European Research Advisory Council

The theme of the 2025 ERAC was: Artificial Intelligence at the Nexus of Research, Publishing, and Policy: Towards Responsible Innovation and New Content Paradigms. The meeting built directly on 2024’s exploration of the global challenge of connecting research with public policy by bringing the topic of 'AI in the future of knowledge production and dissemination' into discussion.

The aim was not only to deepen our collective understanding of AI’s transformative potential but also to test the co-creation of scalable, globally relevant tools that can enhance the interface between science and policy, and thereby contribute to the efforts of science diplomacy.

Key insights

• The experience-sharing session revealed that AI is becoming integral to research and institutional strategies, creating an urgent need for clear governance and updated policies amid regulatory uncertainty. Talent and skills remain a major challenge, with institutions struggling to attract expertise, upskill staff, and compete with the private sector. Meanwhile, collaboration and practical applications are driving adoption through AI hubs, co-funded programmes, and partnerships - though significant gaps persist between science and policymaking. 
• The research to impact workshop underscored that research often fails to influence policy when communication is overly technical, uncertainty is poorly managed, political or corporate interests override evidence, or findings arrive too late and disconnected from policy priorities. The biggest barriers include cultural gaps between academia and policymakers, misaligned incentives for researchers, jargon-heavy communication, political and economic pressures overshadowing evidence, and timing mismatches between research and policy cycles.

Potential actions

• The discussions helped frame four principles to address research which is fragmented, hard to understand, and disconnected from decision-making contexts:

1. Clear narratives and actionable recommendations, visual tools (e.g. infographics) and interactive formats (e.g. webinars or roundtables)
2. Digital platforms to enable real-time sharing
3. Long-term relationship between researchers and policymakers
4. Use of AI to summarise complex research into policy-ready briefs, analyse trends and priorities, map evidence to real-world challenges, translate content for diverse audiences, and predict future policy needs. 

• Encourage active collaboration between ERAC institutions and Springer Nature in co-development and pilot projects, leveraging the outcomes to explore innovative formats that translate scientific insights into actionable recommendations for decision-makers, educators, and the public.