Centre for Science and Policy

The Centre for Science and Policy (CSaP) is a networking organisation dedicated to building relationships between policy makers and experts in the sciences and engineering.

The Centre is developing an array of activities including seminars, workshops and presentations that provide opportunities for informal, high-level discussion between policy practitioners in government and industry and world class experts. In doing so the Centre is building on the success of the Cambridge University Government Policy Programme (CUGPOP), which ran from 1998-2006 and which promoted understanding of how scientific and technological advances are made, their implications and potential in terms of governmental planning and policy.

The CSaP operates through a Centre Staff supporting a network of Associates, Fellows and Centre Interest Groups, making connections and building relationships between the University and Government at senior levels. Workshops for senior policy makers are the most important output of the Centre: their objective is to use these workshops to promote multidisciplinary discussion between domain experts and policy makers.

Three of the most interesting aspects of their work focus on Centre Interest Groups, policy workshops and a programme for Policy Fellows. In their Centre Interest Groups (CIGs), a nominated Convenor brings together Associates, Visiting Fellows and Centre Fellows meeting 3-4 times a year to discuss a topic cutting across engineering, science, computing, mathematics, the social sciences, law and philosophy. Policy Workshops involve meetings of 3-30 people in which the thinking developed in the CIGs is discussed with senior government policy makers, each workshop being tailor-made. The Policy Fellows Programme is primarily intended for civil servants, elected officials and others directly involved in public policy.  Applicants from other academic institutions and industry may be considered if the Visiting Fellows scheme is not appropriate for them.