Science Centre World Summit, Mechelen, 17 March 2014
Research not communicated
is research not done
Professor Anne Glover CBE
Chief Scientific Adviser
to the President of the European Commission
Science Centre World Summit, Mechelen, 17 March 2014
We live in a world that is changing fast
The world has become much more
complex (and, hence, confusing)
The pace of technological change
has increased manyfold –
this makes people feel uneasy
Science Centre World Summit, Mechelen, 17 March 2014
The way we do policy is changing, too
Science Centre World Summit, Mechelen, 17 March 2014
The importance of scientific evidence
increases and it comes from
more and more sources
Science Centre World Summit, Mechelen, 17 March 2014
Is our society prepared?
Source: Special Eurobarometer 340 (2010)
Source: Special Eurobarometer 401 (2013)
Science Centre World Summit, Mechelen, 17 March 2014
Our social environment influences
our opinion more than we think
Source: Paul Leonard
Science Centre World Summit, Mechelen, 17 March 2014
Most politicians follow public opinion or
have other motivations than science –
without being transparent about it
Science Centre World Summit, Mechelen, 17 March 2014
http://wallpaperhere.com
What can scientists do when
politicians don't want to see,
citizens don't want to listen,
business people don't want to talk?
Science Centre World Summit, Mechelen, 17 March 2014
Build trust!
Science Centre World Summit, Mechelen, 17 March 2014
Be open and transparent
(this applies to everybody!)
This amount of rain forest
is destroyed every 3 seconds on the planet
Photo credits: Background Stadium Thomas Faivre-Duboz,
forest taken from H.-D. Viktor Boehm (globalcarbonproject),
Photo montage by Alan Belward, Joint Research Centre
Science Centre World Summit, Mechelen, 17 March 2014
Speak a language
everybody understands!
Science Centre World Summit, Mechelen, 17 March 2014
Show empathy
for public
concerns!
Science Centre World Summit, Mechelen, 17 March 2014
Image credit: Le Soir
Put the risks of new technologies
in relation to the potential rewards
Science Centre World Summit, Mechelen, 17 March 2014
Engage with citizens by
answering three questions:
• Does it limit
my options?
• What is in it
for me?
Image credit: picture alliance
• Why do I need
to change?
Science Centre World Summit, Mechelen, 17 March 2014
We need to tell people that
SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ARE GREAT
and that they are there to help us
Image credit: Alan Walker, University of Edinburgh
Science Centre World Summit, Mechelen, 17 March 2014
Without science centres the message
would only be half the fun!
Image credit: Alan Walker, University of Edinburgh
Science Centre World Summit, Mechelen, 17 March 2014
Thank you for your attention!
E-mail: ec-csa@ec.europa.eu
Twitter: EU_ScienceChief