Athens | 15–17 May 2025

Conference on "Science and policy in times of multicrisis and dissent"

What are the roles of scientific evidence and advice and of corporate and non-commercial societal interests in decision-making? In what ways do unaccountable economic actors, interests and assumptions shape policy and scientific considerations about what is possible and what is needed? Under what conditions can existing public problem-definitions, as well as just decisions on them, be made scientifically and democratically legitimate? How should scientific advisors and policy-makers respond to scientific disagreements? And what can responsible scientists do when governments adopt measures intended to shut down or at least control scientific dissent, when it challenges dominant official narratives? Questions like these will be at the heart of the three days of reflection at this conference. By promoting open debate and reflection, this conference aims to engage with a plurality of perspectives on the science–policy interface.

When: Thursday 15 May – Saturday 17 May 2025

Where: Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece

Co-organisers: European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility, Critical Scientists Switzerland & Academy of Athens

Funders: Mariolopoulos-Kanaginis Foundation for the Environmental Sciences , Fondation Charles Léopold Mayer pour le progrès humain, Triodos Foundation & Zukunftsstiftung Landwirtschaft – GLS Treuhand

For more information, see here: https://ensser.org/events/2025/conference-programme-science-and-policy-in-times-of-multicrisis-and-dissent/