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The '''MASIS (Monitoring Policy and Research Activities on Science in Society in Europe)''' website is established as a part of the strategic activities of the European Union under the 2008 Capacities Work Programme: Science in Society. The MASIS project aims at developing structural links and interaction between scientists, policy-makers and society at large.<ref name="masis">[http://www.masis.eu/english/aboutmasis0/ MASIS homepage]</ref>

==MASIS==

MASIS is therefore an instrumental tool in relation to stimulating further cooperation in Europe and reducing fragmentation through the identification of common resources, common trends, common interests, and common challenges.<ref name="masis"/>

More specifically, MASIS is a system to map and follow the developments of the most important Science in Society activities in Europe with the aim to:
* inform relevant policy makers and all other stakeholders, leading to a more engaged public 
* increase the visibility of such activities in different parts of Europe 
* increase the impact of the activities on European policy and society.

The MASIS project involves 38 countries; 27 EU member states and 11 countries associated to FP7. In each country, an appointed national correspondent provides a comprehensive report and subsequent updates based on a common template. The common reporting template is arranged around four main themes:

* '''National context''', which describes current and recent debates about the relationship between science and society in the respective countries, national trajectories with regard to the place of science in society, and recent policy developments concerning science in society.<ref>Mikko Rask: Monitoring Policy and Research Activities on Science in Society in Europe (MASIS). National Report, Finland. DG Research, October 2010. [http://en.opasnet.org/en-opwiki/extensions/mfiles/mf_getfile.php?anon=true&docid=3412&fileid=3413&filename=MASIS_Finland_report.pdf] [http://www.masis.eu/english/storage/publications/nationalreports/masisnationalreportfinland/]</ref>
 
* '''Priority setting, governance, and the use of science in policy-making''', focusing on the different actors involved in shaping the relationship between science and society, formal and informal procedures for public engagement with science, and national processes and procedures for using science-based knowledge and scientific advice in policy-making processes.
* '''Science in Society related research activities''', with the purpose of describing the scale and scope of research efforts in the respective countries, including emerging themes, targeted areas, strategies for embedding science in society issues in mainstream research, and funding structures and opportunities for science in society research.
* '''Activities related to science in society''', which aims at monitoring the variety of different activities particularly concerned with public communication of science and technology, the intensity and complexity of science communication in the respective countries, and the actors involved.

==Science in Society==

The '''Science in Society (SiS)''' programme initiated by the Commission aims at building an effective and democratic knowledge-based European society and to contribute to the implementation of the European Research Area. By stimulating a harmonious integration of scientific and technological endeavour  in Europe, SiS seeks to encourage broader public engagement and facilitate debate and policy development on science and its relation with society and culture.<ref name="masis"/>

With this objective, SiS aims at contributing to the establishment of:
* social and cultural environments for successful and exploitable research
* integrating societal needs and concerns in research
* increasing public debate about research and influence on scientific issues
* ensuring participation and involvement of civil society and NGOs in research
* establishing a climate favourable to scientific vocations and research investments
* fully integrating women into the scientific world.

==See also==

==Keywords==

Science in Society, European Union, science-policy interface, decision-making

==References==

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==Related files==

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