Science-Policy Interfaces for Environmental Solutions: Learning to Span Boundaries

From climate change to biodiversity loss or plastic pollution, environmental crises have become more complex and intertwined, calling for active engagement between scientists and policy actors towards science-informed solutions.
To achieve this, a great number of stakeholders need specific skills and capacities to navigate the science-policy interface related to environmental governance towards ecological transition. In this context, International Geneva is host to a rather unique ecosystem that creates opportunities for science to join the policy table and for policy to inform science on knowledge gaps, thus allowing to pair knowledge and action for the common good across a wide pool of expertise.
This Geneva Summer School offers a unique opportunity for early career researchers, policy professionals and civil society actors to:
- Explore how science-policy interfaces work in practice in the environmental field
- Learn about strategies, practices, and skills required to span the boundary between science and policy and apply these to the context(s) of participants
- Get practical advice and experience from actors working at the science-policy interface
- Networking with experts and practitioners from the international Geneva ecosystem
The course will include interactive sessions, conceptual and methodological lectures, round tables and practical activities. It will involve experts and practitioners working at the science-policy interface.
Module 1: Environmental governance systems and the role of science
Module 2: Understanding the science-policy interface: models, functions and actors
Module 3: Boundary-spanning as a field of practice: key engagement skills
Module 4: Practical and interactive case studies
Module 5: Career paths at the interface
Target audience
Phd candidates, early career professionals (scientists, practitioners, policy actors). Master students might be allowed in the programme on a case by case basis if their background and motivation letter show strong commitment to field of Science-Policy Interface.
Course credits
Equivalence of 3 ECTS
Students will be provided with a Certificate of Completion for their course if they satisfy attendance. Students wanting to acquire 3 ECTS have the opportunity to do so on the basis of a written assignment.
Please note that this is not an official University of Geneva transcript. It is the students’ own responsibility to validate this course for credit at their home university previously to the summer school, as specified in our Regulations.
Junior professionals : CHF 1,000
External students : CHF 800
UNIGE students : CHF 200
Course + Accommodation Package
Participants choosing the package, can register through us for housing at the Cité universitaire de Genève. Please thorougly read our instructions before filling in the application form.
Please note that only a limited number of rooms are available for that course. All applications are handled on a first come first served basis and assignments will be subject to availability.
Professionals (course + accommodation): CHF 1,336
External students (course + accommodation) : CHF 1,136
Academic Director:
Dr. Alexandre Hedjazi
Insitute for Environmental Sciences
Univeristy of Geneva
Administrative Director:
Dr. Frédérique Guerin
Geneva Science Policy Interface
Course Coordinator:
Mialy Rann
Geneva Science Policy Interface
Coming soon...