Guidance

Chief Scientific Advisers Network in Action (HTML)

Published 13 March 2025

Insights into the impacts of Chief Scientific Adviser across the UK government

March 2025

Foreword

As the Government Chief Scientific Adviser, I see the CSA Network as one of my superpowers. It is a collective force for the betterment of science in government that bridges departments and devolved governments across the UK on key issues in science, engineering and technology.

The impact that each member of this network has had in their department, and wider government, cannot be overstated. Their combined expertise, innovative thinking and licence to challenge allows them to make a real difference in the way science, engineering and technology is talked about, used and delivered across government.

The exemplary work of the CSA Network is also testament to the efforts of many civil servants across departments who support them, and to the relationships they have built with partners across and beyond the Civil Service to ensure robust scientific evidence underpins decision-making across government. Much of the success of the CSA Network in achieving positive impact through their work can be attributed to their ability to effectively draw on the skills and expertise of others within the science and technology landscape.

I am proud to lead this network and to make sure it remains an invaluable asset to the decision-making mechanisms of government.

Professor Dame Angela McLean, Government Chief Scientific Adviser

1. Introduction

The UK has a world-leading network of Chief Scientific Advisers (CSAs) that bring scientific and engineering evidence to the centre of policy and operational decision-making in government. As a network, CSAs work together to address key cross-departmental issues and share best practice. While the work that government departments deliver is communicated widely across various forums, the role and influence of the CSA Network in facilitating collaboration on science, technology and engineering across government is particularly important.

The purpose of this document is to demonstrate the impact that the work of the CSA Network has across government.

1.1 What is a CSA?

Chief Scientific Advisers (CSAs) are credible and authoritative Civil Service leaders who bring scientific and engineering evidence and advice to the centre of policy and operational decision-making in government. Often, CSAs will have personal standing in the scientific world and possess the ability to convene respected groups to bring expert advice to government. This means they can work fluently across a range of sciences.

Most departments within government appoint a dedicated CSA to lead for their portfolios. Each devolved government (Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland) also has a dedicated CSA or equivalent. Recruited through fair and open competition, CSAs provide oversight, challenge and assurance of science and engineering capability and activities within their department or devolved government.

1.2 The CSA Network

The CSAs come together in a network that is overseen by the Government Chief Scientific Adviser (GCSA). The GCSA advises the Prime Minister and Cabinet on aspects of science, engineering and technology, to ensure that effective systems are in place within Government for delivering, managing and using science.

Current CSA Network membership (more information can be found on GOV.UK^{[footnote 1]})

• Government Chief Scientific Adviser

• Ministerial departments
  • Department for Business and Trade (DBT)
  • Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)
  • Department for Education (DfE)
  • Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)
  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
  • Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)
  • Department for Transport (DfT)
  • Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
  • Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)
  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)
  • HM Treasury (HMT)
  • Home Office (HO)
  • Ministry of Defence (MoD)
  • Ministry of Justice (MoJ)
  • Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)
• Non-ministerial departments
  • National Security and Intelligence (NSI)
  • Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
  • Food Standards Agency (FSA)
  • Met Office (MO)
  • National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC)
• Devolved governments
  • Northern Ireland Executive
  • Scottish Government (SG)
  • Welsh Government

1.3 Importance of science and technology advice to the UK government

The UK government is committed to improving people’s lives and promoting economic growth within the UK and sees great value in the potential of science and technology to deliver on these commitments. Scientific advice is seen as vital to addressing challenges relating to areas such as public health and national security. The role of the CSA Network in advising the UK government on matters of science, engineering and technology is fundamental to ensuring that any decision-making is grounded in robust scientific evidence.

GOS, the GCSA and CSAs all work to provide science advice to Ministers and ensure that government has science advice mechanisms that are efficient, effective, speak truth to power and are embedded irreversibly. Their mission is for excellent science advice to be at the heart of decision-making.

A key part of that currently is ensuring that the delivery of the new Government’s Missions is strongly informed by science and evidence. These Missions – outlined in the government’s Plan for Change^{[footnote 2]} – present a range of key priorities and milestones. To help ensure these priorities are delivered by government, the CSA Network has an ongoing commitment to provide robust and joined-up science advice and ensure coordination across departments, in support of the delivery of the government’s Mission.

2. Mechanisms underpinning the CSA Network

To enable CSAs and their network to have the most impact, best practice advice is that:

• CSAs are appointed through fair and open competition, usually on a 3-year term, with the option to extend to a total of five years.
• CSAs are typically appointed at Director or Director General (DG) level to ensure they have sufficient seniority within their departments.
• CSAs should have a Deputy who is a civil servant with a science background. The deputy helps them understand how to have influence and impact within their department.
• CSAs should have a well-resourced Private Office to manage their diaries, day-to-day business and ensure they are joined up on cross-departmental meetings, events and issues.
• GOS provides significant support to the CSA Network, including secretariat support for CSAs, Deputy CSAs and CSA officials to meet regularly as groups and support to departments during recruitment.
• CSAs have cited that the support of a dedicated team in GOS is crucial to ensuring coordination and delivery across the CSA Network.
• CSAs typically can draw on Science Advisory Councils and Committees within departments to ensure they are making use of a broad range of science advice and expertise.

For more information on the CSA role and the CSA Network please see the guidance on GOV.UK^{[footnote 3]}.

3. Understanding the impact of the CSA Network

CSAs contribute significantly to the progression and delivery of key projects within and across government departments. They achieve this as science leaders, using their science and technology expertise and oversight to ensure that efforts are coordinated and that the right questions are being asked and answered.

Within this section, we will explain what we mean by impact. We will also review the key areas where the CSA Network has effect.

3.1 What do we mean by impact?

We have categorised impact within the CSA role as direct contributions from CSAs resulting in positive change or improvements in their departments and across Government.

3.2 Where do we see impacts?

GOS collated evidence on impacts across the CSA Network. Section 4 describes 4 examples in depth. These examples provide us with a window into the range of effects that CSAs’ work achieves on a routine basis; whether that is within departments, cross-departmental or for the public. Many of these impacts were a result of the expert oversight and knowledge of the CSA, who directed teams towards effective policy development. Good cross-departmental collaboration between CSAs was also seen to be a strong catalyst for significant positive change

3.3 Key areas of CSA impact (based on the case studies reviewed)

• Leading departmental research and development programmes
• Enhancing departmental science systems and capability
• Driving investment in science and technology
• Boosting international engagement and collaboration
• Shaping policy and strategy
• Improving cross-departmental join-up
• Forging relationships with external stakeholders

Improving cross-departmental join-up

A key aspect of the CSA Network is the regularity with which the CSAs, their deputies and their officials each meet to exchange information and share best practice. Through regular events and engagement, strong relationships between CSAs across departments and devolved government are built, maintained and effectively used to join up on science, technology and engineering issues. This is best seen in the weekly meeting of the CSAs where key coordination of science activities across departments takes place. This is also evidenced in join-up on sub-groups and task forces to address specific policy questions and emerging issues or crises.

Shaping policy and strategy

CSAs provide critical challenge and bring their knowledge and expertise to help shape strategy and inform policy decisions in departments. This has included ensuring the inclusion of people with the right skills and expertise, and use of evidence in strategy and policy formation, and endorsement of science strategies published by departments.

Boosting international engagement and collaboration

The CSA Network remains engaged with a wide international network, including academics, Governments and their international counterparts. Engagement and collaboration are bolstered by frequent international visits of CSAs as well as the GCSA who leads the network. The CSA Network engages with international counterparts via virtual meetings, including the Office of the Chief Science Advisor (Canada) and the Chief Science Advisor Forum (New Zealand), on various science and technology topics. The GCSA and CSAs from the network also host visiting delegations across the UK.

Driving investment in science and technology

The CSA Network collaborates to ensure that the public sector research and development (R&D) portfolio is both well-balanced and strategically coordinated to address the UK’s national priorities. The CSAs are motivated by the Landscape Review led by Sir Paul Nurse to ensure that they optimise existing organisations such as Public Sector Research Establishments (PSREs) to ensure the UK has the right diversity in the science and technology landscape. Additionally, the CSAs strive for increased private sector investment in R&D through working with industry partners, while championing critical public sector investment.

Enhancing departmental science systems and capability

CSAs within the CSA Network lead teams which are routinely reviewing and improving their departmental science systems and capability. CSAs and their teams discuss their science systems to inform each other on how best to approach science within their department. Additionally, open dialogue surrounding departmental science systems and its variable strengths across government departments has led to the development of guidance by GOS which can further aid CSAs and their teams. Implementation and demonstration of reliable departmental science systems has previously resulted in increased funding allocation across some government departments.

Leading departmental research and development (R&D) programmes

Dependent on their remit, some CSAs have oversight of R&D programmes in their departments or associated arm’s-length bodies (ALBs). Drawing on their own expertise in research, academia and industry, they can provide unique insight into how to make the most of R&D and bring in key external contacts for advice and collaboration to ensure R&D is impact focused. They are also essential in providing challenge and steer in the formation and delivery of different R&D projects for the department. As an example, the CSA for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is the Chief Executive of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). As such, the CSA has a key role in setting direction for DHSC research investment, as well as accountability for effective delivery.

Forging relationships with external stakeholders

As current or former academics and industry figures, the CSAs are well-established among prominent academic and industry circles. This allows the CSA Network to remain plugged in to science and technology developments outside of Government, broaden their evidence base and support the provision of science advice. Some CSAs have also set up a College of Experts within their departments (see examples across the Department for Culture, Media and Sport^{[footnote 4]} and the Department for Transport^{[footnote 5]}), pulling together experts from across academia and industry to enable the department to access external expertise and ensure their work is of the highest standard. The CSAs and their teams also keep wider academia engaged with the main research questions their departments are facing via published Areas of Research Interest^{[footnote 6]} (ARI) documents which departments review annually. ARIs typically include information about departmental research systems, research and data publication policies, and research and development strategies. ARIs are intended to increase policymakers’ dialogue with academia, with a view of building greater collaboration and a platform for academic engagement. A database of the UK Government’s ARIs can be found online^{[footnote 7]}.

4. CSAs in action

This section describes four case studies which are good examples of the typical contributions CSAs can make to produce meaningful impact.

Across the case studies, the critical role that CSAs play in coordinating cross-departmental join-up on key issues is highlighted. Additionally, these case studies show how CSAs apply their knowledge and expertise to identify gaps or areas for improvement within government. Effective communication at the senior level among CSAs is also seen to facilitate significant changes. Using their CSA role in conjunction with other responsibilities is also observed to result in quick and effective action.

DESNZ CSA Case Study on the Events Research Programme (ERP) 

Background: This programme was a joint venture between DESNZ (formerly Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy –BEIS), DCMS and DHSC which researched the potential spread of COVID-19 at large-scale events. 

Action: CSAs from DESNZ and DCMS worked closely together to design and deliver the entire programme. This included setting up an internal science advisory group, science boards, and science structure. On top of this, the CSAs also set up a joint programme board to initiate policy (including additional DGs across government) and an independent science board. 

Outcome: This project was delivered at pace, being conceived and delivered within 4 months due to the collective desire to overcome the challenges of the pandemic. The recommendations from this programme – which included considerations around ventilation strategy, occupancy and space utilisation – allowed events to begin to ramp up again in the UK. 

DHSC CSA Case Study on the Reset, Recovery, Resilience & Growth (RRG) Programme 

Background: The programme was initiated after a successful pivot of the clinical research system in England to address the urgent needs of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. A caveat of this focus was that non-COVID-19 research (both commercial and non-commercial) was deprioritised and severely curtailed. Without recovery following the pandemic this would have a long-term impact on future clinical and healthcare benefits and therefore a reset was required. 

Action: The DHSC CSA played a critical role in sponsoring the RRG programme and using their role as a DG within DHSC to steer and provide advice. Crucial was the CSA’s leadership through other cross sector mechanisms such as the UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC) and Association of Medical Charities on the Office of Strategic Coordination of Health Research (OSCHR) to provide additional strategic steer and leverage resource. The CSA’s leadership within DHSC and of the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) and working with NHSE to direct resources and galvanise action was also crucial. 

Outcome: The key achievements to date include the rapid reduction in the time taken from clinical trials to receive regulatory approval. Additionally, by July 2023 above 79% of clinical trials were being delivered to their agreed timelines and with target participation numbers, compared to less than 24% in October 2022. 

NPPC CSA Case Study on the Development of the NPCC Science System 

Background: As the first CSA for Policing, the CSA was keen to establish their role within the department. Through diligently talking to a wide range of people within policing, academia and industry, the CSA developed a strategy for building a stronger science system. As part of this, the CSA identified areas in the system that needed development, such as an absence of mechanisms to integrate new technology into policing. 

Action: The CSA prioritised investments using a conveyor belt system for delivery, allowing a gradual and sustained roll-out of new technologies. This started with small-scale trials within individual taskforces before wider-scale roll-out, enabling trials at low cost. This ensured the technologies were fit for purpose before investing larger amounts into them through a large-scale implementation. 

Outcome: Establishing a robust science system and priority of evidence-based policies led to NPCC being allocated funding totalling £240 million in the Spring 2024 budget as HMT were more confident that NPCC could manage & deliver on large R&D spending. 

Scottish Government CSA Case Study on the Development of ScotSCIENCE 

Background: The CSA for SG saw a co-ordination gap within Scotland about science, innovation and technology, and the links between these, research and government. They recognised that engagement among the directorates within SG on these subjects could be better coordinated. They believed that there could be better linkages of the many scientists working within SG. 

Action: The CSA for SG created ScotSCIENCE: a science and engineering platform modelled in part on the science advisory structure of GOS. ScotSCIENCE aims to demonstrate to SG the importance of science and technology to the economy, the environment and to society. The CSA aims to expand collaboration between ScotSCIENCE and Scotland’s universities, institutes, colleges, societies and businesses to ensure that SG is well connected to external stakeholders in the area of science. 

Outcome: Implementation of the ScotSCIENCE platform has scientists linked across SG’s directorates via regular meetings, facilitating rapid connection between them for engagement on the use of data, evidence and advice in policymaking. The platform has also aided join-up with a range of experts within the Scottish Science Advisory Council and the Royal Society of Edinburgh to address areas of strategic importance in Scotland and further afield.

1. https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/chief-scientific-advisers ↩

2. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6751af4719e0c816d18d1df3/Plan_for_Change.pdf ↩

3. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/chief-scientific-advisers-and-their-officials ↩

4. https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/dcms-college-of-experts ↩

5. https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/dft-college-of-experts ↩

6. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/areas-of-research-interest ↩

7. https://ari.org.uk/ ↩