From 4-5 November, ALLEA participated in an International Conference celebrating the 200^th anniversary of one of its most prolific members, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA).

(L to R) Paweł Rowiński (ALLEA President) and Tamás Freund (MTA President)

On 4 November, the Conference, which took place at the Academy in Budapest, opened with a discussion of the changing role of Academies in the 21^st Century. Academy leaders debated the evolving role of science within societies, how best to support early career researchers, and the challenges posed by science mis- and disinformation. ALLEA was heartened to see that many of the key reflections resonated with our own long-standing approach: building an inclusive, diverse, and interdisciplinary network of academies across Europe.

ALLEA Co-Organises Workshop on Science Advice

As part of the Conference, ALLEA organised a SAPEA workshop, titled, Upholding Integrity in Scientific Advice: Key Principles and Challenges to debate how Academies and other key stakeholders could contribute more effectively to evidence-informed policy-making.

The workshop brought together academy members, science advisors, policymakers, and early-career researchers to look into how the integrity of science advice could be best preserved in real-world settings and explore the current challenges for maintaining integrity at the science-policy interface. Some key insights shared during the half-day workshop include:

• Scientists should call out ‘strategic’ ignorance, e., the practice of policymakers deliberately ignoring relevant scientific evidence, when they encounter it.
• We need to, now more than ever, foreground reproducibility in science, particularly as it pertains to science advice.
• With the rise of AI, having explicit and enforceable guidance on its use in science, for instance, through a code of conduct, is essential not just for research excellence, but also for preserving public trust in science.