ALLEA Task Force on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Research Holds First Meeting in Expanded Format

On 15 December, the ALLEA Task Force on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in Research convened online for its first meeting.

The meeting followed the appointment of eight new members from ALLEA Member Academies, who joined seven continuing members from the existing group. It marked an important milestone in the Task Force’s renewed mandate, with discussions focusing on its objectives, reflections on past activities, and priority areas and working modes for the year ahead. 

Initiated by the British Academy and co-chaired by Dr Molly Morgan Jones, the Task Force promotes intersectionality, fairness, transparency, and inclusiveness across the European research landscape. It provides a platform for sharing policies and innovative practices that improve access to research opportunities and leadership positions, address bias, including algorithmic bias, and support early- and mid-career researchers. Through evidence gathering, dialogue, and collaboration, the group aims to strengthen research excellence by fostering truly diverse perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds. 

Running from 2024 to at least 2026, the Task Force will continue to collect and disseminate good practices, develop principles and guidance, and offer recommendations to national academies and institutions. Its work seeks to improve framework conditions for EDI within the European Research Area (ERA), particularly in the contexts of strengthening gender equality and inclusiveness, improving access to excellence, making research careers more attractive and sustainable, promote equity in Open Science, and addressing bias in AI research, contributing to more inclusive and resilient research cultures across Europe. 

ALLEA at the Paris Conference on Strengthening Public Trust in Science – and First Meeting of New Task Force

On 11 December, ALLEA joined policymakers, researchers, and science‐policy experts in Paris for a conference on Strengthening Public Trust in Science, co-organised by Science Europe and the French National Research Agency (ANR).

The event offered a timely and much-needed forum to reflect on one of the most urgent issues facing democratic societies today: how to safeguard and rebuild trust in science in an era of rapid technological change, global crises, and accelerating mis- and disinformation. 

Public trust, as Science Europe Vice-President Javier Moreno Fuentes underlined in his opening, is “the glue that holds democratic societies together”. Yet this glue is coming undone. Trust is something we rarely think about – until it disappears. Modern societies are built on trust: it reduces transaction costs, enables complex cooperation, and allows (liberal and democratic) political systems to function. For decades, science has served as a key source of legitimacy and progress. Today, this role is increasingly contested. 

Kei Koizumi, Former Principal Deputy Director for Science, Society, and Policy in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (Biden Administration)

In a powerful keynote, Kei Koizumi offered an alarming assessment of developments in the United States, where deliberate political interference, widespread disinformation, and eroding information integrity are undermining confidence in public institutions and, indirectly, in scientific evidence. Although general trust in science remains comparatively high, deep divides between societal groups persist and increase, and trust in policy decisions informed by scientific advice has weakened. While the Covid-19 pandemic initially seemed to demonstrate the life-saving value of science, policy responses often had the opposite effect and fuelled polarisation.

Koizumi and other speakers emphasised that trust cannot be built through dissemination of information alone: effective communication requires dialogue, transparency, and teaching a different understanding of how science works – not as a fixed set of truths, but as a process grounded in the scientific method, integrity, and clearly defined values.  

Some of the most renowned experts on trust in science in Europe further explored how fast-moving technologies – especially generative AI – may challenge traditional gatekeepers of knowledge, complicating citizens’ ability to distinguish evidence from misinformation and manipulation, how public engagement can strengthen trust in science, and the role trust in science plays at the science-policy interface.  

Many of the proposed solutions echo long-standing priorities of ALLEA: strengthening research integrity, academic freedom, independent technology research, early science education, citizen engagement, and responsible science advice. 

Inaugural Meeting of the ALLEA Task Force on Strengthening Trust in Science 

From L to R: Daniel Kaiser (ALLEA), Hedwig te Molder (KNAW), Daniela Ovadia (British Academy), Martina Feilzer (LSW), Tereza Stöckelová (Czech Academy of Sciences)

The conference provided an ideal backdrop for the first meeting of ALLEA’s newly established Task Force on Strengthening Trust in Science, held immediately afterwards. The hybrid meeting at the Bibliothèque Nacional de France brought together 17 experts from academies across Europe, representing a rich mix of disciplines, countries, and career stages, who will work closely with the ALLEA Board, the newly established Science-Policy Standing Committee, the Research Ethics and Integrity Council, and other Task Forces over the coming months.

The meeting introduced the Task Force’s purpose and set the stage for its future work. Members got to know each other and discussed the increasingly complex environment in which trust in science is shaped: the rapid spread of mis- and disinformation, the impact on evidence-informed policymaking, and the need to understand trust in science as part of broader societal dynamics. Participants stressed the importance of approaching the issue with curiosity rather than defensiveness; distrust, they noted, often stems from legitimate experiences and concerns that deserve attention. As Task Force Chair Emilija Stojmenova Duh (Global Young Academy) put it, “In a world where uncertainty is high and societal challenges are increasingly complex, trust in science has never been more important. Strengthening it is one of the most important tasks of our time, and I’m proud to contribute to this mission.” 

The Task Force will play a prominent role in European-level discussions, including ALLEA’s involvement in the European Research Area (ERA) Structural Policy on “Enhancing Trust in Science through Citizen Participation, Engagement and Science Communication”, an initiative co-led by Germany and Sweden in the ERA Forum. The group agreed to meet regularly over the coming months, with the next session scheduled for January to refine its thematic focus and establish priority areas and topic leads. 

“In a world where uncertainty is high and societal challenges are increasingly complex, trust in science has never been more important. Strengthening it is one of the most important tasks of our time, and I’m proud to contribute to this mission.” 

-Emilija Stojmenova Duh, Chair, ALLEA Task Force on Trust in Science

For ALLEA and its Member Academies, strengthening public trust in science is not a new endeavour, but it is more urgent than ever. Together, the Paris conference and the launch of ALLEA’s new Task Force mark an important step in advancing evidence-informed, socially responsive, and trustworthy science across Europe at a time when it is needed most. 

ALLEA Joins the Global Research Community in Cairo to Discuss Bridging Science, Policy, and Society in an Era of Transformation

From 8-11 December, ALLEA, represented by its President, Pawel Rowiński, joined members of the global research community at the 2025 IAP Triennial Conference and General Assembly in Cairo, Egypt to debate a wide range of issues concerning science and society, from research assessment reform to the role of science diplomacy in times of geopolitical volatility.

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2025 ALLEA Madame de Staël Prize awarded to President of the European Research Council (ERC) Maria Leptin

ALLEA is proud to announce that Maria Leptin, President of the European Research Council (ERC) and chair of the ERC governing body, the Scientific Council, has been awarded the 2025 ALLEA Madame de Staël Prize in recognition of her outstanding contributions to European research leadership, and the advancement of frontier science across Europe. 

“It is a great honour to receive this prize, and I would like to express my gratitude to ALLEA, an organisation I hold in the highest regard. The values celebrated by this award, such as scientific curiosity, European intellectual engagement, and academic freedom – embodied by Madame de Staël – are ones I deeply share, as does the European Research Council”, said Professor Leptin about her nomination.

Her research has advanced understanding of how individual cells give rise to complex multicellular organisms, including the processes and proteins that determine embryonic shape and form. She has gained recognition for her work on the fruit fly Drosophila, investigating complex cell shapes in the respiratory system and the formation of the tracheal network, and for studying pathogen resistance in zebrafish. Beyond her scientific achievements, Maria Leptin has held multiple leading roles in the European and international research community, including as the first woman Director of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) and, since November 2021, as President of the European Research Council (ERC), combining her scientific expertise with extensive experience in research policy and management.

“The jury has unanimously decided to award Maria Leptin the 2025 ALLEA Madame de Staël Prize in recognition of her pioneering contributions to developmental biology and her outstanding leadership in European research. As Director of the European Molecular Biology Organisation and as President of the European Research Council, Professor Leptin has demonstrated exceptional dedication to advancing science and fostering collaboration within the European scientific community. Her work embodies the very values honoured by this Prize – promoting scientific excellence, supporting collaboration across borders, and strengthening the impact of research on society,” said Professor Paweł Rowiński, President of ALLEA and chair of the ALLEA Madame de Staël Prize Jury.

About Maria Leptin

Maria Leptin has been the President of the European Research Council (ERC) since November 2021 and chairs the ERC governing body, the Scientific Council. She is a biologist best known for her work on the mechanisms that allow a developing body to take on its correct shape.

After her studies in mathematics and biology at the University of Bonn and the University of Heidelberg, Germany, Maria Leptin carried out her PhD research at the Basel Institute for Immunology, Switzerland. She then moved to the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK, after which she became a group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen, Germany, and then professor at the Institute of Genetics, University of Cologne, Germany. She spent extended research periods and sabbaticals at the University of California, San Francisco, USA, the École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France, and at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK.

Before her appointment as ERC President, Maria Leptin was the Director of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) in Heidelberg, and a research group leader at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory.

She is an elected member of EMBO, the Academia Europaea, the German National Academy of Sciences (Leopoldina), the Nordrhein-Westfälische Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Künste, the Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften and the European Academy of Sciences. She is an Honorary Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, a Foreign Member of the Royal Society and an international member of the US National Academy of Sciences. She holds the title of Doctor Honoris Causa from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EFPL), Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), Nova University Lisbon and the University of Cambridge. She was awarded the lifetime achievement award by the Latin American Society for Developmental Biology, the De Sanctis Award for Europe and the De Sanctis Award for Research.

Ukraine Coalition Meeting Explores Pressing Challenges and Sets Priorities

On 9 December 2025, ALLEA joined the first technical meeting of the International Coalition for Science, Research and Innovation in Ukraine, contributing perspectives from Europe’s academies and reinforcing its ongoing support for Ukrainian researchers and institutions.

ALLEA participated in the first technical-level meeting of the International Coalition for Science, Research and Innovation in Ukraine, launched in summer 2025 by the European Commission and UNESCO, among others, to coordinate global support for Ukraine’s research and innovation system.

The meeting provided an opportunity for coalition partners to explore in depth the pressing challenges faced by researchers and innovators in Ukraine, including sustaining scientific work under wartime conditions, addressing institutional needs, and fostering brain circulation to ensure that Ukrainian talent remains connected to the national research system. Members also reviewed ongoing support actions and discussed potential next steps to strengthen collective responses.

Representing the European academies, ALLEA Director Matthias Johannsen highlighted the organisation’s longstanding commitment to supporting Ukrainian science:

“ALLEA is proud to be a member of the Coalition, representing the community of European Academies in supporting Ukrainian science and research. We are grateful to the Coalition Secretariat for the valuable insights, discussions, and strong engagement during this first technical meeting.”

Past and ongoing support

ALLEA’s support for Ukraine builds on significant past and ongoing efforts. Notably, the European Fund for Displaced Scientists (EFDS) – initiated by ALLEA thanks to a grant from the U.S. American Breakthrough Prize Foundation – has provided direct assistance to Ukrainian researchers displaced by the war, as well as those who remained in the country despite adverse conditions. In addition, ALLEA maintains close cooperation with its member, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, ensuring that Ukrainian scientific institutions remain connected to European and global research networks.

About the Coalition

The International Coalition for Science, Research and Innovation in Ukraine brings together governments, research organisations, funding agencies, and international partners to ensure coordinated and sustained support for Ukraine’s research and innovation ecosystem during the war and throughout reconstruction.

ALLEA will continue to work closely with coalition partners and the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine to help safeguard Ukraine’s scientific capacity, strengthen collaboration, and contribute to the country’s long-term recovery and integration into the European Research Area.

Academies Encourage the European Commission to Adopt a Careful and Ethical Approach to AI in European Crisis Management

A group of leading scientists nominated by the Academy Networks of SAPEA has provided advice to the European Commission on artificial intelligence in emergency and crisis management, through the Scientific Advice Mechanism. This advice underscores that artificial intelligence can significantly enhance emergency and crisis management across Europe through applications like early warning systems, damage assessment, and decision support, but requires careful ethical oversight, human control, standardized data frameworks, and recognition of its limitations in novel or morally complex situations.

Published on 11 December 2025, the Rapid Evidence Review Report was coordinated by ALLEA, on behalf of SAPEA.

“Over the past decade, the development and deployment of Artificial Intelligence have accelerated significantly. What was once confined largely to some research and industry sectors has now entered almost every aspect of our lives, thus becoming a societal, economic and political priority. Important debates and questions accompany the growing use of AI. One of those most pressing questions is how we can benefit from the full potential of these technologies, while also understanding and managing the risks that come with them”, said Prof. Paweł Rowiński, President of ALLEA, and Prof. Donald Dingwell, Chair of the SAPEA board.

Evidence suggests that AI performs best on standardised, data-intensive tasks typical in frequent disasters such as floods, wildfires, and droughts. It excels at repetitive monitoring tasks important for early warning systems and can process social media and assess damage at scales and speeds beyond the reach of human analysts. However, AI is not well suited to interpreting highly heterogeneous contexts or new situations where appropriate training data is lacking. Moreover, morally challenging decisions and trade-offs should not be referred to an AI tool.

The development and implementation of benchmarks, practical guidelines, codes of conduct and sandbox environments for AI in crisis management would allow the testing of AI under supervision and with ethical oversight, before full deployment. A new European crisis management data preparedness framework, with common standards and agreed sharing protocols, could help fill data gaps and promote data harmonisation between Member States, enabling the training of EU-wide AI for relevant EU contexts, and helping deliver better EU crisis management tools.

“Crises cross borders, but data is managed at the national level, leading to different standards. This diversity can lead to fragmentation in the data landscape that AI cannot easily bridge. Data preparedness is an important step to connecting these data systems that provide the necessary foundation for AI to provide effective decision support in European crisis management,” explained Professor Tina Comes, chair of the SAPEA working group on Artificial Intelligence in Emergency and Crisis Management.

The Scientific Advice Mechanism provides independent scientific evidence and policy recommendations to the European institutions by request of the College of Commissioners. It includes the Science Advice for Policy by European Academies (SAPEA) consortium, which gathers expertise from more than 100 institutions across Europe, and the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors (GSCA), who provide independent guidance informed by the evidence.

More information

Artificial Intelligence in Emergency and Crisis Management

 

 

ALLEA Welcomes Provisional EU Agreement on New Genomic Techniques

ALLEA welcomes the provisional agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council of the EU on the regulation of plants obtained through New Genomic Techniques (NGTs). The agreement provides a more up-to-date and differentiated framework that reflects scientific advancements in the field and offers clearer conditions for research and innovation in Europe.

This development closely reflects to ALLEA’s long-standing work and positions on sustainable agriculture and food systems, where we have emphasised the importance of evidence-based policymaking and the need to support more sustainable and resilient agricultural practices. New genomic techniques may contribute to these aims by enabling the development of plant characteristics that help reduce environmental pressures or support adaptation to changing climatic conditions.

In our publications on genome editing, ALLEA has highlighted both the scientific potential of these techniques and the need for clarity, proportionate regulation, and transparency, including in relation to intellectual-property aspects. The new framework’s distinction between different categories of NGT plants, as well as its provisions for greater clarity around IP issues, reflect several of these considerations.

As the agreement moves towards formal adoption, ALLEA will continue to follow the process and contribute scientific perspectives to ongoing discussions on how new genomic techniques may support the transition to more sustainable agriculture and food systems in Europe.

 

ALLEA Affirms Solidarity with the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts in Light of the Planned Discontinuation of Structural Funding

The Flemish government has announced its intention to discontinue the structural funding of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts (KVAB) as of 2026. In response to this development, KVAB, a long-standing member academy of ALLEA, has released an open letter addressed to the Flemish government outlining the anticipated implications of this decision and requesting its reconsideration.

The open letter sets out the importance of sustained institutional support for independent academies in enabling them to carry out their public missions, including the advancement of scientific excellence, the facilitation of exchange between science and the arts, and the contribution to informed public discourse.

Given these considerations, ALLEA expresses its full solidarity with the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts. ALLEA President Paweł Rowiński has signed the open letter, thereby joining the appeal urging the Flemish government to reconsider its funding decision and to preserve the conditions that allow KVAB to continue fulfilling its mission.

ALLEA encourages members of the academic, scientific, artistic and wider societal communities to consult the open letter and consider supporting this initiative.

Read and sign the open letter.

ALLEA Welcomes Joint Proposal by Universities and Research Institutes in Europe: Shared Vision, Unified Voice for FP10 Amendments

On December 1, 2025, leading organisations representing Europe’s research and innovation community presented a coordinated set of amendments to the European Commission’s proposals for the 10th EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP10). ALLEA welcomes and fully supports this joint initiative.

United by a simple and urgent call, the signatory organisations emphasise the need for Europe to act at the speed and scale the moment demands. The decisions taken in the coming period must demonstrate a clear and ambitious step change in Europe’s capacity to lead globally in cutting-edge research and innovation, accelerating both technological and societal progress underpinned by scientific excellence.

To this end, CESAER, the Coimbra Group, the European University Association (EUA), EU-LIFE, the Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities, the League of European Research Universities (LERU), and the Young European Research Universities Network (YERUN) have released:

● A cover note that provides a concise overview of our shared objectives and key proposals for the future of Horizon Europe (2028-2034).
● A full list of the jointly proposed amendments to the FP10 legal texts.

Together, these organisations represent more than 900 universities and research institutes across Europe. Their message is clear: FP10 must be equipped to strengthen Europe’s capacity to generate excellent research, attract world-leading talent, and translate knowledge into meaningful societal and economic impact. The proposed amendments aim to ensure that the final FP10 legal framework aligns with the needs of the research and innovation community and maximises the programme’s contribution to Europe’s resilience, competitiveness, and long-term prosperity.

ALLEA commends this collective effort and shares the commitment to a strong and ambitious FP10 that reinforces Europe’s scientific leadership.

The next chapter of Horizon Europe presents a unique opportunity to strengthen Europe’s research and innovation ecosystem. ALLEA will continue to advocate for a framework that empowers the scientific community and fully unlocks Europe’s talent and potential.

The ALLEA Science-Policy Standing Committee Holds Its Inaugural Meeting in Berlin

On 24 November 2025, the ALLEA Science-Policy Standing Committee (SC) held its inaugural meeting at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences, marking an important step in strengthening ALLEA’s science-policy engagement and fostering collaboration among Europe’s leading academies.

The Committee is ALLEA’s central body guiding engagement in science-policy matters. Established to respond to the dynamically changing European research and innovation landscape, the Committee ensures that ALLEA’s activities remain timely, transparent, and strategically aligned with its mission to foster a scientific culture of inclusivity, responsibility, sustainability, and quality while delivering science-based solutions to the pressing challenges of our time for the benefit of society, therewith reinforcing Europe’s leadership in research and innovation.

The Committee brings together leading experts from across Europe to provide a platform for identifying and addressing key challenges at the interface of science, policy, and society. By coordinating ALLEA’s science-policy work and shaping the development of dedicated Task Forces, the SC strengthens the collective voice of the academies in European research policy debates.

Chaired by Prof. Godelieve Laureys (President of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts, KVAB), the inaugural meeting focused on defining the purpose and tasks of the Science-Policy Standing Committee. Participants engaged in breakout group discussions exploring questions such as how to coordinate and monitor Task Forces effectively and how to enhance multilateral cooperation among member academies in a functional and goal-oriented way. They also discussed current ALLEA activities and explored priority areas for European academies over the next three years.

For more information on the Committee and its composition, please click here.