Upholding Integrity in Scientific Advice: Key Principles and Challenges

Our event is part of a three-day celebration scheduled for 3-5 November 2025, with events open to the public. 

Over the past decade, evidence-informed policymaking has gained prominence across Europe, supported by a flourishing ecosystem of national and international science advice structures, networks, and practices that inform policymakers at every level of governance. In this context, a vibrant community of practice—encompassing academies of sciences and other key stakeholders—has steadily emerged and expanded, exchanging and developing perspectives on challenges and best practices to effectively inform policy.

Integrity is fundamental to the conduct of science and the provision of scientific advice, serving as the cornerstone of trustworthiness and the foundation for fostering public trust in science. Without integrity, neither science nor science advice can be considered reliable or credible. Upholding integrity in scientific advice ensures that the process is transparent, unbiased, and dependable, thereby enabling policymakers to base their decisions on sound and trustworthy evidence.

This half-day event, organised by ALLEA –the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities–, will explore the essential principles that sustain integrity and address the challenges involved in maintaining it at the science-policy interface. It will ask what it means to uphold integrity in real-world advisory settings, how it is challenged under pressure, and what academies can do to protect and promote it, both within their own practices and in the broader science-policy interface.

Bringing together academy members, science advisors, policymakers, and early-career researchers, the event will offer both reflective space and practical exchange, inviting participants to share experiences and co-develop concrete steps to support integrity in science advice.

Draft programme:
14:00 – 14:10 | Welcome and Opening
14:10 – 14:30 | Keynote
14:30 – 15:30 | Panel Discussion: “Integrity in Scientific Advice – Core Principles and Challenges”
15:30 – 15:45 | Coffee/Networking Break
15:45 – 16:30 | Breakout Discussions: Integrity in Practice
16:30 – 17:20 | Plenary: Sharing Reflections and Ideas
17:20 – 17:50 | Next Steps and Closing Remarks (ALLEA-SAPEA)

More information: The 200th anniversary celebrations of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.