A brief history
The Mega-Science Forum (MSF) was launched in 1992 and reflected a growing recognition at the political level of the importance of international scientific collaboration and large-scale research infrastructures. MSF had a particular focus on physics and space science and organised a number of scientific workshops exploring future priorities for collaboration. It also did some initial work on more cross-cutting policy issues, such as access to large scale research facilities.
GSF evolved out of MSF and was formally established in 1999 with a broader mandate to address scientific policy issues. Research infrastructures continued to be an important theme over the next 20 years and the work on scientific cooperation was expanded. The importance of international coordination with regards to scientific data also became more apparent during this period, with a number of new cooperative facilities being seeded by GSF projects.
GSF today
GSF activities since 2020 reflect both a continuity of previous interests and a recognition that science is undergoing a major transition. This change is driven both by increasing demands, and expectations, from society and by the new opportunities presented by digitalisation and technological progress. This raises both new policy questions and new possibilities for addressing long-standing issues.
The GSF counts 31 members from OECD and also includes several key partner countries and the European Union. South Africa became first full Associate in 2023. As the issues that it is addressing are complex and concern multiple actors, there has been a particular emphasis in recent years on establishing strategic partnerships to implement GSF activities.
The overall objective
The overall objective of GSF is to support countries to improve their science policies and share in the benefits of international collaboration. The forum is a unique venue to facilitate exchange of information and best practices, establish international frameworks and standards and foster collaboration.
The strength of GSF is the cross-country analysis and the mutual learning that accompanies this” .
Amanda CollisChair of
the GSF (since 2023)
Key milestones
Integrity and security in the global research ecosystem
Transdisciplinary research for society; Operation of national research infrastructures.
Competitive research funding mechanisms; Scientific advice during Crises
Research ethics and new forms of data; Scientific advice for policy making
International distributed infrastructures.
Very large research infrastructures Mobilising science in crises: Lessons learned from COVID-19
Diverse career pathways for PhDs and postdocs
Precarity of academic research careers; High-risk/high-reward research.
Scientific and socio-economic impact of research infrastructures.
Recommendation of the OECD Council on the Governance of Clinical Trials
establish Scientific Collections International (SciColl)
Business models and sustainability of research infrastructures; Data repositories and networks.
establish the International Sustainable Temperate Agriculture Network (TempAg)
New data for understanding the human condition
Astroparticle Physics International Forum (APIF)
establish of the Global Earthquake Model (GEM).
Establish International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility (INCF); Best practices for scientific integrity Road mapping of large research infrastructures.
Science of Science Policy.
Near earth objects: risks, policies and actions
Establish the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
Research Infrastructures
Optimising the operation and use of national research Infrastructures (2020)
Most research infrastructures (RIs) are funded, managed and operated at a national (or federal) level, and provide services mainly to national research communities. This project developed a generic framework for improving the use and operation of national RIs. It includes two guiding models: one for portfolio management and one for user-base optimisation. These identify key principles and good practices for an effective national RI management system.
Very Large Research Infrastructures: Policy issues and options (2023)
Very Large Research Infrastructures (VLRIs) are complex undertakings with a strong international dimension that play a critical role in frontier research in most scientific domains. VLRIs require considerable care in their construction and operation, as well as very substantial investments and technological innovations. This project identifies and analyses good practices for the establishment of VLRIs, options for improving their use and operation, as well as longer-term strategic considerations that VLRI managers, funders and decision-makers need to consider.
Fostering research infrastructure ecosystems for addressing complex scientific and societal challenges (ongoing)
The COVID-19 crisis demonstrated the capacity of RIs to work together in a complementary way to address complex challenges beyond their individual scientific domains. New collaborative partnerships between RIs are emerging not only to support excellent science but also to help develop solutions to urgent societal challenges. The objective of this activity is to investigate the opportunities as well as the practical models for the development of integrated RI ecosystems
Research Infrastructures are increasingly important in all fields of science and have a critical role to play in bringing different disciplines together to address global challenges
Gabriele Fioni, Chair of the GSF (2017-2022)
Science in Society
Addressing societal challenges using transdisciplinary research (2020)
Transdisciplinary research, which combines knowledge from different scientific disciplines with that of public and private sector stakeholders and citizens, is increasingly seen as being important for developing solutions to complex societal challenges. This includes developing effective responses in acute crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as longer-term solutions for sustainable development. This project analysed a series of 28 case studies to identify the key obstacles to effectively implementing transdisciplinary research.
Mobilising science in response to crises: Lessons learned from COVID-19(2023)
1) COVID-19 and policy for science;
2) COVID-19 and science for policy and society; and
3) COVID-19, resilience and the interface between science, policy and society
Science was at the forefront of the response to COVID-19, with public research underpinning understanding of the pandemic, the development of vaccines and therapies and policy interventions. This project explored how the scientific community responded to the pandemic, what were the challenges for an effective response and what science policy measures proved to be most useful in facilitating such as response. The final product is three STI policy reports that lay out the lessons learned from the pandemic and actions required to be better prepared for future crises.
Policies to enable citizen engagement in the production of scientific knowledge (ongoing)
Citizen science can have a number of aims, both scientific and societal, and is often touted as a mechanism to promote trust in science. The COVID19 pandemic highlighted the importance of citizens in both identifying urgent research needs (e.g. ‘Long-COVID’ was identified by patient groups) and in collecting and providing critical research data. Citizen science can provide a mechanism to incorporate local and traditional knowledge into scientific research. This project builds on existing initiatives and expands the learning across different countries and regions, with a focus on the policy actions that are necessary to facilitate citizen science.
