investment in international research
and proposes recommendations for future collaboration, with a view to guiding better
action. future investment.
Temperate agriculture: Facilitated the Open Science and Big Data: Following up
development of a new Collaborative on previous OECD work on Open Science
Research Network on Sustainable Temperate and on Alzheimer’s Disease, new projects
Agriculture (TempAg) that brings together on incentives for data dissemination and
national research programmes. on business models for data infrastructures
are being developed.
Astroparticle physics: The Astroparticle
Physics International Forum (APIF) meets International research infrastructures:
bi-annually and is a venue for information A proposal to explore key issues around the
exchange and strategic coordination for sustainability of research infrastructures,
relevant research funding bodies. including financial and human resource
issues, in order to help with planning and
Data and ethics: As follow up to earlier work implementation of these facilities.
on New Forms of Data for Social Sciences,
this activity aims at developing principles Science, technology and society: Related
and guidelines for the ethical use of data in to the previous work on science advice, a
social science research. proposal for further work on the effective
engagement of society in STI, including the
Under development in 2015 use of foresight approaches.
Competitive funding systems: A proposal
to carry out an analysis of the different
mechanisms that are used to allocate
research funding in a competitive manner
and develop policy guidance as to which
mechanisms are most efficient and
effective in different contexts.
GSF ACTIVITIES . 9How GSF works
Governance meeting (two per annum), with adjustments
The OECD Global Science Forum is a being considered as necessary. The overall
Working Party of the Committee for portfolio is reviewed annually and future
Scientific and Technological Policy (CSTP), priorities identified.
within the OECD Directorate for Science As with all OECD bodies, GSF baseline
Technology and Innovation. funding is approved on a bi-annual basis and
The GSF Bureau is made up of the GSF a two-year Programme of Work and Budget
chairperson and up to six vice-chairs, who (PWB) is prepared as part of this process.
are elected annually by the full Working This PWB lays out the allocation of resources
Party. The Bureau has a critical role to play in to activities for the forthcoming two-year
providing strategic leadership. This includes period (e.g. Jan 2015-Dec 2016). Preparation
monitoring of the overall GSF portfolio, of the PWB is the responsibility of GSF as
identifying important gaps and opportunities a whole, prior to approval by CSTP and the
and bringing these to the attention of GSF as OECD Budget Committee. The GSF mandate
a whole. In performing this role, the Bureau and the current document cover a five-year
also takes account of the recommendations period, i.e. 2.5 PWB periods, and provide a
from an external review of GSF in 2013, longer-term framework, which helps ensure
which emphasised added-value, synergies, continuity between budget planning cycles.
partnerships, impact and dissemination. The PWB provides formal shorter-term
At the individual project level, the Bureau milestones for assessing progress and making
has an important role to play in seeding adjustments to the longer-term strategy.
ideas, encouraging submission of concept
proposals, reviewing these prior to GSF Outreach and communication
meetings and supporting the development of The external review of GSF in 2013
full proposals. recommended that “a special effort has to
With support from the Secretariat be carried out for better dissemination of
and guidance from the Bureau, GSF as a the valuable work conducted by GSF, not
whole is ultimately responsible for defining only towards governments but also towards
its strategic priorities. It generates and scientists and science stakeholders, by
discusses ideas for activities and makes using modern communication strategies.”
the final decision on approval of individual Outreach and communication are
projects. The progress in implementing all important also for attracting new GSF
approved projects is reported at each GSF members and partners.
10 . THE OECD GLOBAL SCIENCE FORUM – STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS 2015-2019THE OECD
GLOBAL
SCIENCE
FORUM
At the level of individual projects, this being fully open to the public and others
is partially accommodated by the explicit accessible to a more limited audience.
requirements to identify target audiences More broadly, the IPP provides access to
and partners and develop outreach and the full range of OECD information, data
dissemination plans. The Secretariat and and services for those working on, or
GSF delegates also have an important role interested in, STI policy and it attracts
to play in disseminating project reports thousands of regular users from all over
and ensuring that they are transmitted to the world. It can provide visibility for GSF
science policy-makers. activities and reports and a mechanism to
Engaging target audiences at the outset assess their usefulness and impact.
and keeping them informed during the The OECD Directorate for Science,
course of a project can facilitate the up- Technology and Innovation, which
take of final outputs. Project workshops supports the work of GSF, produces several
and meetings can provide important high-impact flagship reports, including
mechanisms for engagement. Ensuring that the STI Scoreboard, STI Outlook and the
the right people participate in GSF activities Innovation Strategy. GSF science policy
is a shared responsibility between the activities are very relevant to each of
Secretariat and the GSF delegates. these reports and efforts are being made
The Innovation Policy Platform (IPP) to ensure that these activities are fully
– a joint venture between OECD and considered and cited. An important
the World Bank – went on-line in late part of the overall GSF communication
2014* and is expected to be the web- strategy is to integrate key messages
platform of choice for the dissemination into relevant STI outputs and activities
of information relating to GSF and its and thus benefit from dedicated OECD
activities. A GSF Community of Practice communication resources. This also
(CoP) has been established on the IPP for implies the engagement of GSF delegates
exchange of information between delegates, and the Secretariat in these cross-cutting
the Secretariat and GSF expert groups. STI activities.
Specific projects can also have their own In this context, the CSTP Ministerial
communities of practice to facilitate on-line meeting in October 2015 (Daejeon, Korea)
debates and interactive working. Access is an important and timely event to
to these CoPs can be regulated according ensure political support for GSF’s strategic
to specific needs, with some activities directions and priorities.
*See: www.innovationpolicyplatform.org
HOW GSF WORKS . 11Science, technology and innovation (STI)
policy is a critical area of focus for the
OECD’s overall mission of ‘promoting better
policies for better lives’. This booklet provides
a brief introduction to the OECD Global
Science Forum, including its main strategic
directions and processes for the period
2015-2019. As such, it is a simple reference
document for those involved directly
with the Forum and its activities, either
as national representatives or partners. It
should also be a useful introduction to the
Forum for all those who are interested in its
science policy activities.
This booklet expands upon the formally approved
GSF mandate, 2015-2019 and incorporates the
formal Programme of Work and Budget (PWB),
2015-2016. It complements but does not replace
these official documents and it communicates
their main content in a way that is perhaps more
accessible to those who are not familiar with OECD’s
internal processes and structures.
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