The International Science Council (ISC) Annual Report 2020 is now available online (In line with the Council's sustainability principles, and in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, ISC will not be sending out printed copies of the 2020 Annual Report)
As the President and CEO of ISC stated in the opening message for the Report, " 2020 was a year of unprecedented global disruption. Over the past twelve months, the COVID-19 pandemic has turned personal and professional lives upside down, and resulted in tragic loss of life. The events of the past year have exposed and, in some cases, amplified divisions and fault lines in our societies, and have thrown a spotlight on science in ways that are unparalleled in our lifetimes. The role of scientists in society – both in providing advice to governments and in promoting public understanding of science – has been scrutinized as never before. This comes with profound challenges, but also provides opportunities.
Faced with a novel coronavirus, the scientific community stepped up to the challenge of rapidly building the knowledge base on the virus and how to respond, developing a vaccine in record time. The pandemic has revealed new forms of solidarity and inventiveness in the scientific community, underpinned by international scientific collaboration, scientific freedom and open science. Inter- and transdisciplinary approaches, which draw on knowledge and expertise from across the natural and social sciences, as well as from policy and wider publics, have shown their value in helping to understand the measures required to help to contain the pandemic and limit its effects.
For the International Science Council, which is uniquely positioned as a convenor of the scientific community and a bridge to different stakeholder communities, the pandemic has forced us to reflect on how the Council and its Members could best support those on the frontlines of pandemic response. Recognizing the extent of the challenge and the crucial role of science, the ISC launched an online COVID-19 Global Science Portal to provide access to relevant information from ISC Members, partners and affiliated programmes. The ISC’s community of Members and wider networks responded energetically, sharing hundreds of initiatives and publications that were showcased through the portal".
Read the ISC Annual Report 2020.