The 2018 BC Science & Policy Conference

Join us at the first annual British Columbia Science & Policy Conference!

Friday, May 11, 2018
12:00 PM – 5:30 PM
UBC Life Sciences Institute, room LSC1
2350 Health Sciences Mall, Point Grey campus, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Reserve your tickets here.

Visit the conference website to learn more.

Note: Ella Wright, Manager of Programs & Strategic Partnerships, and Professor Max Cameron will be presenting on UBC’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs (SSPGA) and the Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions (CSDI) respectively, from 3:55 pm – 4:10 pm.

About the event:

The 2018 BC Science & Policy conference will explore three themes:

1) How does science research currently affect policy development in BC? (Lightning talks)

2) What is the role of scientists in policy development, and what is the responsibility of policy makers towards the scientific community? (Panel discussion)

3) What is BC’s science policy strategy and how can it be improved? (Breakout session)

The expectation that government decision-making be built on a foundation of credible evidence has become a growing demand of the Canadian public. Access to information, availability of appropriate resources, and strong relationships with researchers are just a few of the many factors required to ensure government can obtain the best available data. While both researchers and government can agree that an evidence-based approach to policy-making is critical, the relationships between these sectors are not so clearly established and defined. Thus, to better support government efforts towards evidence-based decision making, it is worthwhile to keep strengthening the channels that bridge these gaps.

Canada’s current federal government reaffirmed its commitment to evidence-based decision making through the creation of a Ministry of Science and the re-appointment of a Chief Science Advisor, to name a few examples. Moreover, the commissioning of the Fundamental Science Review (also known as The Naylor Report) has brought much needed attention towards the critical role fundamental research plays in the growth of Canadian society. With increasing support towards science for policy at the federal level comes an opportunity for governments to capitalize on this momentum at the provincial level. Many domains fall under the jurisdiction of provincial governments, including health, education, natural resources, and social services. Moreover, provinces are the primary funders of Universities, and are therefore linked to Canada’s scientific efforts.

Following in the footsteps of the “Bridging the Gap between Life Sciences and Politics” conference series at the University of British Columbia, the 2018 B.C. Science & Policy Conference aims to open up a discussion about the current status on the use of science for policy in British Columbia. Our goal will be to not only bring forward ideas on how we can better facilitate the communication and mobilization of scientific knowledge in policy development, but to drive motivation for change among both researchers and government to better support the sustained integration of science into everyday government decision making.

This event is sponsored by: