Swiss Young Network for Science Policy and Diplomacy (SYNESPOD)

Background

The project is motivated by the global challenges that affect Switzerland, such as climate change, biodiversity loss and the devastating effects of the political and health crises, that require transdisciplinary solutions at the interface of science, policy, and international cooperation. For this purpose, science policy and diplomacy provide opportunities to address challenges through science-policy dialogue and international collaboration.

Goals

• Building the capacity of early-career researchers to contribute to science policy through trainings and workshops on the Swiss political system and on science communication
• Increasing the capacity, visibility, and impact of early-career researchers in science policy and science diplomacy
• Establishing (inter)national collaborative network for science policy and diplomacy

Planned activities

SYNESPOD will be realized through trainings, workshops, and meetings with representative (inter)national associations to identify shared interests and exchange experiences, creating a strategic network for science policy and diplomacy at the SYA. 

In particular, the project envisages training sessions on the Swiss political system for early-career scientists and a workshop on effective science communication to policy-makers and science-policy dialogue co-organized with Reatch (franxini project), a series of international meetings (online kickoff brainstorming meetings and an in-person meeting), and the participation in the Geneva Science Diplomacy Week (GESDA), an international forum for science diplomacy leaders, in partnership with the think tank foraus.  We will further focus on establishing connections with the leading (inter)national organizations involved in science diplomacy, namely the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT), Geneva Science Policy Interface (GSPI), Global Young Academy (GYA) and representative European national academies, and others. The exchanges will involve building a collaborative database for the strategic network that will be continuously updated. 

In the next years following the project, the associated activities and outputs have the potential to evolve into a working group with a lasting impact.