On Oct 22, 2026, the Chinese Academy of Science and Technology for Development (CASTED) organized an event under the "2035 Sci-Tech Think Tank Lecture" series, inviting Dr. Adam Day, Head of the Geneva Office of United Nations University Centre for Policy Research, to deliver an academic lecture titled "Governing by Evidence: How Science and Policy Work Together in the 21st Century." Participants from Department I of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Science and Technology Daily, the Administrative Center for China's Agenda 21, and researchers from relevant departments of CASTED attended the lecture and exchange.

Dr. Adam Day introduced four roles that scientists play in the interaction between science and policy, noting that science and policy need closer interaction and a sustained connection between knowledge and decision-making. He shared specific practices of the UN system in applying scientific research findings to policy-making from three areas—environmental governance, artificial intelligence governance, and global health—and pointed out that globally there is a widespread problem of insufficient coordination among policymakers and limited use of scientific research findings. He also noted that with the rapid development of artificial intelligence, how to control the potential risks of AI through policy-making is a common challenge facing the world. Accordingly, Dr. Day put forward recommendations including broadening the participation of the global scientific community at the policy level, developing policy comparison tools, and tracking policy implementation and outcomes.

During the exchange session, participants discussed issues including the future policy-making priorities of the United Nations, China's practices in policy making, and the effectiveness of scientific evidence.