SciencePages to use pilot project on biodiversity to seek additional funding

A fledgling organization devoted to informing elected officials and others on key science issues is hoping that a pilot report on biodiversity will generate sufficient funding to staff and run the operation on a permanent basis. SciencePages was launched last March under the auspices of the Partnership Group for Science and Engineering (PAGSE), to fill a perceived gap between science analysis and those who require it to create effective policy.

An initial target of $100,000 a year to run the organization was not met, however, prompting its backers to forge ahead with an initial four-page note on biodiversity to demonstrate its usefulness and impact. Seed funding and support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) are being used to fund the initial document which is being compiled by three interns whose training is a critical component of the venture.

"There was incredible enthusiasm for SciencePages but it translated into cash in the bank in only two instances — NSERC and CFI," says Dr Rees Kassen, an associate professor in the Univ of Ottawa's biology department, PAGSE chair and a key SciencePages backer. "This pilot will be a good calling card. We decided to do something and use it to raise funds with something in hand."

Modelled on the UK's POSTNotes produced by Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, SciencePages goes one step further with an internship element to train students in science policy. The biodiversity paper will be announced at the upcoming Canadian Science Policy Conference in Montreal and officially unveiled at a science breakfast for Parliamentarians on October 28th.

biodiversity a logical first topic

Kassen says the decision to focus on biodiversity for the pilot paper is based on a confluence of several events all related to the subject.

* The United Nations has declared 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity and has launched the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), a parallel initiative to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change;

* The Council of Canadian Academies is completing an expert panel report on biodiversity on behalf of the Canadian Museum of Nature — The State and Trends of Biodiversity in Canada — slated for release next month;

* Canada's Species at Risk Act is currently undergoing a regular seven-year review.

"The paper will examine the science of biodiversity focusing on the why and the what, and it will also examine the policy landscape in Canada," says Kassen. "It will look at the dominant trends in Canada and what Canada has done to address its commitment. Canada was signatory to an international agreement on biodiversity several years ago."

To research and prepare the document, SciencePages engaged three interns who began work in early September. Each intern brings a specific skill set — the science of biodiversity, the policy context and communications. Kassen says NSERC is particularly interested in the training potential of SciencePages which stands it in good stead for further support.

As the communications intern on the pilot, Edith Lamoureux worked with two colleagues on writing the text, reviewing the document, setting the overall tone and ensuring that the language used was accessible to everyone.

"It's been a great experience, exactly what I was looking for. I was able to work with many professionals and touch all aspects of the project," says Lamoureux, who holds a BSc in biology and masters of communications.

If Science Pages is successful is securing additional funding, it will establish a formal process for identifying and selecting interns. It will also establish a 12-member advisory group comprised of Parliamentarians from all the major political parties and other leaders in the science community to provide input for issues that will be examined in future projects.

"Two Parliamentarians have already agreed to do it and we have feelers out to a number of others," says Kassen.

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