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www.oecd.org/sti/gsf

In the area of international scientific co-operation, the Global Science Forum (GSF) provides a venue for consultations among senior science policy officials of OECD member countries. It produces findings and action recommendations on high-priority science policy issues requiring international consultations/co-operation, and identifies opportunities for collaboration on major scientific undertakings.

Specifically, the GSF serves its members in the formulation and implementation of their science policies by: 1) exploring opportunities for new or enhanced international co-operation in selected scientific areas; 2) defining international frameworks for vital national or regional science policy decisions; and 3) addressing the scientific dimensions of issues of global concern.

The GSF's principal customers are the government science policy officials who bring issues to the GSF for analysis, deliberation and resolution in an intergovernmental setting. Before any activity is undertaken, criteria such as specificity, relevance, workload, commitment and inclusiveness are carefully considered by the member countries.

As of May 2013, the GSF is engaged in the following activities:

• The Astroparticle Physics International Forum (APIF)
• A study of the societal and innovation impacts of large research infrastructures
• Defining principles and good practices for establishing international distributed research infrastructures
• A study on good practices in research collaboration between developed and developing countries
• A study of the quality of scientific policy advice for governments and consequences on the role and responsibility of scientists
• A preparatory activity for the creation of an international research network on temperate agriculture

Latest news

Launch of Scientific Collections International
16 April 2013
The 28th meeting of the Global Science Forum saw the official launch of Scientific Collections International (SciColl), a new international network devoted to promoting interdisciplinary research that relies on scientific collections. SciColl founding members signed a memorandum of understanding to signify their commitment to international co-ordination and collaboration among scientific collections. Scientific collections constitute the fundamental research infrastructure in many disciplines, including anthropology, archaeology, biodiversity, biomedicine, earth and planetary sciences and technology.

New Data for Understanding the Human Condition: International Perspectives
15 March 2013
Global Science Forum report on data and research infrastructure for the social sciences.

OECD Recommendation on the Governance of Clinical Trials
25 February 2013
The OECD has issued a Recommendation to its members on the Governance of Clinical Trials, a major initiative for facilitating medical research and improving public health. This Recommendation is the result of extensive work of the OECD Global Science Forum on the hurdles encountered by the clinical research community in setting up international clinical trials.