We are pleased to announce that our Smart4Policy Self-reflection tool is now online. Its purpose is to help policymakers and researchers working in science-for-policy reflect on their level of competence in various fields. Smart4Policy is open to all and is free of charge.

The questions and statements in Smart4Policy are based on the competence frameworks ‘Innovative Policymaking’ and ‘Science for Policy’. These frameworks were developed over the course of two years in an iterative process with policymakers, researchers, learning and development experts, governance scholars and topical experts. They describe overarching competences, which policymakers and researchers in the science for policy field need in their work.

The Smart4Policy online self-reflection tool helps you understand where your strengths are and which areas of improvement you have. Completing a self-reflection in one session takes around 30 - 60 minutes, but you can save your self-reflection and return later. You can also decide to answer only some competence clusters. Then it takes less time.

Upon completing the questionnaire, you will automatically receive a report on your competence level in each cluster with suggestions on next steps and resources helping you improve. Based on the results, you can make an informed decision about your personal learning and development plan. For example, you could aim to be a generalist, who is somewhat good at everything. Or you could be a specialist, who aims to be excellent at one or a few connected areas of competence. Importantly, the competences are a collective set of activities, which organisations should be able to perform. But no individual policymaker or researcher can be expected to excel in all or even many of them.

The tool has been created and is maintained and managed by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission.

Please share the news about the Smart4Policy online self-reflection tool among your networks. Join the online conversation with the hashtag #science4policy.

Use the Smart4Policy Self-Reflection tool