Through an iterative, inclusive process, an evaluation framework to assess the capacity of science for policy ecosystems in EU Member States will be developed between December 2021 and April 2023.

Why we do this

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of robust scientific advice to policymakers.

At the same time, the crisis has revealed many frictions at the interface between policymaking and science, as well as the variable institutional support for evidence-informed policymaking.

This has led to increased political interest in building capacity of science for policy ecosystems* across the EU.

Capacity building benefits from being informed by sound research and analysis.

The evaluation framework to be co-created by the JRC with scientific experts and practitioners from across Europe will

• enrich and raise awareness around national and EU-level debates on how to strengthen and connect science for policy ecosystems within and between EU Member States,
• provide a conceptual and methodological framework for the analysis in support of informing capacity building activities, and
• facilitate the exchange of information and collaboration between Member States facing the same challenge at the science-policy interface or those that can help another.  

What we do

Designing evaluation frameworks in the field of governance is notoriously difficult, especially when dealing with as complex and diverse an object of evaluation as science for policy ecosystems.

Can and should we work with (quantitative) indicator dashboards? What are critical elements to ensure high science for policy capacity? What are the conceptual, methodological and data limitations, as well as governance and political downsides of using indicators?

In view of the diversity in science for policy institutions across the EU Member States, would a rich, qualitative assessment be more suitable? To what extent would such an approach help us foster cross-country information exchange and collaboration?

These are some of the questions to be addressed in this project. 

This is why we launch a co-creation process aiming to create an evaluation framework of the capacity of science for policy ecosystems in EU Member States. The process will bring together experts from a wide range of academic disciplines, as well as practitioners and policymakers from diverse institutional environments.

Through an iterative, inclusive process, we want to ensure that the evaluation framework will be conceptually sound, socially robust, and empirically validated.

How we do this

Participatory expert workshop (by invitation, 24 March 2022) 

We organised a first, exploratory workshop by invitation on the 24th of March for: 

• scientific experts working on evaluation framework and indicator development in the field of science for policy, governance, regulation, and public administration, research impact, and related areas;
• professionals working in public administrations at EU, national and sub-national level on the use of evidence for policymaking and/or better regulation; and
• professionals working in scientific institutions and intermediary bodies between science and policymaking on science for policy.

Please find the workshop agenda and the slides here: 

Research reports

Part of our activities include the production and commissioning of discussion papers and research reports to inform the development of the evaluation framework.

These reports, along with blog posts, have been published as part of this project.

Kathryn Oliver (2022): "Assessing national institutional capacity for evidence-informed policymaking: the role of a science-for-policy system"

Download full report

Read short blog post below:

Roger Strand (2022): Indicator dashboards in governance of evidence-informed policymaking: Thoughts on rationale and design criteria

Download full report

Read short blog post below:

Ingeborg Niestroy (2022): "Constructing assessment indicator dashboards for evidence-informed policymaking: Insights from the perspective of public administration, institutions, and governance"

Download full report

Read short blog post below:

Development of and call for feedback on beta version of evaluation framework

The JRC will be reaching out to the community of experts and practitioners that it has been collaborating with in the context of the “Strengthening and connecting ecosystems of science for policy across the EU” workshop series".

Piloting evaluation framework with Member States

In order to ensure that the framework can be usefully applied in the diverse landscape of science for policy ecosystems of different Member States, the JRC will connect with partners in different Member States to explore opportunities to pilot the evaluation framework. This will ensure that the framework will be fit for purpose and context-sensitive.

* Science for policy ecosystem is here understood as: "a complex of organisational structures and entities, processes, and networks that interact to support the mobilisation, acquisition, synthesis, translation, presentation for use, and application of scientific knowledge in policymaking processes."