23 Dec, 2011
This report provides a useful guide to authorities and EU member states in their future work on regulation and standardisation of nanomaterials. It provides a comprehensive overview of the known toxicity of nanomaterials to human health and the environment.
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Katarzyna Malkiewicz 1, Michala Pettitt 2, Kenneth A. Dawson 3, Arho Toikka 4, Sven Ove Hansson 1, Janne Hukkinen 4, Iseult Lynch 3, Jamie Lead
12 Dec, 2011
Science for Environment Policy, Issue 265: A service from the European Commission. Articles in this issue include REDD+ can achieve both local and global sustainability goals, Valuing ecosystem services can boost business profits, New method for estimating the energy consumption of rainwater and study calls for triclosan to be restricted What influences our commitment to the environment?
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08 Dec, 2011
The Environment Minister, John Griffiths has decided to create a single body to bring together the Forestry Commission Wales (FCW), Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) and the Environment Agency Wales (EAW). Over the last few months, staff from the three bodies and Welsh Government have put together a business case to look at the creation of a single body, and the Minister has now approved this. The next steps in the Programme will include a public consultation in early 2012. For further information please see the Welsh Government website.
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07 Dec, 2011
After a quiet 2011, I would like to welcome everyone back to the Network. With new resource now in place to support the Secretariat, we will be looking to reinvigorate activities over the coming months. In addition to this newsletter, you will start to see updates being posted to the SKEP website. These will include details of current developments within Network organisations, and new science-policy initiatives which are taking place.
The aspiration for the Network has always been that it would provide added value for its members – by sharing expertise, research and information. In the current economic climate, this has never been more important.
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05 Dec, 2011
Held on 15/16 September in Brussels the Environment Directorate General -
"Defining practical solutions for strengthening the European science and environment policy interface" workshop was held. Solid scientific evidence is needed to underpin EU environment policy, so that the necessary changes in the state of the environment can be delivered. The complexity of the environment, as well as emerging trends in the way that policy is managed and public demand for full and transparent information, all suggest that a stronger scientific foundation for environment policy is needed.
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05 Dec, 2011
The Centre for Science and Policy helps the sciences and technology to serve society by promoting engagement between researchers and policy professionals. Specifically, we:
provide policy professionals with access to the best academic thinking in engineering, science, computing, mathematics, the social sciences, law and philosophy
provide an arena in which those interested in the policy implications of the sciences and technology, and the relationship between research expertise and public policy, can discuss and develop fresh ideas
provide training, support and opportunities for researchers to engage with policy makers.
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31 Aug, 2010
Prospective network members SNIFFER (the Scotland and Northern Ireland Forum for Environmental Research) have recently undertaken a review of the impact of their research projects, and published some Golden Rules to help maximise the impact of future research. The projects were part of SNIFFER’s Environmental Regulation Programme, a partnership-based research and knowledge exchange programme for the environment agencies in the UK, and SEPA's Research Programme.
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Meagher et al
22 Jul, 2010
A report on "Communicating research for evidence-based policymaking" has been published by the European Commission. The publication is intended as a practical guide to support that collaborative endeavour specifically in the field of socio-economic sciences and humanities.
The publication is intended as a practical guide to support that collaborative endeavour specifically in the field of socio-economic sciences and humanities.
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European Commission
30 Jun, 2010
The first Network Steering Committee of the SKEP Network has been held in Dessau, Germany. The meeting was very successful and brought clarity to the direction of the SKEP Network. Various options of knowledge exchange were discussed in an innovative exercise of 'speed dating' of organisations to examine priorities and potential matches. The SKEP annual report and accounts were discussed to showcase our achivements over the past year. We should all be very proud of what we have achieved.
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30 Jun, 2010
The reports from LTS International and Policy Studies Institute have now been uploaded onto the publications library. The projects were funded from the Network's second joint call. The relationship between science and policy is often seen as difficult, as the fictitious examples
above illustrate. Yet from climate change to food security, many of the biggest challenges
facing the world today rely upon effective policymaking, based upon the best science and
evidence. We need to be sure that we have the communication and relationship between these
two groups right. This research project set out to look at that communication process, to
examine closely the communications involved in real-life science to policy case studies and to
identify the lessons from the past to help us deal with scientific issues that are emerging now
and those that will emerge in the future.
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