Economist Mariana Mazzucato, Winner of the 2019 Madame de Staël Prize

The jury praised her novel thinking, challenging conventional wisdom in the understanding of the role of the state in public policy and innovation.  The prize worth €20,000, with the support of Compagnia di San Paolo, is awarded annually by ALLEA, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, to eminent scholars and intellectuals whose work represents a significant contribution to the identity and values of Europe.

ALLEA submits feedback to Plan S

 ALLEA has submitted feedback to the implementation guidance of Plan S put forth by cOAlition S in late 2018. Feedback on the implementation guidance has now closed.

In order to promote a discussion of the likely impacts of Plan S and to help shape the future of open access, ALLEA has submitted its feedback to the ‘Guidance on the Implementation of Plan S’. The guidance represents a preliminary framework for the adoption and implementation of open access with the final aim of making scientific research and publications more easily accessible to the broader public.

While ALLEA supports open access as a major step towards realising the universality of science, there are many issues that still need to be taken into consideration in order to prevent unintended consequences in the scientific publishing sector and the research evaluation system.

The implementation guidance was proposed by cOAlition S, a consortium of national research funding organisations and charitable foundations with the support of the European Commission and the European Research Council. Plan S requires that, from 2020, scientific publications that result from research funded by public grants must be published in compliant Open Access journals or platforms.

Initial ALLEA Response to Plan S

In an initial response published on December 2018, ALLEA welcomed the ambition of cOAlition S to move the scientific publishing system towards open access. However, ALLEA emphasised that broader consultation with all parties is required during the implementation phase. Moreover, concurrent reforms of the systems for research evaluation and career progression are needed to minimise unintended consequences of Plan S for early career researchers and specialised disciplines.

In addition, the response provided comments and recommendations regarding various implications of Plan S concerning ethics and trust in science, the research evaluation system, the protection of intellectual property rights as well as economic considerations.

 

ALLEA meeting with cOalition S

ALLEA has engaged with different stakeholders to promote open access and to discuss the future of Plan S. On 4 February, ALLEA’s President, Professor Antonio Loprieno, met in Brussels with Robert-Jan Smits, Open Access Envoy of the European Commission, and Marc Schiltz, President of Science Europe, to discuss the next steps of Plan S.

Seeking to promote a discussion on the topic, ALLEA Member Academies are also opening the debate within the research community at the national level. The International Science Council published an interview with Professor Luke Drury, member of the ALLEA Board and lead author of ALLEA’s response paper, where he elaborates on the importance of Plan S to ALLEA and the broader European research community.

ALLEA reinforces its calls to protect the institutional autonomy and academic freedom of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences

In response to the ongoing and severely threatening infringements by the Hungarian government on the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, ALLEA has published today a statement calling to protect the institutional autonomy and academic freedom of the academy.

Read the full statement

ALLEA 2019 General Assembly: Registration is now open

You can now register to participate in the 2019 ALLEA General Assembly, which will be hosted by the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences on 8-10 May in the city of Bern. On this occasion, we will also celebrate the 25th anniversary of ALLEA.

The ALLEA General Assembly convenes academies of sciences and humanities from 40 countries across the Council of Europe region. The General Assembly programme consists of various parts: the annual business meeting, the award ceremony of the All European Academies Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values, as well as a Scientific Symposium.

Under the theme Science and Society in Present-day Europe, leading academics, policy-makers and civil society representatives will reflect on the future of European science and the role of academies as bridges between the production and diffusion of knowledge for the benefit of society.

 

Programme Overview


8 May

ALLEA 25th Anniversary

ALLEA will celebrate its 25th anniversary in the opening of the 2019 General Assembly with a special address on the role of academies in European societies by ALLEA President Antonio Loprieno at the University of Bern. On this occasion, Director-General for Research and Innovation Jean-Eric Paquet will deliver a keynote to commemorate 25 years of European academies’ cooperation and reflect on the future of European research.

Madame de Staël Prize Award Ceremony

The ALLEA Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values is annually awarded to an eminent scholars and intellectual whose work represents a significant contribution to the cultural values of Europe and to the idea of European integration, thereby promoting and strengthening an understanding of Europe as multifaceted, intellectual, open and vibrant. The 2019 laureate will be announced shortly and will receive the award during a ceremony hosted by the University of Bern.


9 May

Scientific Symposium: Science and Society in Present-day Europe

Public confidence in the guiding role of science in shaping our future seems to be increasingly called into question. Does European science blossom, while European societies ache? Political discourse is frequently driven by algorithms of acceptance rather than by scientific or scholarly expertise. Our common cultural values, rooted in the curiosity and tolerance of the Enlightenment, are increasingly challenged.What role can European academies play to provide a bridge between production and diffusion of knowledge to and with society? The scientific symposium Science and Society in Present-day Europe will discuss these and other issues through four dedicated sessions on Science Policy, Early Career Researchers’ Perspective, Science in Society, and Science Advice.

Speakers will include Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, President of the European Research Council ERC; Madeleine Herren-Oesch, Director of  the Institute for European Global Studies, University of Basel; and Lesley Wilson, Secretary General of the European University Association (EUA).

Berne Scientifique: Guided scientific tour through the city of Bern

Throughout the years, Bern has proven to be a scientifically important city. Even Albert Einstein got the inspiration for his revolutionary theory of relativity in this very place. You will explore this place from an unconventional perspective. So, let us stroll through the alleys of this mesmerising and historic city and enjoy dinner in a surprising location.


10 May

Visit to Basel: One-day trip to the scientific and cultural facilities of Basel

The trip to Basel will start with a visit of the unique architecture of the Novartis campus, composed by architectural masterpieces by Marco Serra, David Chipperfield and Frank Gehry. The excursion continues with a guided tour of the Novartis campus’ laboratories, a walk around the historic centre of Basel and a tour of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, where an aperitif will be provided. The visit to Basel will incur a cost of €50 to cover all transportation, meals and entrance fees.

 


Attendance to the General Assembly is free of charge, but registration is mandatory for all participants. If you wish to register, please refer to the registration page at the ALLEA General Assembly website.

To Registration Page

To General Assembly Website

 

Organisers

 

Partners

Trust in Science in a Digital World: New Mechanisms Needed

ALLEA published the discussion paper “Trust in Science and Changing Landscapes of Communication” today. The paper examines how the increasing use of social media and other digital transformations affect and challenge trust relations between science, media and society.

 

In response to these challenges, the paper discusses the development of new tools for fact-checking and quality control of scientific information online. The authors urge political leaders to back and value scientific methods and standards of research integrity, and support digital innovations to overcome threats to public reasoning and scientific discourse.

While the widespread use of social media as a source of information might lead to a ‘context collapse’ of information, reinforce people’s confirmation biases and ultimately push the polarisation of societal groups through so-called ‘echo-chambers’ and ‘filter-bubbles’, the paper warns about a growing corporatisation of communication, a lack of funding for quality science journalism, (geo-) political computational propaganda and disinformation campaigns, as well as an increasingly polarised political climate.

All these trends have substantial consequences for the communication of science and might threaten the core pillars of trust in science as well as media: integrity, transparency, autonomy and accountability. The paper proposes to develop new mechanisms for researchers, journalists and other communicators of research to safeguard and reinforce these pillars and counter a loss of trust and trustworthiness.

Researchers “need to convincingly prove that a free and just society means a society in which all people are equal, but not all expressions are equally true. It is a society in which everyone should have unrestricted access to data and information, but also the opportunity and civic duty to acquire the skills needed to evaluate knowledge claims. This is why it is crucial to reflect on how we can effectively organise and defend a democratic digital society in which trust in expertise is anchored in longstanding and well-established standards – but wrapped in new mechanisms.”

The paper considers that researchers “need to become even more transparent, more ‘observable’, and more public than before”, engage in online debates regarding their field of expertise and “guide non-experts by systematically deconstructing and refuting deceitful stories and outright fabrications”. “Automated tools for fact-checking, flagging, online linking and referencing have to be developed and carefully tested in order to help citizens identify quality information”, the authors argue.

However, as the paper concludes, there are limits to what a good-hearted and motivated scientific community can do to overcome the identified obstacles by merely improving its (digital) communication. Without a supportive political backing that values scientific methods and standards of research integrity, and effectively protects science and society from the threats identified in this paper, “all well-meaning efforts might come to naught and look like bringing origami flowers to a machine-gun fight.”

Download Publication

Note to Editors

The discussion paper reflects the conclusions of a workshop held by the ALLEA Working Group “Truth, Trust & Expertise” at the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences and Arts in Amsterdam in August 2018. The expert group, chaired by Baroness O’Neill of Bengarve and Professor Ed Noort, is a transnational platform for perspectives on the nature and relationship between truth, trust and expertise in the field of science and research.

The discussion paper “Trust in Science and Changing Landscapes of Communication” and all preceding issues can be found here.

For press inquiries, interviews with experts or requests of hard copies please contact Susana Irles (irles@allea.org).

For content related inquiries please contact Daniel Kaiser (kaiser@allea.org).

 

Related Event

ALLEA and Re-Imagine Europa have organised the international forum “Democracy in a Digital Society – Trust, Evidence and Public Discourse in a Changing Media Environment”, taking place on 24 January, at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. On this occasion, Baroness O’Neill of Bengarve and Professor Christiane Woopen will discuss the findings of the ALLEA Working Group Truth, Trust and Expertise with a wider audience alongside contributions by EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, Manuel Castells and other prominent speakers from policy, academia and civil society.

For further information on the event and a livestream please click here.

ALLEA publishes second Discussion Paper on Loss of Trust in Science and Expertise

The ALLEA discussion paper “Trust Within Science: Dynamics and Norms of Knowledge Production” is now available. It was drafted by experts from the ALLEA Working Group Truth, Trust and Expertise.

The publication reflects on some specific approaches that academic research can adopt towards the common goal of producing reliable, reproducible and trustworthy scientific evidence. It also takes a normative stance by reaffirming the need for more articulated and context-sensitive standards of research integrity, greater and better inter-, multi- and transdisciplinary collaboration, re-adjustments in the evolving system of scientific publishing, and the importance of ethical guidance as a shaping asset for trustworthy research.

The paper thereby seeks to understand and value the different methodological approaches that inform knowledge production. How can different scientific disciplines trust and learn from each other? Are there common research standards that are clearly shared by all disciplines and constitute the ‘backbone’ of scientific practice? How can these standards be effectively communicated to a wider audience? These are the questions addressed in this  issue.

The publication follows the ALLEA discussion paper Loss of Trust? Loss of Trustworthiness? Truth and Expertise Today, which focused on how trust in expertise is placed or refused more generally.

 

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Conference Proceedings: Science in Times of Challenged Trust and Expertise

The conference proceedings present the topics discussed in the symposium “Science in Times of Challenged Trust and Expertise”, held in the context of ALLEA’s General Assembly at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in Sofia on 16 May 2018

The symposium addressed the challenges posed to science in its role as a trusted source of evidence and expertise. Jointly published by ALLEA and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the publication is divided into three sections. Each section starts with a keynote speech, followed by comments from two discussants, and concluded by a plenary discussion. Contributors include fellows of academies, members of the ALLEA Working Group Truth, Trust and Expertise, as well as young researchers, covering expertise from a variety of geographical and disciplinary backgrounds.

SAPEA report: Evidence on microplastics does not yet point to widespread risk

SAPEA (Science Advice for Policy by European Academies) has published an Evidence Review Report today with the aim of informing the forthcoming Scientific Opinion from the European Commission’s Group of Chief Scientific Advisors on the issue of microplastics.

According to the report, the best available evidence suggests that microplastics and nanoplastics do not pose a widespread risk to humans or the environment, except in small pockets. But that evidence is limited, and the situation could change if pollution continues at the current rate.

The SAPEA report’s authors draw on a comprehensive examination of the best available evidence from the natural sciences and computer modelling, as well as social, political and behavioural sciences. They highlight that microplastics – tiny particles under 5mm in length – are already present across air, soil and sediment, freshwaters, seas and oceans, plants and animals, and in several components of the human diet. These particles come from a variety of sources, including plastic products, textiles, fisheries, agriculture, industry and general waste.

While high concentrations of these particles have been shown to cause physical harm to the environment and living creatures in controlled experiments, the authors point out that concentration levels measured in the real world are well below this threshold – though there are also limitations in the measurement methods currently available.

You can access the full SAPEA report here.

 

About SAPEA

SAPEA (Science Advice for Policy by European Academies) is an integral 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 brings together outstanding knowledge and expertise from over 100 academies, young academies, and learned societies in over 40 countries across Europe. Funded through the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme, the SAPEA consortium comprises Academia Europaea (AE), All European Academies (ALLEA), the European Academies’ Science Advisory Council (EASAC), the European Council of Academies of Applied Sciences, Technologies and Engineering (Euro-CASE), and the Federation of European Academies of Medicine (FEAM).

For further information visit: www.sapea.info

100th anniversary of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

This past 27th of November marked the 100th Anniversary of the National Academy of Science (NAS) of Ukraine. A jubilee to celebrate the occasion was held on 6-7 December in Kiev. ALLEA was represented by its Vice President, Professor Graham Caie (Royal Society of Edinburgh).

The jubilee session for the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, which took place at the Taras Shevchenko National Opera and Ballet Theatre in Kiev, had the presence of renown scholars and academicians from Europe and beyond. ©NAS of UKraine

The celebratory activities included an exhibition of the scientific and technical achievements of the various institutions within the NAS of Ukraine, as well as visits to a few landmarks of Kiev, such as the National Conservation Area “Sophia of Kyiv” and the National Kyiv-Pechersk Historical Cultural Preserve.

 

Professor Graham Caie delivers a speech in honour of the 100th Anniversary of the National Academy Sciences of Ukraine. ©NAS of Ukraine

A jubilee session and a festive concert at the Taras Shevchenko National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Ukraine were held on 7 December, with the presence of Boris E. Paton, President of the NAS of Ukraine and Chairman of the National Committee for Systems Analysis, and Anatoly G Zagorodny, Vice President of the NAS of Ukraine. ALLEA was represented by its Vice President, Professor Graham Caie, who also delivered a congratulatory speech on this occasion.

 

 

About the NAS of Ukraine

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) of Ukraine was founded on 27 November 1918 in Kiev. It was the oldest republican academy in the former Soviet Union. It started with the three research departments: History and Philology, Physics and Mathematics, and Social Studies; at that time, the Academy incorporated 3 institutes, 15 commissions, and national library.

Today, the NAS of Ukraine is the highest scientific research oriented and self-governing organisation of Ukraine, being attributed over 90% of all discoveries made and registered in the country. The NAS of Ukraine is doing studies in all fields of scholarly research. It has 3 sections, 14 departments, nearly 170 institutes and research centres, and employing about 16,000 researchers.

The National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine has been a full ALLEA Member Academy since 1996.

Systemic reforms and further consultation needed to make Plan S a success

  • ALLEA welcomes the ambition of the coalition of European research funders to move the scientific publishing system towards open access; however, broader consultation with all parties is required during the implementation phase.
  • Concurrent reforms of the systems for research evaluation and career progression are needed to minimise unintended consequences of Plan S for early career researchers and specialised disciplines.

ALLEA published an initial response to Plan S, an initiative for open access publishing supported by a consortium of research funders*. The ALLEA statement welcomes the ambition of the proposal and identifies a number of challenges to be considered by funding agencies in order to prevent perverse incentives and unintended consequences in the scientific publishing sector and the research evaluation system when moving towards open access.

 “ALLEA supports open access as a major step towards realising the universality of science and welcomes the ambition of Plan S in this regard. Implementation will however require extensive consultation and dialogue with all parties, in particular the research performing communities represented through ALLEA and other scientific stakeholders”, the statement reads.

The response provides comments and recommendations regarding various implications of Plan S concerning ethics and trust in science, the research evaluation system, the protection of intellectual property rights as well as economic considerations.

“ALLEA supports open access as a major step towards realising the universality of science and welcomes the ambition of Plan S in this regard. Implementation will however require extensive consultation and dialogue with all parties, in particular the research performing communities represented through ALLEA and other scientific stakeholders”

It furthermore notes the legitimate concerns of some researchers, especially those at the early stage of their careers, that their ability to win research grants and promotions may be adversely affected if they do not have publications in what are perceived at the moment to be high status journals. Research assessment without consideration of journal reputation or impact factors, as advocated in Plan S, is thus crucial.

“It is essential that whatever model or models finally gain acceptance ensure the highest quality standards, incentivise and reward ethical behaviour, are economically viable, and support the integrity and trustworthiness of scholarly communication across the full range of academic disciplines”, the European federation of academies underlines.

The response highlights that further clarification is needed regarding the protection of intellectual property rights of authors and the type of open licence to be used. “Any prescription should ensure an appropriate degree of choice for researchers and allow for exceptional cases”, it states.

“It is essential that whatever model or models finally gain acceptance ensure the highest quality standards, incentivise and reward ethical behaviour, are economically viable, and support the integrity and trustworthiness of scholarly communication across the full range of academic disciplines”

ALLEA stresses the need for coordination within the global scientific system. “In the context of big science a further complication is that many consortia are global in scope with authors in multiple jurisdictions using different funding models, so some global coordination of the transition to full open access is needed”, the statement reads.

Download Statement

Download Press Release

*Plan S requires that from 2020, scientific publications resulting from research funded by public grants must be published in compliant open access journals or platforms. Learn more: https://www.coalition-s.org/