Archive for category: ALLEA News

ALLEA is currently seeking an experienced and versatile Senior Communications Officer (full-time) to join our team in Berlin for the duration of two years, extension desirable, on 1 October 2024 or earlier.

Role and responsibilities

The Senior Communications Officer leads on all ALLEA communications activities and is responsible for developing and implementing communication strategies to promote ALLEA’s mission and activities to various stakeholders, including the academic community, policymakers, and the public. In particular, tasks of the Senior Communications Officer include:

• Develop, implement and monitor ALLEA’s communications strategy and brand to increase visibility and impact;
• Effectively produce, manage and coordinate communications measures and activities (e.g., publications, websites, social media, newsletters);
• Create and edit content for websites, brochures, news articles, press releases; manage layout, format and graphic design of these products;
• Handle media queries, initiate and maintain relationships with relevant journalists and media;
• Organise and manage public events, workshops, webinars, online meetings and conferences to engage with stakeholders and the public;
• Engage in horizon-scanning of relevant public and media debates, to identify current and upcoming opportunities for effective communication.

Skills and experience

• Master’s degree in a relevant subject (ideally in e.g., communications studies, journalism, public relations, graphic design, marketing);
• At least 4-5 years of experience in communications, preferably in a non-profit and/or academic setting;
• Excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills; experience in science publishing is an asset.
• Native-speaker-level proficiency in English, orally and in writing; other foreign languages skills are an asset;
• Experience and/or familiarity with relevant software, apps, and CMS especially Adobe InDesign, Canva, and WordPress;
• Proficiency in managing social media profiles (especially LinkedIn);
• Experience in organising public events (physical, hybrid, digital);
• A quick learner and team player with a keen eye for detail who appreciates working in an international team and environment;
• Interest in the areas of expertise of ALLEA (international scientific collaboration, science communications, research policy, scientific advice to policymaking, etc.) is desirable.

Why join us

ALLEA e.V. is the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, representing more than 50 academies from 40 EU and non-EU countries. ALLEA e.V. operates at the interface of science, policy and society and acts on behalf of its members to promote science as a global public good, facilitate scientific collaboration across borders and disciplines, improve the conditions for research, provide the best independent and interdisciplinary science advice, and strengthen the role of science in society.
You will be part of an international and dynamic team working in the centre of Berlin. As a not-for-profit organisation, our working environment is informal and collegial, and our team shares a dedication to work for a common greater good. This position offers the flexibility of combining working in the office and remotely.
The monthly gross starting salary (including annual extra payment pro-rata) for this position ranges between 4.000 – 4.500 € depending on the level of qualifications, skills and previous experience. The employment contract will follow the conditions and regulations of the German civil service tariff TV-L.
ALLEA e.V. is an equal opportunity employer. For more information about us, please visit www.allea.org and/or follow us on LinkedIn.

How to apply

If you are interested, please submit your digital application with a cover letter, CV, an example of a short written text (in English), a sample of a graphic design work, and relevant references or corresponding certificates as one single PDF document (3 MB max.) to recruitment@allea.org as soon as possible. Applications will be processed on a rolling basis.

On 3 July 2024, the new ALLEA Board convened its first meeting online to kick off discussions on the strategic and operational future of ALLEA. During this meeting, the recently elected ALLEA President, Pawel Rowiński (Polish Academy of Sciences), proposed two candidates for Vice-President – Annette Grüters-Kieslich and Marie Louise B Nosch – who were subsequently unanimously elected.

Prof Grüters-Kieslich (Leopoldina and The Union of German Academies of Sciences and Humanities) is a thought leader in the fields of paediatrics and endocrinology, and has made significant contributions to the study of rare diseases in children. She has also been active in promoting the development of scientific structures and career paths in biomedicine as Dean of the Medical Faculty at the Charité in Berlin. Prof Grüters-Kieslich previously served as Vice-President of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences.

Prof Nosch (Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters) is a respected voice on the interdisciplinary study of ancient textile production and Greek History. She has also contributed extensively to supporting the growth and progress of early- and mid-career researchers, and has won several accolades, including the Iris Foundation Award for Outstanding Mid-Career Scholars (2009), the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s Anneliese Maier Award, and the Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes académiques. Until 2024, Prof Nosch served as President of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters.

Prof Grüters-Kieslich and Prof Nosch will serve as Vice-Presidents of the ALLEA Board from 2024-2027.

Yesterday, leading academics and policy experts from across Europe came together to discuss the critical role of international research collaboration in today’s rapidly changing geopolitical environment. ALLEA had invited them to Berlin for a public symposium on ‘European Research Collaboration in a Shifting Geopolitical Landscape’. 

As a part of ALLEA’s 30th-anniversary celebrations and their annual general assembly, this event took place at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. It was co-hosted by the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, the Union of the German Academies of Sciences and Humanities, and the Junge Akademie.

The Value of Open Research Collaboration

Fabiola Gianotti, Director-General of CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, and world-leading physicist, received ALLEA’s Madame de Staël Prize for her distinguished contributions to European values and science collaboration. In her keynote address, Dr Gianotti gave an inspirational talk about her experiences in CERN and the discovery of the Higgs boson. As the leader of Europe’s most significant collaborative research project and one of the world’s most influential scientists, Dr Gianotti stressed that scientific cooperation, open science and data are essential means of boosting science and reducing global inequities. She depicted CERN as a laboratory for people around the world and as a model for global collaboration that not only drives innovation, but also creates and maintains a value system that promotes peace and prosperity in a world facing significant geopolitical shifts.

Limits to Openness

The symposium featured engaging discussions with a panel of international experts and leaders in academia and policy, including Katja Becker (German Research Foundation – DFG), Nienke Buisman (European Commission), Janneke Gerards (Utrecht University), Fabiola Gianotti (CERN), and Valeska Huber (University of Vienna). 

The panel addressed the role of research collaboration and its limits amid geopolitical complexities by asking: “How open can we be?”. It was stressed that the autonomy and freedom of research and researchers are indispensable, but that the times dominated by a romantic illusion of openly sharing data and ideas with everyone without any risk are over. 

An emphasis was also put on the fact that international scientific cooperation needs to be both open and safe, and that the goal should be to build capacity at various levels in European research systems. The main objective for policies governing research collaboration and research security should be providing researchers and research institutions with the necessary means to make informed decisions on the ‘red lines’ before entering international collaborations. 

Responsible Internationalisation

To conclude, the discussions underscored the necessity of strengthening international partnerships, for instance through international academy networks such as ALLEA. The symposium explored practical solutions to overcome barriers to such collaboration, emphasising the importance of maintaining high standards of academic freedom, integrity, and responsibility, creating a safe research environment, enabling an open debate, supporting the international mobility of researchers, and ultimately reducing polarisation and conflict within and between our societies.

For more information and documentation about the symposium, please visit the ALLEA General Assembly website: https://www.alleageneralassembly.org/scientific-symposium-2024-allea-general-assembly/

Today, presidents of national academies of sciences of the EU addressed a message to the candidates for the 2024 European Parliament elections. The address underscores the indispensable role of robust, open, and free science and education for Europe’s future.

Given the significant representation of ALLEA member academies among its signatories, the EU national academies’ address echoes ALLEA’s core mission and priorities, reflecting our shared vision on the primacy of science and education in shaping Europe’s future trajectory. This statement stands as a pertinent message to the candidates of the 2024 European Parliament elections, emphasising the importance of international cooperation, academic freedom, and the use of scientific evidence in policymaking. Read it here