Entries by alleaadmin

Breakthrough prize opens public nominations for its 2021 prizes in fundamental physics, life sciences & mathematics

The public nomination period for the 2021 Breakthrough Prizes in Fundamental Physics, Life Sciences and Mathematics is now open. Prizes will be awarded in late 2020, during a live, globally televised gala awards ceremony in Silicon Valley. Nominations can be submitted online today through April 1, 2020. While self-nominations are prohibited, anyone may nominate another person. The nomination forms and rules are available at breakthroughprize.org.

Understanding public discourse and trust in a digital society

In a context where citizens struggle to distinguish facts from fabricated claims online, scientists, policymakers and media face similar dilemmas. The digital revolution is disrupting the norms and mechanisms of the public debate where they participate and of the public trust that they need to operate. A new report published by ALLEA and Re-Imagine Europa examines this changing communications environment and its effects on Europe’s value-system and democracy.

Unite to defend evidence-informed policy, science advice community tells European Commission

Politicians, scientists and civil society need to defend evidence-informed policy as a cornerstone of liberal democracy. This was the key message to the new European Commission, as voted by Europe’s science advice community at a major event in Helsinki on The Future of Science Advice in Europe. Some 150 of Europe’s science advisors, government officials, researchers, politicians, academy representatives and members of the public met on 13 November to discuss the future of science advice and the role of scientific evidence in good governance.

Science Academies need to be less self-centred and more open to society, says ALLEA President

The conference ‘The Role of Academies in Sustaining European Knowledge Societies in Time of Crisis’ took place at the Academy of Sciences of Turin on 11-12 November. ALLEA President Antonio Loprieno participated as speaker and argued for Academies to embrace the social dimension of knolwedge and science, including science communications and open access.

The Future of Research: Assessing the impact of Plan S

Impacts of Plan S on researchers, research-intensive institutions, societies and publishers were debated at an international symposium organised by Academia Europea Cardiff Knowledge Hub and KU Leuven Libraries. The event took place in Leuven on 5 and 6 November. An audience of around 130 gathered at the historic Leuven Institute for Ireland in Europe. ALLEA was represented by its Board Member Luke Drury, who underlined some of the key points introduced by the ALLEA statement on Plan S.

The potential and challenges of genome editing for crop improvement lively discussed in Brussels

The science behind genome editing, its regulation and its impact on society– those were only few of the topics discussed on 7 and 8 November in Brussels. The symposium ‘Genome Editing for Crop Improvement’, organised by ALLEA and the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts (KVAB) brought together eminent speakers and stakeholders to discuss how to harness the benefits of genome editing while ensuring a wide-spread acceptance of the new technology in society.

Save the Date: 2020 ALLEA General Assembly

We are happy to announce that the UK Member Academies of ALLEA will host the next General Assembly in London on 3-4 June 2020. Save the date and do not miss the updates of the programme and the event by following us on our social media, our newsletter and this website.

Europe: From Old Narratives to Today’s Politics

ALLEA and the Polish Academy of Sciences convened the conference ‘Europe on Test: The Onus of the Past – and the Necessities of the Future’ at the Staszic Palace in Warsaw on 11 October 2019. Local as well as international scholars and experts addressed how different collective memories in European societies impact today’s politics in Europe.