The EU-funded project ASSET is aimed to bridge the gap between the scientific community and society in the field of epidemics and pandemics management. This approach was born within the Science in Society (SiS) Action Plan launched by the European Commission in 2001 with the main objective to foster public engagement and a sustained two-way dialogue between science and civil society and to build a framework for Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). That means the setup of a policy driven by the needs of society and engaging all societal players via inclusive participatory approaches. The RRI framework is made of six key elements: governance, open access, engagement, gender equity, ethics, and science education.
In order to better address scientific and societal challenges raised by health emergencies management, explore and map Science in Society related policy issues, the next Bulletin editions will be organised in accordance with the key themes in ASSET that were explored during its “Study and Analysis” phase: governance of pandemics and epidemics; unsolved scientific questions; crisis participatory governance; ethical, legal and societal implications; gender pattern – vulnerability; intentionally caused outbreaks.
In this second issue of the “Share and move” Bulletin, governance of pandemics and epidemics is the main focus. Similarly, to the previous edition, contents deal with pandemic preparedness and response, highlights in the field circulated both by important international public health institutions and by the most used social media, relevant web tools, applicable news from the ASSET project and a concept represented through a “snapshot”.