RESEARCHERS' EXCELLENCE NETWORK (RENET)

On the 3rd of October Šiauliai Academy of Vilnius University together with Institute of Lithuanian Scientific Society, Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania, Research Council of Lithuania and Researchers' Excellence Network (RENET) invited to take the part the plenary session of the 18th Jonas Pranas Aleksa international interdisciplinary scientific conference “DEVELOPMENT OF THE STATE ROLE IN THE XXI CENTURY: NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT”, which was dedicated for the main topic: “From Data to Impact: Evidence-Based Policymaking for Smart and Sustainable Regions”. This conference invited both practitioners and researchers from the interdisciplinary cohort (public policy and administration, economics, management, etc.) to discuss the importance of evidence and science for policy making, while developing smart and sustainable regions, and to share their best international practices.

Welcome speeches were given by the Viceminister of Interior Alicija Ščerbaitė, the Vicemayor of Šiauliai City Justinas Švėgžda, the Head of the Science and Innovation Network at the Research Council of Lithuania Salomėja Vanagienė and the Director of the Regional Development Institute of Šiauliai Academy assoc. prof. Dr Lina Garšvienė.

This conference was dedicated to the 146th anniversary of the birth and the 70th anniversary of the death of Professor Dr. Jonas Pranas Aleksa. The Professor was born in 1879 in the Suvalkija (Sūduva) region. Conference participants commemorated his contributions as a professor, scholar, pioneer of agrarian economics, Minister of Agriculture and State Assets of Lithuania, and public figure, highlighting his impact on science, agricultural development, the evolution of politics and public administration, and the overall progress of the state. Repressions endured under the Gestapo and Soviet regimes—including imprisonment and deportation—accompanied him until his final resting place in Siberia in 1955. Only his remains were returned to Lithuania in 1990. The contribution of Prof. Dr. J. P. Aleksa to science and state governance was commemorated in 2008 on the initiative of Valentinas Aleksa and Prof. Dr. Jonas Jasaitis, through the organization of the first international interdisciplinary scientific conference at the then Šiauliai University. Since then, the conference has been held annually, and this year marked the 18th edition, organized through the efforts of Vilnius University Šiauliai Academy and its partners.

The six speakers of the plenary session invited participants to reflect on the role of data and scientific evidence in shaping public policy.

Evidence-Informed Democracy: How Science for Policy Can Build Trust in Government Agnieszka Gadzina-Kołodziejska, Deputy Head of Science for Democracy and Evidence Informed Policy Making Unit, Joint Research Centre (European Commission)

Evidence-Based Policymaking at the Heart of Government: Insights from the CoREx Dataset on the Careers of Members of the Executive Triangle in Europe and Beyond Prof. Dr Jan-Hinrik Meyer-Sahling, Professor of Political Science, University of Nottingham (United Kingdom)

UK's Science & Technology Network. The Role of Science in International Engagement Cristofer Rybner, Head of Science and Technology Network for the Baltic States, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, British Embassy (United Kingdom)

From Data to Policy: Lessons from the UK’s Response to Foreign Fighters and Terrorism Dr Christopher Baker-Beall, Senior Lecturer in Crisis & Disaster Management, Bournemouth University (United Kingdom); Nora Leach, ESRC Doctoral Researcher, University of Nottingham (United Kingdom)

The Latvian EIPM Ecosystem: Its Strengths and Challenges Prof. Dr Iveta Reinholde, University of Latvia (Latvia)

 

Photos made by organisers.