Upcoming Deadlines and Updates from the International Science Council (ISC)

1. Nominations are sought to help establish a small group of experts that will represent the Council for an international alliance around COVID-19 education

The ISC is invited to join an international alliance of organisations looking at the world-wide educational challenges caused by the COVID-19 crisis and how innovations and technologies can help educational institutions respond to similar challenges in the future and enable life-long learning with digital tools that are fit for purpose.

This initiative is coordinated by the multidisciplinary Platform for Transformative Technologies (P4TT) led by Veerle Vandeweerd and a COVID-19 Education Alliance of partners (COVIDEA) with expertise in digital education for the future.

Nominations close on 25 May 2020, self-nominations are accepted. For more information, please visit https://council.science/call-for-nominations-covidea/

2. Rearticulating human development – Request for submissions by 31 May 2020

Since its introduction, the Human Development Report has been influential in broadening the scope of the concept of development by pointing decision makers to the multi-dimensional nature of development.

The ISC and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are encouraging the community to add your voice to the discussion by responding to a global call for inputs by 31 May 2020. You can respond to the questions posed by the committee around the six new dimensions, or you may choose to submit an essay or think piece (maximum of 2000 words).

Responses will feed into the project report to be jointly published by the ISC and UNDP in preparation for the High Level Political Forum in July 2020. For more information, please visit https://council.science/human-development/

3. Global Science TV – Call to participate in the Public Value of Science project

The ISC is starting a pilot programme in partnership with the Australian Academy of Science called Global Science TV as one aspect of the Public Value of Science project in the ISC Action Plan. The project will consist of 15-minute online TV programmes, which aim to share scientific expertise directly from experts themselves, while educating, entertaining and informing viewers on major issues of scientific relevance.

ISC members are invited to be involved, whether by nominating experts to be part of the programme, or by using the free content as a springboard to bring in local experts on similar subject matter for national audiences. More information will be provided shortly, particularly to those members who have expressed an interest in the Public Value of Science project.

The project will be evaluated by the ISC Committee for Outreach and Engagement. For more information, please visit https://council.science/globalsciencetv/

4. ISC COVID-19 Global Science Portal

Thank you to all members who have contributed to the portal, which has provided an opportunity to amplify the various swift actions that ISC members have initiated in response to the global pandemic, and to launch new collaborations. We will continue to amplify your think-pieces and initiatives in the coming months. For more information, please visit https://council.science/covid19