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Mr Jerry Sheehan
Director of Science, Technology and Innovation, OECD
CV
Jerry Sheehan is Director of the Science, Technology, and Innovation Directorate of OECD. He joined OECD in 2023 with 30 years of experience in developing and implementing policies for innovation, scientific data, and information technology in the United States.He was previously Deputy Director for Policy and External Affairs at the National Library of Medicine, one of the 27 components of the National Institutes of Health. He led efforts across both institutions and the US Federal government to advance open science and enhance public access to the results of government-funded research, including scholarly publications, preprints, research data, and clinical trial results.Jerry twice served in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, leading efforts on open science, scientific integrity, scientific collections, and medical imaging. He served as Co-Chair of the US National Science and Technology Council Subcommittee on Open Science, Chair of the OECD Working Party on Innovation and Technology Policy, and US delegate to the G7 Open Science Working Group.Before joining the National Library of Medicine, Jerry worked as a Senior Economist at the OECD from 2000 to 2006, coordinating preparation of the flagship Science, Technology, and Industry Outlook and performing analytical work on business R&D, patent licensing, technology transfer, and innovation policy.He previously directed expert assessments on computing and internet policy at the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and on science and technology policy at the U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment.An American national, Jerry holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master’s degree in Technology & Policy, both from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Abstract
Abstract:The OECD plays a key role in providing an international evidence-base, analysis and policy recommendations on STI and digital policy. These policy areas have a critical role to play in addressing pressing global challenges, including climate change and achieving the SDGs, as recognized in the Pact for the Future and the annexed Global Digital Compact (GDC). OECD emphasizes the need to align and direct STI agendas to address global challenges, which was an over-arching theme of the OECD Science and Technology Policy Ministerial held in April 2024 in Paris. A major deliverable was the OECD’s Transformative Agenda for STI Policies, which offers guidance to design and implement STI policies that address societal challenges through inclusive, anticipatory, adaptive, experimental and evidence-based approaches. We are now piloting The Transformative Agenda through country reviews and peer learning exercises. Recognizing also the important inclusion dimensions of the Pact and the GDC, the OECD is also working on promoting Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in research and innovation and addressing digital divides. The GDC establishes a framework for UN work on digital policy co-operation, with objective 5 focusing on AI governance. This is a field where the OECD is very active, promoting common frameworks and definitions, classifications and tools, which facilitate international interoperability of key elements of AI governance. These include risk-based approaches and respect for human rights and democratic values – as enshrined in the revised OECD AI Principles, which underpin membership of the Global Partnership on AI (GPAI). These tools are feeding into the enhanced collaboration on AI between the OECD and the UN announced in the margins of the Summit of the Future and has an important role to play in the implementation of the GDC.