Virtual workshop: building an online environment for policy relevant science

Behavioural scientists from across the world are joining together to tackle the challenges of generating reliable research that responds to the global crisis provoked by COVID-19.

And next week (9-10 November), the group, known as SciBeh, will host a virtual workshop looking at the approaches which will help good science reach policy-makers and the public.

Dr Dawn Holford, from the Department of Psychology at the University of Essex, is one of the organisers and she explained: “Ultimately, we want to generate new ideas and innovations that can help us better respond to the COVID-19 crisis.”

The event will include expert speakers from across the globe who will share some of their experiences from the last six months in advising governments, managing academic preprints, and curating COVID-19 research.

The project, set up in March, is an independent collaboration led by researchers from Birkbeck University of London, the University of Bristol, Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, and the University of Essex. 

Its name, a shortening of ‘the science of behaviour’, reflects the group’s aim to make sure science can provide rapid, relevant and reliable information to help politicians respond appropriately in a crisis.

“The workshop is a good opportunity for us to take stock of what we have learned so far about doing science in a crisis, and renew our efforts going forward,” said Ulrike Hahn, one of the project’s founders. “This is especially important as COVID-19 and its challenges are likely to be here for the long haul.”

More information about speakers can be found on the workshop website where attendees can also register for the event.