The first “Science Advice to Governments” conference took place in Auckland, New Zealand, on 28-29 August 2014. The meeting was co-hosted by the Office of Sir Peter Gluckman, Chief Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of New Zealand and the International Council for Science (ICSU).
The presence of many of leading scientists and policy-leaders from their respective national science systems (as science advisors and/or heads of academies) made this meeting a landmark event.
The Auckland Conference was an opportunity for the world’s leading practitioners of science advice to meet and discuss the key challenges and good practices of their task, together with scholars having expertise in the field. Practitioners ranged from individual science advisors to the highest levels of governments and government departments, to head of national academies and other advisory committees, to advisors with an S&T brief at regional and municipal level. Also, many scientists and policy-makers who had been involved in related activities were present. Delegates spoke to a variety of science advisory models that were established (or being established) in a number of jurisdictions globally.