CESAM took part in the University of Aveiro’s Research Summit 2026, held from 15 to 17 July under the theme “Science, Public Policy and Impact: From Evidence to Action.” On 15 July, Amadeu Soares, director of CESAM, delivered the talk “From Knowledge to Decision-Making and Impact: Science for policymaking – from evidence to action.”
In his presentation, Amadeu Soares showed how scientific research produces robust knowledge and translates it into evidence that supports more informed, anticipatory and responsible public decisions.
The talk covered eight areas of CESAM’s activity: oceans; coastal zones, estuaries and wetlands; biodiversity; chemical risk and standardisation; forests; soils; the atmosphere; and the bioeconomy. Applications in sustainable aquaculture and biosafety were also mentioned. These examples illustrated how research carried out at the centre generates data, models, indicators and recommendations to support decision-making at different scales and in different contexts.
The presentation also outlined CESAM’s science–policy interface chain, linking scientific data, methods and models to the production of indicators and recommendations and to support for better-informed decisions. From this perspective, CESAM does not replace political or administrative decision-making: it strengthens it with validated knowledge, robust methods, scenarios and risk assessments.
The talk further highlighted concrete examples of CESAM’s involvement in drafting technical guidelines and international standards, in environmental risk assessment, in scenario modelling, and in supporting national and international bodies. Indicators demonstrating the relevance of the centre’s research were also presented, including the fact that more than 2,450 public policy documents, between 2021 and 2025, cited CESAM publications, reflecting its contribution to the formulation of environmental and sustainability policies.
In his closing message, Amadeu Soares stressed that CESAM’s contribution to public policy rests on four dimensions: generating robust evidence; translating knowledge into reports, technical opinions, policy briefs and guidelines; building interfaces with decision-makers, regulators, sectors and international networks; and creating impact through more informed, anticipatory and responsible decisions.
Amadeu Soares’s presentation is available to view and download in PDF format.
