The meeting, which took place on 31 May – 1 June, was attended by young Swiss chemists. The event’s key aims were promoting scientific exchange, as well as international networking and collaboration. In this context, science-policy is a crucial topic, which shows the reach of research beyond the borders of academia, and demonstrates it’s interconnectedness with politics and policymaking.
With a background in analytical chemistry, measurement sciences, and more than 10 years experience as the Secretary General of EuChemS, as well as with the European Commission, Secretary General Hrastelj provided invaluable insights into the practises of science-policy, from the perspective of a scientist. Her talk, “Does science contribute to policy making?”, began with explaining the fundamentals of the European policy landscape as well as the knowledge and skills utilised in policymaking. She expanded on EuChemS Policy Activities, such as stakeholder group memberships and science-policy workshops, to illustrate the influence scientific stakeholders represent in the decision-making and legislative processes. Finally, she introduced some avenues for the participants to contribute, or to consider as future career options, such as contributing to public consultations (you can find such opportunities at the bottom of the EuChemS Magazine homepage) or external expert positions offered by the European Commission respectively.
Secretary General Hrastelj’s presentation is available on the website of the scnat conference, alongside the other presentations of the event.
