Bridging science and policy in the Global South: the Colombo Framework for Institutionalizing Science Advice

The COVID-19 pandemic - and the inconsistent government responses it revealed - has made the institutionalisation of robust Science Advice to Policymakers (SAP) an urgent imperative. Barring exceptions such as initiatives by the International Network for Governmental Science Advice, very few training programmes aim to develop capacity of policy makers, especially in the Global South. In response to these needs, the National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka and the Association of Academies and Societies of Sciences in Asia (AASSA), conducted a project titled Institutionalising Science Advice to Governments. Its key objectives was to develop an appropriate framework to understand the process of institutionalisation of SAP. The Colombo Framework so developed integrated four clusters: the SAP process; guiding values and principles; supporting institutional and legislative structures; and evaluating SAP. It was validated by experts and used for designing a questionnaire to assess current SAP practices across AASSA member countries which enabled data gathering on the diversity of models of SAP, their challenges and best practices. The framework also helped structure an international workshop to share country-level situation analyses, formulate roadmaps for implementation and build consensus on the relevance of institutionalising SAP. The latter culminated in the Colombo Declaration, urging governments to strengthen science-policy engagements. Short-term and long-term feedback from participants indicated high utility of the framework for understanding and operationalising SAP in diverse contexts. The framework offers a systematic approach for countries, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, to institutionalise SAP and for scientists to gain in-depth understanding of the process.