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IIASA corner www.iiasa.ac.at/events/JRC-18 Written by: Philippa Baumgartner Bridging the science to policy gap In September, IIASA hosted a summer school bringing together 75 researchers and policymakers from 40 EU member states and neighboring countries to learn together how to better use evidence for policymaking. Along with keynote lectures and panel discussions, the three-day event consisted of a number of masterclasses where participants could learn skills and gain insights into how the other side – be it science or policy – operates. Masterclasses ranged from ‘’strengthening dialogue for research impact” and “systems thinking for policymaking”, to “infographics and data visualization for evidence-driven decision making”. Jointly organized by IIASA and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), the event was held under the auspices of the Austrian EU Presidency, with the support of the Austrian Ministry for Education, Science, and Research and the Austrian Ministry for Europe, Integration, and Foreign Affairs. The theme of the summer school was migration and demography – specifically the role of population and migration for sustainable development in the European neighborhood. In 2016, IIASA and the JRC launched a new center of expertise on population and migration, in direct response to a need to strengthen demographic expertise within the European Commission, with a specific focus on migration. Director-General of the JRC Vladimír Šucha, in his opening remarks explained how crucial it is for science and policy to work together for the benefit of society. He 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. Federal Minister for Education, Science and Research of the Republic of Austria, Heinz Faßmann, delivered a video address on population and migration as a policy challenge. Faßmann stressed 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. © FFAB | IIASA AUSTRIAN CROSS OF HONOR HYDROLOGIC SCIENCES EARLY CAREER AWARD OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION AWARD At a lecture to celebrate his term as director general, Pavel Kabat was presented with the Austrian Cross of Honor for Science and Art, First Class. Conferred by the Federal President of the Republic of Austria, the award recognizes leading figures who have “gained universal recognition and a distinguished reputation for their outstanding achievements in the field of science or art". www.iiasa.ac.at/news/Kabat-18 Yoshihide Wada, IIASA Water Program deputy director, has won the 2018 Hydrologic Sciences Early Career Award for his outstanding work in hydrologic science, presented by the American Geophysical Union (AGU). Wada will be honored at the AGU Fall 100th Anniversary Meeting in Washington D.C. in December for demonstrating exceptional promise for continued contributions in research, education, and societal impacts. www.iiasa.ac.at/news/Wada-AGU-18 IIASA Water Program researcher Paul Yillia won the Outstanding Contribution Award for his work in water resources assessment and planning at the 2018 African Utility Week Industry Awards in Cape Town, South Africa. In response, Yillia expressed his gratitude and said that the water challenges in Africa, caused by the combination of climate change and a growing, more resource intensive population, are so interlinked that they must be addressed with coordinated management, thinking, and investment. www.iiasa.ac.at/news/Yillia-18 INSTITUTE NEWS 28 www.iiasa.ac.atOptions Winter 2018/19