08 May Conference brings together academia, Parliament and science to strengthen evidence-based decisions

During the Meeting of CRUCH Vice-Chancellors of Research held at the Universidad Católica del Norte, the activity focused on how to bring academic knowledge closer to the legislative and public policy processes. The activity was organized by UCN and the Vincula platform and included a keynote lecture on the link between science and politics given by the academic Karen Bogenschneider, who then spoke with the directors of the SECOS Millennium Institute, Congresswoman Carolina Tello and the executive director of the CTCI Council.

The relationship between the scientific world and public decision-making was the focus of the keynote lecture given by Karen Bogenschneider and subsequent discussion on Thursday, April 24 at the Universidad Católica del Norte (UCN), Coquimbo campus. The activity took place within the framework of the Meeting of Vice-Chancellors of Research of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH) and was organized by the UCN and the Vincula initiative, which connects researchers with the Parliament in collaboration with a network of Chilean universities.

The presentation was followed by a discussion that brought together the directors of the Millennium Institute in Coastal Socio-Ecology (SECOS) and academics Stefan Gelcich and Pilar Haye, the deputy for District 5 Carolina Tello and the executive director of the National Council for Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation Katherine Villarroel.

Haye, an academic from the Faculty of Marine Sciences UCN and alternate director of SECOS moderated the event and emphasized that “with the presence of the highest university authorities in science at the national level, we reflected on the need to bring knowledge closer to decision makers, exchanging ideas on how science can inform the generation and implementation of public policies”.

Francisca Reyes, director of Vincula and researcher and coordinator of the SECOS public policy unit, valued the space as an opportunity to bring together complementary views. “It was a valuable meeting that allowed the integration of three key perspectives to improve public policies. I am left with the call to consider scientific evidence throughout the policy formation cycle, the importance of professionalizing legislative work with scientific advice, and the need for decision-makers to do so with responsibility and high standards,” she said.

The Bogenschneider model: trust and long-term vision

With more than 25 years leading Family Impact Seminars in the United States -spaces for non-partisan dialogue between researchers and legislators-, Karen Bogenschneider shared key lessons for an effective link between science and policy. During her presentation, the academic presented her “model for communicating knowledge to public policy”, highlighting the importance of building trusting relationships, establishing long-term dialogues and understanding the internal dynamics of legislative processes.

“It is not enough to deliver evidence; we must think about how to build meaningful relationships with decision makers,” he emphasized during the talk. He also stressed that “scientists must be honest about what they know and what they don’t know” and that “tailoring the message to the context of the decision-maker is critical for the evidence to have a real impact.”

The Chilean case: progress and challenges

During his speech, Bogenschneider was enthusiastic about initiatives such as Vincula, the platform that brings together more than a thousand researchers willing to answer queries from public authorities. “These types of initiatives are a great step forward, but for them to work, it is essential that researchers take the first step,” he said, proposing that universities take a proactive role in approaching legislative committees and strategic parliamentarians.

In this sense, Stefan Gelcich, UC academic, director of SECOS and researcher at the CAPES Center, emphasized the role of academia in this area: “universities and research centers can contribute in different stages of the public policy cycle. For this we need interdisciplinary approaches that provide information from multiple perspectives, supporting the work of those who have been elected to make decisions”. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

“In SECOS we have as a cross-cutting objective to generate knowledge that informs public policy and decision-making, a leadership exercised by the public policy unit. Instances such as this allow us to advance in this purpose, fostering the connection between science and political processes to achieve significant changes in society,” said Haye.