Maximising the potential for engagement with the European Scientific Advice Mechanism: A small state perspective from Ireland

This article addresses a largely neglected dimension of European science– policy scholarship, namely the relationship between national science advisory structures and a state’s capacity to contribute to, absorb and engage with supranational science advisory structures such as the European Commission’s Science Advice Mechanism. Despite an extensive body of scholarship on best practice in science–policy interactions and science advisory models, little attention has been paid to the effects of structural asymmetries in absorptive and translational research capacity in the context of state-supranational advisory systems. National science academies play a central role at national level and within Europe’s Science Advice Mechanism, acting as both bridge and translator between the national and international science and policy communities. Drawing upon the participation of the Royal Irish Academy, Ireland’s national academy for the sciences, humanities and social sciences, in the European Commission’s Science Advice for Policy by European Academies initiative, this paper traces the post-2018 evolution of Ireland and the European Union’s science advisory architecture, and discusses the challenges and opportunities posed for small states by the growing appetite for evidence-informed policy. It argues that the participation of national experts in international science advisory systems creates a meaningful route through which small states can help frame and inform international policy agendas and enhance national policy-making. Finally, it argues that attention to this issue will contribute to the future inclusivity, effectiveness and legitimacy of Ireland’s science advisory system.