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The event, which ran from 5 to 7 September, was held under the auspices of the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, with the support of the Austrian Ministry for Education, Science, and Research, and the Austrian Ministry for Europe, Integration, and Foreign Affairs.

Under the theme “Science, policy, and demography: The role of population and migration for sustainable development in the European neighborhood”, the summer school provided an opportunity for researchers and policymakers to get a glimpse into each other’s professional worlds and together develop skills in using evidence for creating informed policy solutions.

Chair of the IIASA Council, Michael Clegg, welcomed participants on Wednesday together with IIASA Acting Director General Nebojsa Nakicenovic, who emphasized that we live in times where evidence is more abundant and more important, but also more contested than ever before. This is why, continued Nakicenovic, one of the aims of the Summer School is to train both scientists and policymakers in enhancing the uptake of scientific evidence in policymaking and in societal debate more generally. Director-General of the JRC Vladimír Šucha, in his opening remarks also explained how crucial it is for science and policy to work together for the benefit of society. He also emphasized the importance of universities and other research institutions in providing policymakers with relevant and correct information in an era marked by an unprecedented amount of data, scientific controversies, and post fact politics that often make it difficult to know what the facts are.

Once the Summer School had been officially opened, participants had the opportunity to listen to a video address on “Population and migration as a policy challenge” by Federal Minister for Education, Science and Research of the Republic of Austria, Heinz Faßmann. Faßmann pointed out that although collaboration between policymakers and researchers is not always easy because of the vast differences between the two disciplines, it should be fostered as it could have fruitful consequences. He continued that research and innovation play an increasingly important role in solving global challenges and that current policy challenges could create windows of opportunity for researchers and policymakers alike.