Dr. Mario Molina (Nobel prize winner in Chemistry), who has years of experience providing scientific evidence to guide public policy debates in Mexico and internationally in the area of sustainable development, will formulate those that he considers the most relevant questions to understand the relation existing between scientific research and public policies. In order to bring the debate beyond understanding this relationship, the question of what role should science play in policy making will also be addressed. Discussion is not expected to focus, exclusively, on the area of sustainable development, but in any public policy area across countries. The panel will provide perspectives on the topic from experienced scientists, as well as from young scientists participating in the Lindau annual event. However, since the format is that of a round table, panel interventions will be brief, and intense debate between the public and panelists is expected.