On 28/29 September 2017 the ENERI (European Network of Research Ethics and Research Integrity) project hosted their first stakeholder workshop on Research Ethics and Research Integrity in Athens.
Stakeholders during one of the presentations of the ENERI workshop in Athens. Credit: ENERI
The aim of the workshop was to bring together practitioners in Research Ethics and Research Integrity (RE/RI) from across Europe to discuss existing infrastructures and challenges in different research systems on the continent. Participants were invited to brainstorm and conceptualise concepts for improved training in RE/RI.
The stakeholder workshop is part of a project deliverable to develop an online training course for research integrity committee members. Particular emphasis was put on the transnational comparability as to establish shared research integrity procedures in countries participating in Horizon2020.
The outcomes of the workshop will feed into the conceptualisation of an online training platform
ALLEA is represented in the project via its Permanent Working Group Science & Ethics of which Krista Varantola attended the workshop. In the preparation of the workshop, the working group suggested Deborah Oughton of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences as a keynote speaker on Movements and Developments regarding training in RE/RI with a particular focus on her work in Norway. The outcomes of the workshop will feed into the conceptualisation of an online training platform, which will serve as a foundation for European research integrity practitioners, especially also in countries with underdeveloped structures in that regard.
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Koen Lenaerts, Professor of the University of Leuven and President of the Court of Justice of the European Union, was awarded the 2017 ALLEA Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values in Budapest at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences on 4 September 2017
Koen Lenaerts (University of Leuven) receives the 2017 ALLEA Prize certificate from ALLEA President Günter Stock. Credit: MTA/Szigeti Tamás
On 4 September 2017, Koen Lenaerts was awarded the 2017 All European Academies Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values in Budapest at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences to honour his outstanding scholarly contribution to European law. This prize, endowed with 20 000 euros, was established by ALLEA, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, and co-sponsored by Compagnia di San Paolo.
Koen Lenaerts has donated the ALLEA prize as a starting capital to a new Leuven University Fund that he created together with his wife, Kris Grimonprez, both alumni of the Faculty of Law of Leuven University. The Fund is named ‘Fonds Lenaerts-Grimonprez voor een sterkere EU dimensie op school’ (‘Fund Lenaerts-Grimonprez for a stronger EU dimension at school’).[1] The Fund is an organisation within the University, governed by a steering board in which the donor Koen Lenaerts and his wife are represented, as well as several academics of the Leuven University. Vice-Rector Bart Raymaekers is its financial manager.
The purpose of the Fund is to raise the quality of EU learning at school. Specifically, it seeks to broaden and deepen the EU dimension within key competences acquired by pupils at school.
Raising the quality of EU learning at school
The purpose of the Fund is to raise the quality of EU learning at school. Specifically, it seeks to broaden and deepen the EU dimension within key competences acquired by pupils at school. Reflecting the importance of the EU in society, the EU dimension should be more consistently present in the learning content of several subjects in primary as well as in secondary education. For example, it does not suffice to learn about the European Coal and Steel Community in history, or to know some EU institutions. The aim is to empower all young people (not only pupils in some optional courses) to become conscious EU citizens who are informed and critical thinkers, combining their national identity with a European one, ready to participate in the democratic life of the Union. Democracy presupposes enlightened citizenship.
To this end, support will be given to the training of future teachers and research about the EU dimension in school curricula and learning outcomes. In this context, modules with a specific EU dimension and adequate teaching materials will be developed. The essential starting point are the texts on which the EU is founded (the EU Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union) and the EU values and principles that they express. As the EU and its Member States are based on democracy, respect for fundamental rights and the rule of law, this Fund also aims to work in line with the Charter on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education of the Council of Europe,[2] whereby in particular its EU dimension needs to be concretised.
The Fund wishes to reach the ‘ordinary’ pupil in mainstream education, living in Belgium and attending school in Flanders or in a Dutch language school in Brussels. The money is not designated to support mobility of pupils or teachers, nor is it for language learning or extra-curricular activities.
An annual prize may be awarded for work corresponding to criteria set up in detail in different phases. If the project leads to successful results, translation of modules into other EU languages as well as European cooperation may be envisaged.
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Near to 400 participants attended the conference “Sustainability and Resilience” in the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Budapest on 4-6 September.
View of the conference hall at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Budapest on 4 September 2017. Credit: MTA/ Szigeti Tamás
The event brought together renowned scientists and scholars to discuss Europe’s heritage, social systems, health, economy, climate, as well as its science and research landscape. The conference was opened by the President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences László Lovász, who underlined the relevance of a united voice for European academic organisations. “We have to remember that the great history of European science by itself is not a guarantee for a great future. Only by a continued effort we can build the ‘Resilience and Sustainability’ of our unique scientific culture. A culture that has always been defined by the diversity of talents across Europe and should continue to rely on the potential of science in all member states. This is why I have been so pleased to offer the building of our Academy to host the first joint meeting of three major European science organisations. I see this conference as a major step towards a more united voice of European academic organisations,” Lovász said in a statement.
“We have to remember that the great history of European science by itself is not a guarantee for a great future. Only by a continued effort we can build the ‘Resilience and Sustainability’ of our unique scientific culture”, said President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences László Lovász.
From neurons to science advice
The panels provided an interdisciplinary roadmap on European science today: from the latest advances of neuroscience to the impacts of climate change in human health or how academies provide advice to decision-makers at the national and European level.
Panel discussion on the role of academies in the Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM) with ALLEA President Günter Stock, Yves Caristan (Euro-CASE), Robert Jan-Smits (DG for Research and Innovation) and Sierd Cloetingh (Academia Europaea) (from front to back). Credit: MTA/ Szigeti Tamás.
The President of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) José van Dijck reflected on the challenges to European public values in a global online society. Jointly with other academy and policy representatives, ALLEA President and Chair of SAPEA Günter Stock shared a panel with the European Commission’s Director-General for Research and Innovation Robert-Jan Smits on the lessons learned from their involvement at the Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM).
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ALLEA President Günter Stock congratulates Antonio Loprieno following his election as next President of ALLEA. Credit: MTA/Szigeti Tamás
ALLEA Member Academies elected in Budapest on 4 September Professor Antonio Loprieno as the next ALLEA President for the term 2018-2021. President-elect Loprieno will assume his position during the next General Assembly at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in Sofia in May 2018, following the end of the second term of ALLEA President Günter Stock.
The General Assembly, ALLEA’s highest legislative body, voted in favour of Loprieno during the 18th annual business meeting celebrated at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. His candidacy is supported by the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences.
President-elect Loprieno (1955, Bari, Italy) is a renowned scholar of great repute in Egyptology, Linguistics, and Semitic Languages, and an experienced leader of academic and public institutions in Switzerland and internationally. He was Rector of the University of Basel (2006-2015) and President of the Conference of University Rectors in Switzerland (2008- 2015). Currently he is President of the Austrian Science Board (Österreichischer Wissenschaftsrat) and President of the Swiss Studies Foundation, among others.
In a statement, Loprieno reflected on his election and on his vision for the role of European academies in society. “European academies and learned societies are a mirror and a bridge: a mirror of continental excellence in science and humanities, and a bridge between knowledge production and knowledge society. In view of the current scientific and societal challenges, more than ever we now need both. I feel honored to contribute my share to the visibility of European research and to the development of a science policy that strengthens the role and the impact of science and humanities in shaping European moral values as well as political and economic choices.”
“I feel honored to contribute my share to the visibility of European research and to the development of a science policy that strengthens the role and the impact of science and humanities in shaping European moral values as well as political and economic choices.”
New ALLEA Member and New Working Group
During the business meeting, ALLEA Member Academies voted in favour of accepting Bilim Akademisi (The Science Academy, Turkey) as full member of ALLEA. Bilim Akademisi was established in Istanbul on 25 November 2011 as an independent non-governmental entity with a mission to promote, to model and to protect scientific merit, excellence, independence, and integrity. The Academy was founded by former members of the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA), following a decree by the government of Turkey in August 2011, which changed the academy’s structure and appointment procedures.
In response to current challenges, ALLEA is establishing a new working group investigating the dynamics of public trust in expertise in the so-called “post-truth” era. The alleged loss of trust in science and evidence, its underlying causes, the way different disciplines are dealing with it, and questions on how valid knowledge can and should be acquired, will be the focus of this group. It will be co-chaired by Baroness Prof Dr Onora O’Neill from the British Academy, and ALLEA Vice President Prof Dr Ed Noort.
Koen Lenaerts, 2017 ALLEA Madame de Staël Prize Laureate
Following the ALLEA General Assembly, ALLEA celebrated the award ceremony for the 2017 All European Academies Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values. This year, Professor Koen Lenaerts was awarded the ALLEA Prize to honour his extensive scholarly work on European law and his reflections on European jurisdiction. He is a Professor of European law at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and President of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). His publications represent a thorough and impeccable analysis for understanding the EU’s judicial system and the democratic values on which it is based. “Law is at the origin of the European idea and the basis for free societies, and
this year the Prize Jury decided to honour a scholar with a truly European track record in law”, stated ALLEA President Günter Stock, Chair of the Prize Jury.
Lenaerts is the fourth scholar to be honoured with the ALLEA Prize, which is endowed with 20,000 EUR, thanks to kind co-sponsorship of the Italian foundation Compagnia di San Paolo.
Academia Europaea – ALLEA international conference on “Sustainability and Resilience”
As part of the ALLEA General Assembly, an international scientific conference with the title “Sustainability and Resilience” is organised on 5-6 September in partnership with Academia Europaea and with the kind collaboration of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Young Academy of Europe. The two-day event brings together renowned scientists and scholars to discuss the various aspects of Europe’s Sustainability and Resilience: its heritage, its social system, its health, its economy, its climate, as well as its science and research landscape.
Delegates of the ALLEA General Assembly in Budapest at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Credit: MTA/Szigeti Tamás
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ALLEA Board Members convened at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Budapest on 3 September 2017 and started preparations for the upcoming transition of the ALLEA Presidency.
ALLEA Board during their discussions in Budapest at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences on 3 September 2017.
The ALLEA Board Members met on 3 September 2017 at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Budapest. Participants discussed the next steps for ALLEA, including upcoming publications, working group and SAPEA activities, and the first steps of the new working group “Trust, Truth and Expertise”.
The participants also assessed next actions in preparation of the Presidency transition, which will take place during the next General Assembly in Sofia in May 2018. During the transition, six of the current Board Members will conclude their term. The ALLEA Secretariat already sent a call for nominations to Member Academies asking for proposals of Academy Fellows to renew the Board. ALLEA delegates will vote on the candidates at the General Assembly in Sofia in May 2018.
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The chair of the ALLEA Working Group Framework Programme 9 and lead author of ALLEA’s position paper “Developing a Vision for Framework Programme 9”, Professor John Bell, reflects on the EU’s future research and innovation programme after Horizon 2020 and elaborates on ALLEA’s recommendations on the topic. Professor Bell (Fellow of the British Academy) is a comparative lawyer who specialises in French and German law, jurisprudence (especially legal reasoning), public law and European law. He is currently Professor of Law at the University of Cambridge and has previously worked at the Universities of Oxford and Leed
Which is the most important aspect that policy-makers should consider in the development of the next EU research and innovation programme?
JOHN BELL: Policy-makers should seek to look into the middle distance: what is Europe and the world going to be like by 2040 and how do we prepare ourselves to engage with the opportunities and problems which that future poses. Many of the calls for research under Horizon 2020 have been driven by rather immediate preoccupations for which the Commission was looking for answers. That is consultancy, not research. Research involves imagining the future and wrestling with the issues that it throws up.
ALLEA’s FP9 working group’s position paper points out that the next framework programme must incentivise “impact focused on European societies not just economic or industrial benefit”. Could you elaborate which types of “impact focused on European societies” FP9 should specifically address?
J.B.: Innovation can be understood simply in terms of new products that will create new jobs and increase wealth. That is only part of the picture. European societies want a quality of life that comes from a tolerant living together in solidarity with those who are disadvantaged throughout the world. Such conviviality is the result not only of economic growth, but of caring for the environment, designing our cities, ensuring healthcare and welfare for the vulnerable in society, and promoting social integration of citizens, migrants and visitors.
How could the Societal Challenges pillar in Framework Programme 9 be more prominently developed and how would the role of researchers have to be adapted accordingly?
J.B.: We need first to identify the challenges that lie ahead. Horizon 2020 has rather a top-down approach to identifying these challenges and is very prescriptive about their content. The process needs more imagination to come from researchers who can suggest different themes to be explored. We also need to bring together the insights of different disciplines into reflection on these issues. Natural and biological scientists will bring insights from replicable trials. Humanities will bring insights from imagination and history, thinking through issues in hypothetical futures. Social sciences can bring forms of modelling to help us anticipate problems that may occur. Working together they can give a holistic view of what the future might be like and how to engage with opportunities and problems.
What are the most relevant contributions and/or shortcomings of the recently published Lamy Report?
J.B.: Lamy provides an important vision of how to develop research beyond 2020. Lamy recognises the importance of research and the need for a substantial commitment of funding. It recognises the important contribution of humanities and social sciences research to a holistic approach to problems. Lamy also recognises that ‘innovation is more than technology’ and that the contribution to society, as well as to the economy is important. Lamy’s approach to missions for research is far less detailed and prescriptive than Horizon 2020. At the same time, the indicative topics it suggests on p. 16 is too much focused on medical and technological developments. The broad topic of how we live together would encourage a wider range of issues to be addressed. ALLEA will be working with colleagues in other organisations to produce suggestions in time for the Lamy Group to review the feedback it has received in early 2018.
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SAPEA is advertising a vacancy for a full-time Senior Scientific Policy Officer, located in Brussels, Belgium.
Further details can be found below:
Senior Scientific Policy Officer (code number 45/2017)
Application deadline: September 22, 2017
For the EU-funded project SAPEA (Science Advice for Policy by European Academies) acatech is seeking a full-time Senior Scientific Policy Officer (SSPO).
Starting date: as soon as possible Duration: Until the end of the project October 31, 2020 with the possibility of extension in case a second project phase will be achieved. Location: acatech Brussels office, Belgium
Contract and salary: In accordance with the German labour agreement for public services (TVöD, Grade 15), under a Belgian contract. The monthly basic gross salary for this vacancy ranges from EUR 5,676 to 6,480 (based on a 12 months calculation); according to the appointed candidate’s level of work experience and additional aspects, for example, the national social security system which has to be used. The Belgian rules for vacation time and the European holiday rules apply. In addition 10 leave days/year will be provided by acatech. Travel within the EU is expected.
About the SAPEA project:
The EU-project SAPEA consists of a Consortium of the five European Academy Networks Academia Europaea, ALLEA, EASAC, Euro-CASE and FEAM. Spanning the disciplines of engineering, humanities, medicine, natural sciences and social sciences, SAPEA brings together the outstanding knowledge and expertise of Fellows from over 100 Academies, Young Academies and Learned Societies in more than 40 countries across Europe. Fellows provide their knowledge and expertise on a voluntary basis. SAPEA is part of the European Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM), which provides independent, interdisciplinary and evidence-based scientific advice on policy issues to the European Commission. SAPEA works closely with the SAM High Level Group of Scientific Advisors (HLG). Furthermore the SAPEA project aims to strengthen cooperation and to foster synergies between the Academy Networks and their Member Academies, as well as to enhance existing structures. The project is funded through a grant from the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme. It runs until October 31, 2020.
About acatech: acatech – the National Academy of Science and Engineering – is the voice of the technical sciences in Germany and abroad. As a working Academy, acatech supports policymakers and society by providing qualified technical evaluations and forward-looking recommendations. acatech acts as Coordinator of the SAPEA project and will, on behalf of the project Consortium, employ the Senior Scientific Policy Officer (SSPO).
Tasks and Responsibilities:
The SSPO will be a leading expert in the field of independent science-based policy advice. He/she will be responsible for the strategic development and facilitation of SAPEA’s science-for-policy activities and is accountable to the SAPEA Board, whose core membership comprises the Presidents of the Academy Networks. He/she will take primary responsibility for the Rapid Response Mechanism, which provides fast links between requests from the European Commission (EC) and the existing knowledge within the Academy networks. He/she will act as the Chair of a team of 5 SAPEA Scientific Policy Officers (SPOs), who are employed by the respective Academy Networks and who mostly conduct the work on SAPEA’s science-for-policy projects. He/she will be a member of the project’s Coordination Team, working in close cooperation with the Executive Directors of the Academy Networks, the project Coordinator, and the Head of Communications to take joint decisions on procedural and conceptual matters. He/she will have direct access to the Board and will be a standing invitee to meetings of the SAPEA Board. He/she will participate in meetings between the SAPEA Board and the HLG to develop strategic approaches to science-for-policy projects.
The tasks and responsibilities of the SSPO include, among others:
Strategic development and facilitation of science-for-policy projects mostly conducted by the team of SPOs
Taking primary responsibility for project leadership within the Rapid Response Mechanism, which provides fast access to existing knowledge within the Academy Networks
Collaborate closely with the SAM Unit and High-Level Group regarding scientific topics, procedures and timelines
Chairing the team of SPOs and working closely with them to facilitate and support their activities
Organising a first assessment of scoping papers from the High-Level Group with the SAPEA Board
Maintaining ties and organising meetings regarding topic-driven activities with various representatives of the EC, other European bodies such as the European Parliament (incl. STOA), institutions involved in SAM, and selected stakeholders.
Additional SSPO tasks that are partially shared by the SPOs are, amongst others:
Drafting scoping papers, project outlines for scientific topics, work and budget plans
Organising and participating in working-group meetings with Academy Fellows, external experts, and EC representatives
Facilitating and possibly conducting reviews of scientific literature and other evidence
Possibly conducting structured expert interviews or scientific writing,
Horizon-scanning activities to identify and inform potential future scientific topics for SAPEA,
Organising and managing an independent peer-review process for SAPEA products,
Supporting the dissemination activities of the SAPEA Communications Office
Profile, skills, knowledge, experience and qualifications:
At least 10 years of experience in the field of science-based policy advice in a European framework or in EU science management or EU science policy projects.
A Master’s Degree coupled with other relevant post-graduate work experience or other qualification, a PhD qualification would be highly desirable,
Excellent knowledge of the science-policy interface at European level,
Excellent organisational and management skills
Proven experience in delivering scientific or science-based publications of the highest quality,
Strong interpersonal skills, with experience in building and maintaining strong working relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders across Europe,
Proven ability to facilitate the work of a team
Proven experience in managing projects with leading scientists and other experts
Clear and confident communication skills, with the ability to communicate complex scientific issues to different target audiences,
Excellent oral and written proficiency in English (equivalent to native speaker level), working knowledge of German is an asset
An existing network of stakeholder contacts in the field of the science-policy interface and experience of working in an EU-funded project are an asset.
Experience of working with Academies is an asset.
If you are interested in applying for this position, please send your CV and motivation letter, together with details of two referees, to jobs@acatech.de by September 22, 2017 (code number 45/2017, pdf- documents, not larger than 3 MB).
Candidates will be informed by the Selection Committee of its verdict by the end of September and the interviews for retained candidates will take place in Brussels in October. Travel expenses according to German law (BRKG) will be reimbursed. acatech reserves the right not to appoint.
acatech and SAPEA apply an equal opportunities policy and accept applications without distinction on the grounds of sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation.
The second volume of the book series Discourses on Intellectual Europe will be presented at the ALLEA General Assembly in September and at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October
Just in time for the 2017 ALLEA General Assembly and the Frankfurt Book Fair, editor Professor Albrecht Riethmüller of the Union of German Academies of Sciences and Humanities has finished his compilation on “The Role of Music in European Integration: Conciliating Eurocentrism and Multiculturalism”, the second edition in the ALLEA book series on Discourses on Intellectual Europe, published by ALLEA.
The book, which is based on a workshop of the same title that took place at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, takes an in-depth look at the influence of music in moving Europe closer together, be it via European anthems or even more mundane things such as the Eurovision Song Contest.
The volume focuses on music during the process of European integration since the Second World War. Often music in Europe is defined by its relation to the concept of Occidentalism (Musik im Abendland; western music). The emphasis here turns rather to recent manifestations of its evolvement in ensembles, events, musical organisations and ideas; questions of unity and diversity from Bergen to Tel Aviv, from Lisbon to Baku; and deals with the tension between local, regional and national music within the larger confluence of European music. The status of classical and avante-garde music, and to a degree rock and pop, during Europe’s development the past sixty years are also reviewed within the context of eurocentrism – the domination of European music within world music, a term propagated by anthropologists and ethnomusicologists several decades ago and based on multiculturalism. Conversely, the search for a musical European identity and the ways in which this search has in turn been influenced by multiculturalism is an ongoing, dynamic process.
The delegates of ALLEA Member Academies as well as the participants of the ALLEA-AE joint conference in September in Budapest will get the chance to pick up a copy then. A wider audience will be introduced to the book at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October, where it will form part of the exhibition “Books on France”, this year’s partner country of the Frankfurt Book Fair.
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Experts from academies across Europe release position paper on the next framework programme for European research and innovation
Berlin, 12 July 2017 – An expert working group by the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities (ALLEA) released today the position paper Developing a Vision for Framework Programme 9 which evaluates and draws conclusions from the successes and shortcomings of Horizon 2020 and provides recommendations to the European Commission for the formulation of the successor framework programme for research and innovation.
ALLEA’s Framework Programme 9 Working Group calls for the EU to set itself and meet the ambition of being the world leader in research and innovation in the development and realisation of the next framework programme. That framework programme’s agitating concern should be to support research and innovation originality and creativity, and not to be led by administrative capacities. This will require a significant resource commitment especially for Horizon 2020’s most successful initiatives such as the European Research Council and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. As importantly, however, the EU must add value, not replicate, national research systems, and put in place the foundations for a programme that incentivises interdisciplinarity, mobility, internationalism, excellence, impact focused on European societies not just economic or industrial benefit, and impact for the long-term.
In particular, the Working Group recommends that the next framework programme takes on board the suggestion of the report LAB – FAB – APP: Investing in the European future we want for a broader definition of innovation that involves all forms of knowledge and for the full recognition of the value and importance of the humanities and social sciences. The position paper furthermore calls for the EU to re-think significantly mission-oriented research, including purpose, long-term impact and horizons for such funding. The ALLEA experts underline that FP9 should provide more support for research infrastructures, particularly including research human capital infrastructures at a European level, and should encourage a range of size of grants from small to medium to large, with those of shorter duration having a quicker application process.
ALLEA President Professor Günter Stock states: “I am very grateful to our Working Group for presenting – with this position paper – a path to FP9 which is both visionary and feasible. For the future, it will be of vital importance that researchers in Europe can benefit equitably from EU funding regardless of their location. Therefore, the next framework programme must be constructed on the foundation of a strong spirit of ‘building excellence’ in all disciplines and across all member states. Future capacity-building efforts should particularly focus on research programmes in and cooperation agreements with countries which have shown low success rates in the run for EU research funding.”
The chair of the ALLEA FP9 Working Group Professor John Bell, a Fellow of the British Academy, highlights: “Europe needs research undertaken by the best minds to help it have flourishing and convivial communities through to 2040. To be prepared for the changes that lie ahead, Europe needs to ensure the different ways of thinking offered by humanities and social sciences, as well as by the natural and biomedical sciences, work productively together. It also needs a holistic concept of innovation that looks not only at contribution to economic prosperity but also at cultural, governance and social transformation.”
The ALLEA position paper partly responds to recommendations formulated in the so-called Lamy report, which was released a few days ago. The report of an independent High Level Group, lead-authored by the former Director General of the World Trade Organisation Pascal Lamy, presents 11 recommendations “designed to maximise the impact of future R&I programmes and further increase their return on investment for Europe and Europeans”, according to the authors.
With this position paper, ALLEA contributes to the debate following the release of the Lamy report. A dedicated stakeholder conference later this year will provide opportunities for more in-depth discussions of the recommendations in ALLEA’s position paper, bringing together key actors from the research and policy fields.
ALLEA’s FP9 working group comprises twenty members from a wide range of disciplines and representing fifteen countries of the Council of Europe region. It seeks to continue to ensure that any successor research programme to Horizon 2020 is developed with the interests of the Wissenschafts-community in mind and in particular to ensure that the social sciences and humanities are fully represented. It encourages deliberation and foresight within the ALLEA member academies on the fields and activities in which EU funding will be a priority in the future in order to develop suggestions which are delivered to the EU Institutions to contribute to the shaping of new programmes of EU research funding. Read more here
ALLEA (All European Academies)
ALLEA, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, was founded in 1994 and currently brings together 59 Academies in more than 40 countries from the Council of Europe region. Member Academies operate as learned societies, think tanks and research performing organisations. They are self-governing communities of leaders of scholarly enquiry across all fields of the natural sciences, the social sciences and the humanities. ALLEA therefore provides access to an unparalleled human resource of intellectual excellence, experience and expertise.
Independent from political, commercial and ideological interests, ALLEA’s policy work seeks to contribute to improving the framework conditions under which science and scholarship can excel. Jointly with its Member Academies, ALLEA is in a position to address the full range of structural and policy issues facing Europe in science, research and innovation. In doing so, it is guided by a common understanding of Europe bound together by historical, social and political factors as well as for scientific and economic reasons.
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The ALLEA Board came together for their second meeting of the year in Barcelona on 26-27 June on the kind invitation of the Reial Acadèmia de les Arts i les Ciències de Barcelona (RACAB) and the Institut d’Estudis Catalans (IEC). Among other topics, the participants discussed the preparations for the 2017 General Assembly and the latest activities of the ALLEA working groups as well as the SAPEA project.
Participants deliberated and agreed on the agenda of the business meeting for the 2017 General Assembly, which will take place in Budapest at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HAS) on 4 September. Discussions included the final steps on the organisation of the follow-up scientific conference “Sustainability and Resilience” (4-6 September). The programme of the event will address various aspects of Europe’s sustainability and resilience concerning its heritage, its social systems, its health, its economy, its climate, and its science and research landscape.
Regarding the activities of the ALLEA working groups, Board Members were informed about statements prepared by the Permanent Working Group Intellectual Property Rights and the Working Group Framework Programme 9 respectively, which will be published in the upcoming months and presented to the relevant authorities at the European level in order to make a contribution from the academies to on-going debates concerning the structural and legal conditions for science and research in Europe. .
On the topic of ALLEA’s science-for-policy activities, the Board was updated on the progress of the SAPEA project (Science Advice for Policy by European Academies), which works within the European Commission’s Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM). SAPEA is currently chaired by ALLEA President Günter Stock who steers the work of the project and regularly interacts with the EC High Level Group of Scientific Advisors, as well as with the Commissioner for Science, Research and Innovation.
Among other aspects, the contribution of ALLEA in the establishment of two working groups on the topic “Food from the Oceans” was discussed, which will work closely in an interdisciplinary approach to address the question “How can more food and biomass be obtained from the oceans in a way that does not deprive future generations of their benefits?” Furthermore, ALLEA actively contributes to the work on the topic “Authorisation Process for Plant Protection Products”.
As part of the visit, the President of the RACAB, Professor Ramon Pascual de Sans welcomed the ALLEA Board and introduced the participants to the activities and the history of the Catalan academy. The invitation included a visit to the centennial Observatory Fabra, which has been conducting astronomical observation since 1904 and is run by the academy. On the second day of the visit, the President of the Institut d’Estudis Catalans, Professor Joandomènec Ros i Aragonès invited the Board to his academy’s facilities and kindly led the Board through a guided visit to the National Library of Catalonia.
https://allea.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/allea-30-logo-300x90.png00alleaadminhttps://allea.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/allea-30-logo-300x90.pngalleaadmin2017-06-28 13:51:032019-06-26 22:33:09ALLEA Board meets in Barcelona in preparation of the 2017 General Assembly
