April 27, 2020

de-mystifying SAGE – what is it and how does it work?

There has been much speculation about the SAGE process and a certain air of mystery has grown up around what one commentator described as ‘a secret cabal of Official Government Advisors’.  Scientists in other countries however see SAGE as a jewel in the crown of the UK’s system of scientific advice to government.

The SMC invited Patrick Vallance and Mark Walport to chat to science and medical reporters to de-mystify the process and explain how it operates, which kinds of scientists are invited to take part, what it can do in a crisis like COVID-19 as well as what it cannot do.

Speakers included:

Sir Patrick Vallance, Government Chief Scientific Adviser (GCSA)

Prof Sir Mark Walport, CEO of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and former Government Chief Scientific Adviser (GCSA)