1000 days in the life of a science advisor

Science Advice to Governments, Auckland, 28-29 August 2014
1000 days in the life of a
Chief Scientific Adviser
Professor Anne Glover CBE
Chief Scientific Adviser
to the President of the European Commission

"We also need a funda-mental
review of the way
European institutions
access and use scientific
advice.
In the next Commission,
I want to set up a Chief
Scientific Adviser who
has the power to deliver
proactive, scientific advice throughout all stages of
policy development and delivery.
This will reflect the central importance I attach to
research and innovation.“
- José Manuel Barroso, 15 September 2009

The functions of the Chief Scientific Advisor will be as follows:
• To provide independent expert advice on any aspect of science, technology and
innovation as requested by the President;
• […] to provide analysis and opinion on major policy proposals being submitted to
the College touching upon issues of science, technology and innovation;
• […] to provide authoritative guidance on interpretation of scientific evidence in
presence of uncertainty;
• […] to be involved in strategic emergency planning;
• To build relationships with high-level advisory groups as well as with similar
structures in Member States and other countries;
• To advise on novel science, technology and innovation issues;
• […] to serve as an early warning conduct point on issues that might arise when
scientific progress entails either opportunity or threat for the EU;
• To communicate the scientific values on which specific Commission proposals are
based in order to enhance public confidence in science and technology;
• […] to promote European culture of science and technology widely within Europe
and abroad.
IP/11/1497 - 05/12/2011

"Science for Policy"
The institutional embedding of the CSA
José Manuel Barroso
President of the
European Commission
Professor Anne Glover
Chief Scientific Adviser to
the President
Secretariat-General (SG)
Impact Assessment Board
Bureau of European
Policy Advisers (BEPA)
DG Research and
Innovation (RTD)
Joint Research
Centre (JRC)
"Policy for Science"
European Commissioners (including Máire Geoghegan-Quinn,
Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science)
Directorates-General,
including:

Arriving in Brussels

Day 1
02/01/2012

So, here I am – what can I do for you?
Source: ETHZ

The staff I had on the first day
(that makes a team of 2)
Source: ETHZ
Lydia Laura
(Secretary)
Prof. Ana María
Costa Freitas

Day 23
24/01/2012

On this day I met some of the key figures
Source: ETHZ
Johannes
Laitenberger,
Head of the
President's Cabinet
Catherine Day,
Secretary-General
Máire Geoghegan-
Quinn, Research
Commissioner
Dominique Ristori,
Director-General
Joint Research
Centre (JRC)
Koen Doens,
Head of the
Spokespersons
Service

Day 51
21/02/2012

My first 1:1 meeting with the President
to discuss my priorities
Source: ETHZ

Day 78
19/03/2012

I finally have a Scientific Assistant,
seconded by the Joint Research Centre
Source: ETHZ
Dr Jan Marco Müller

Day 92
02/04/2012

Getting to know science in the Commission:
Visiting Ispra (Italy), the largest JRC site
Source: ETHZ

Day 124
04/05/2012

My always supportive colleagues of
DG CONNECT introduce me to the
miraculous world of Twitter –
how could I ever have lived without it?
Source: ETHZ
https://twitter.com/EU_ScienceChief

Day 158
07/06/2012

In order to enhance transparency,
I send my first weekly briefing to all DGs –
sadly, others don't return the favour
Source: ETHZ

Day 185
04/07/2012

Time to brief the President about
some exciting European science
Source: ETHZ
Fabiola Gianotti, CERN

Day 193
12/07/2012

I am a special guest at the Euroscience
Open Forum ESOF 2012 – but the European
Commission seems to ignore my presence
Source: ETHZ

On the same day my website goes online –
updated by my own team
Source: ETHZ
http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/president/
chief-scientific-adviser/index_en.htm

Day 207
26/07/2012

Source: ETHZ
After half a year, my terms of reference
are defined in a message to all services
of the European Commission

Source: ETHZ

Day 248
05/09/2012

Visit to Washington: Seeking allies
on the other side of the Atlantic
Source: ETHZ

Day 276
03/10/2012

The Commission answers to a Parliamentary
Question regarding public statements
of the CSA on GMOs as follows:
Source: ETHZ
EN
E-007606/2012
Answer given by Mr Barroso on behalf of the Commission
(3.10.2012)
[…] The Commission wishes to use the opportunity to clarify to the
Honourable Member the role of the Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA). The CSA
reports directly to the President of the Commission and has the task to
provide independent expert advice to the President on any aspect of science,
technology and innovation and the potential opportunities and threats to the
EU stemming from new scientific and technological developments. Likewise,
the CSA has a role in enhancing public confidence in science and technology
and to promote the European culture of science. In this context, the CSA has
a role in stimulating societal debate on new technologies and to communicate
the existing scientific evidence about such technologies. The CSA has a purely
advisory function and no role in defining Commission policies. Therefore, her
views do not necessarily represent the views of the Commission.

Day 289
16/10/2012

I organise together with JRC and DG RTD
the first meeting of the European
Commission with the Presidents of all
National Science Academies in Europe
Source: ETHZ

Day 291
18/10/2012

The fun part of the CSA job is that
you meet very high-flying people
Source: ETHZ
Frank De Winne
1st European Commander of the ISS
Walter Koenig alias Pavel Chekov
Commander of the USS Enterprise

Day 337
03/12/2012

The European Space Agency seconds
a foresight expert to my office
Source: ETHZ
Dr Didier Schmitt

Day 345
11/12/2012

I speak to the Competitiveness Council
(= the Science Ministers of Europe)
about the value of having a science adviser
Source: ETHZ

Day 423
27/02/2013

Source: ETHZ
The first meeting of the President's Science
and Technology Advisory Council (STAC)

Day 432
08/03/2013

Science writes
my unofficial
mid-term evaluation
Source: ETHZ
"Indeed, Glover's influence is
hard to discern so far. […]
With less than 2 years left
until Barroso's term expires,
Glover is pressing hard to
raise the profile of science and
evidence in European politics."

Day 440
16/03/2013

Being a CSA can be physically demanding
Source: ETHZ
Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA)
5050 m altitude

Sharing the sheer joy of European science
Source: ETHZ

Day 513
28/05/2013

I join the first meeting of the
Chief Scientists of the European Union
Agencies (EU-ANSA)
Source: ETHZ

Day 547
01/07/2013

I finally have my own PA
Source: ETHZ
Suzanne Speer

Day 556
10/07/2013

I have the pleasure to address the College
of Commissioners talking about an
innovation-friendly societal environment
Source: ETHZ

Day 557
11/07/2013

My office receives the first access to
documents (= freedom of information)
request – there will be many more
Source: ETHZ
Note the interest in
my correspondence
with other CSAs
Estimated working
time needed to
prepare the reply:
30 hours

Day 569
23/07/2013

As a science adviser, you always need to be
on top of the scientific-technical progress

Day 639
01/10/2013

The first publication of
my office, including the
first report of the
Science and Technology
Advisory Council (STAC)
"The Commission should facilitate the
establishment of a pan-European
platform and forum on public concerns
about science and technology. This
platform should operate like a broker.
It should help people to find reliable
and robust information and to arrive at a
balanced and well-reflected judgment on
their own (pro and con information that
meets predefined quality criteria)."

Day 662
24/10/2013

I moderate a consensus meeting between
two opposing scientific camps
in the field of endocrine disruptors

Day 683
14/11/2013

The European Parliament creates for the
first time an in-house research service
The European Council still doesn't have one

Day 698
29/11/2013

My first public call for resignation
Source: ETHZ
Prof. Gilles-Eric Séralini MEP Corinne Lepage

Day 705
06/12/2013

In response to public demands I publish
a detailed Conflict of Interest statement
Source: ETHZ

Day 733
03/01/2014

The access to documents
requests get bigger
Source: ETHZ
Submitted by Pesticide Action Network Europe

Source: ETHZ
Estimated working time dedicated
to this request: 60 hours

Day 746
16/01/2014

A seconded national expert from the
UK House of Commons joins my team,
replacing Ana María Costa Freitas
(that still makes a team of 5)
Source: ETHZ
Xameerah Malik

Day 758
28/01/2014

I continue trying to convince national
governments why they should have
a government science adviser
Source: ETHZ

Day 778
17/02/2014

I chair the first meeting of the
Commission's internal Foresight Network –
with 200+ people from 20+ DGs signed up
Source: ETHZ
• Subtitle
3D PRINTING
Also known as additive
manufacturing, this new
application of ink-jet
printing technologies
makes possible mass
customisation of most of
the products currently
generated in the world's
manufacturing plants.
Researchers have also
shown it is possible to
print living cells.
PHOTONICS & LIGHT
Advances in photonics will
make it possible to interact
with light in extreme
conditions, work with new
materials (engineered and
organic) and work at the
nanoscale. The result will
be dramatic increases in
data transmission speeds
and bring about zero defect
manufacturing through
laser processing.
PERSONALISED
MEDICINE
The first generation
of 'digital patient profiles'
brings with it the possibility
to offer safer, cheaper
integrated treatment and
diets. No more treatment
based on averages or
statistics, just what you
need, when you need it,
based on your specific
genome and biochemistry.

Day 793
03/03/2014

My office welcomes a trainee from the
Belgian Academies for Science and Arts
(this makes temporarily a team of 6)
Source: ETHZ
Sofie Vanthournout

Day 823
03/04/2014

Doing some hands-on science diplomacy
Source: ETHZ

Day 850
30/04/2014

The access to documents requests
get bigger and bigger
Source: ETHZ
Submitted by
Corporate
Europe
Observatory
(CEO)

Source: ETHZ
Estimated working time dedicated
to this request: 90 hours

Day 870
20/05/2014

I invite a number of NGOs to discuss
how the use of scientific evidence by
the Commission could be improved
Source: ETHZ

Day 904
23/06/2014

Finding people
similar to me
in Europe
wasn't easy
(Situation
01/2012)

In the
meantime
there are a few
more of us
(Situation
08/2014)

Terms of Reference
European Science Advisers Forum (ESAF)
Mandate
The European Science Advisers Forum is an
independent and informal network of government
science advisers in Europe.
The aim of the European Science Advisers Forum is
to provide a platform on which government science
advisers in Europe can
• discuss and explore potential consensus on the
scientific dimension of European-wide policy
challenges
• communicate with each other in emergency
situations,
• exchange experiences and best practices,
• promote evidence-based policy-making in Europe.
Finally: The first ever meeting of
government science advisers in Europe
Source: ETHZ

Day 933
22/07/2014

NGOs ask for the CSA post to be "scrapped"
Source: ETHZ
"The post of Chief Scientific Adviser is
fundamentally problematic as it
concentrates too much influence in one
person, and undermines in-depth
scientific research and assessments
carried out by or for the Commission
directorates in the course of policy
elaboration."
"Until now, the role of Chief Scientific
Adviser has been unaccountable,
intransparent and controversial."
"We hope that you as the incoming
Commission President will decide not to
nominate a chief scientific adviser and
that instead the Commission will take its
advice from a variety of independent,
multi-disciplinary sources, with a focus on
the public interest."

Luckily, I have some friends
Source: ETHZ

And they are very vocal
Source: ETHZ

Day 961
19/08/2014

The NGOs send another letter
Source: ETHZ
"The intention of our letter was to
stimulate a debate about […] the risks
that continuing the CSA position poses to
scientific policy advice in general. […] Far
from being anti-science, our message is
that there should be more objective and
diverse expertise available to policy-makers
than any single adviser could
reasonably be expected to provide. […]
President Barroso’s experiment of
establishing a CSA position […] under-mined
expert research undertaken by
European agencies and independent
scientists."
"The question is how to ensure that the
best representation of wide-ranging
scientific advice is available to you and
your colleagues. The CSA position does
not and cannot fulfil this purpose. This is
not because of a lack of resources but
because of the fundamental flaws of
the role itself."

Day 970
28/08/2014

So, here I am – sharing my experiences
with some of my fellow travellers
Source: ETHZ

• EU policies are much more technical than national policies
(as much of it is about harmonisation) – this drags science
into a political battlefield.
• Convincing the Commission of the scientific evidence is the
easy part. It's harder to convince 751 MEPs from 190
different national Parties as well as 28 national governments
(who all want to say at home that their position was adopted
in Brussels).
• Therefore, a science adviser in the Commission must have
counterparts in the Parliament and in the Council / in
Member State governments.
• The diversity of cultural approaches to science advice should
not be underestimated. Some Member States think that the
CSA model does not suit them, while for others science
advice as such is an entirely new concept.
Lessons learned (1)

• Many people inside and outside the Commission appreciated
the fresh air brought by my role. In fact, there was more
appetite for scientific evidence in Brussels than I thought.
• There was tremendous support for the role from the
scientific community as well as business (which perceives
the CSA as a "voice of reason"), while NGOs opposed it.
• Though not part of my job description, a considerable part of
my time had to be devoted to acting as a kind of "scientific
ombudsman" of the Commission, handling complaints about
the Commission allegedly ignoring scientific evidence (which
shows the necessity of such a function).
• I have been a constant target of lobbying (under the wrong
assumption that this would influence my advice and that I
have much more influence than I have in reality), therefore
transparency is essential for the function, while respecting
confidentiality.
Lessons learned (2)

• Overall I was impressed with the rigour of Commission
procedures, while I also identified many areas for
improvement (e.g. science in impact assessments, lack of
harmonised guidelines for evidence gathering, selective use
of evidence).
• The wealth of competence and expertise already available –
e.g. in the JRC, in the EU Agencies, in national science
academies – is far from being fully valued and harnessed.
• A body like the European Commission is not used to the fact
that someone does not speak "the official line". Hence, the
administration felt uncomfortable with my role.
• In-house politics hampered the efficiency of the role.
Although I had the necessary independence, I was often
excluded from essential information (sometimes being
informed by people external to the Commission).
Lessons learned (3)

• Being attached to the President did not mean that I saw him
a lot – but it meant that people listened to me.
• Despite not having any institutional power, my position
gave me unique convening power – across Commission
services and across Institutions.
• But: Running a Chief Scientific Adviser function in the
European Commission is not possible without adequate
resources.
• I would not have achieved anything without my always
creative and hard-working team.
• I confess that there have been frustrating days in this job –
but this was more than balanced by the joy of being a voice
for the most exciting European science.
Lessons learned (4)

Day 1000
The President-elect announcing
that he wants to strengthen the
Chief Scientific Adviser role?

E-mail: ec-csa@ec.europa.eu
Twitter: EU_ScienceChief
Thank you for your attention!

1000 days in the life of a science advisor

More Related Content

Similar to 1000 days in the life of a science advisor

Recently uploaded

1000 days in the life of a science advisor