The portal aims to share scientific commentary and analysis, as well as to provide access to information on various initiatives by an international science community that includes scientific unions and associations, academies and research councils.

Highlighting the scale and scope of response, and encouraging International Science Council (ISC) members and partners to collaborate and share best practices during the pandemic, the portal contains information on responses by scientific communities in different fields and different countries/regions of the world. It also provides access to rapidly emerging scientific debate on the situation.

Some of the collaborations include a recent statement by the German Research Foundation and the National Natural Science Foundation of China on Encouraging and Supporting the Scientific Community to Jointly Respond to the Novel Coronavirus; a verified and reliable COVID-19 information service for the general public launched by the Australian Academy of Science; a COVID-19 resource page set up by the National Academies of Science in the USA and the launch of a webinar series focusing on the Coronavirus called Frontiers of Immunology by the International Union of Immunology Studies.

“This portal highlights how quickly the international scientific community has sprung into action, offering multi-disciplinary reflection that must contribute solutions to policy-makers in this time of crisis. It also shows the scope of knowledge being shared by the community, which includes think-pieces from social scientists on the broad impacts of the pandemic,” says Heide Hackmann, CEO of ISC.

The International Science Council hopes to populate the portal with compelling essays and discussion that will drive international action in the months to come.

“This is no longer business as usual, and when we return from the lockdowns, we will be entering a new normal,” Dr. Hackmann said. “We want the scientific community and poilcy-makers to be prepared, to make sure we still have our eye on the 2030 Agenda, and to think of how mission-oriented science can build pathways to solutions for the complex systemic challenges facing humanity.”

Contributions so far have included think-pieces from the International Network for Government Science Advice on the importance of evidence-informed policy decisions; the Global Research Programme on Inequality and their concern on the uneven impacts COVID-19 will have on the poor; and Future Earth on the opportunities the pandemic presents for sustainable transitions and the 2030 Agenda.

The ISC welcomes contributions from the international science community. Visit https://council.science/covid19 for more information.

Originally published 27 March 2020 by the International Science Council.