ALLEA Reaffirms Its Decision to Cease Communication on X and Its Commitment to Tackling Science Disinformation

ALLEA made the decision to discontinue communication on X, formerly known as Twitter, in January 2024, reflecting our careful consideration of the platform’s evolving policies and their increasing non-alignment with our mission to support science as a global public good and to promote high ethical standards.

One year later, we firmly stand by this decision, reiterating that scientific integrity is based on facts and evidence and reaffirming our commitment to tackling science mis- and disinformation. We welcome the increasing awareness amongst academic, civil society and governmental organisations concerning the use of social media channels, accelerated by recent political shifts across the globe.

In this climate, ALLEA expresses its unwavering support for its academic partners and networks in defending trustworthy and ethically sound science, evidence-based decision-making, and the independent and impartial sharing of information.

The ways we communicate and the platforms we choose for information sharing and exchange must align with our values and further our mission to advance science for the public good, free from undue political or commercial interference and disinformation.

We encourage our members and partners to stay connected with ALLEA by joining us on LinkedIn and Mastodon, and subscribing to our newsletter for continued updates.

Maintaining the Autonomy of the ERC: A Cornerstone of Europe’s Research Excellence

Amid the ongoing debate surrounding the leaked European Commission’s communication on the “Competitive Compass for the EU”, ALLEA echoes widespread concerns about potential risks to the European Research Council (ERC)’s autonomy.

ALLEA has consistently argued that the independence of the European Research Council (ERC) is fundamental to Europe’s ability to drive groundbreaking innovation through basic and fundamental research.

ERC President Maria Leptin has rightly emphasised the need to shield frontier research from short-term political and economic priorities.  We agree that Europe’s ability to remain competitive globally depends on ensuring that curiosity-driven research continues to thrive, as she pointed out recently, at the World Economic Forum.

We therefore recall and welcome the EU Competitiveness Council’s note from 26 November 2024 – which strongly reaffirmed the importance of preserving the ERC’s independent governance and implementation structure –, reiterate our commitment to scientific excellence as the guiding principle for European R&I (funding) policies, and stand firmly with the ERC in ensuring that independent, high-quality research remains at the heart of Europe’s innovation ecosystem.

You can read the EU Competitiveness Council’s note here.

Event Report – Decoding Polarisation in Debates on Sustainable Food Systems

A 3-part workshop series focused on developing tools to depolarise conversations on sustainable food systems comes to an end.

Between October and December 2024, ALLEA, in partnership with Re-Imagine Europa, organised a 3-part online workshop series, titled, Decoding Polarisation in Debates on Sustainable Food Systems. The invite-only event included diverse stakeholders, such as farmers, academics, activists, and policymakers, who came together to dive deep into the question, “How can we have more constructive conversations on sustainable food systems in Europe that lead to mutually-beneficial and innovative solutions?”

The hands-on and interactive workshops built on each other as they explored the “who”, “what”, “where”, and “why” of  the current state of polarisation, and finally the “how” of depolarising these critical conversations to arrive at innovative solutions for an inclusive and equitable future.

Workshop 1

 Actors and Agendas – Analysing “Who” are the Players in Sustainable Food Systems and “What” are their Interests

In the first workshop, participants mapped the different stakeholders in European food systems and discussed the different interests and agendas of these stakeholders, as well as their varying ideas of what “sustainability” means, in order to find common ground as well as their legitimate divergences. The first speaker, Barbara Gallani, Head of the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) Communication and Partnerships (ENGAGE) Department, presented work that EFSA had done on stakeholder mapping and identified discourses on food using social media data. She noted that by collecting such data on the prevailing narratives and discourses, communication efforts on controversial topics could be improved. The second speaker, Sir Charles Godfray, Director, Oxford Martin School, began his presentation by asking the slightly provocative question, “Is agreement on land-use policy in the UK and Europe achievable?” The participants were asked to debate whether, and how, agricultural intensification can coexist with conservation and biodiversity preservation efforts. In addition to the speaker presentations, participants debated the complexities of trying to build consensus among the diversity of stakeholders in European food systems, without squashing dissent and or legitimate disagreement on goals, values, and methods.

Workshop 2

Roots of Polarisation – Revealing the “Why”  

After the workshop on identifying the actors, participants were tasked with discovering the ‘roots’, i.e., the underlying social and contextual drivers, of the current state of polarisation on sustainable food systems. The session included presentations by Prof Bobby Duffy, Director of the Policy Institute at King’s College London, and Mario Scharfbillig, Science for Policy Analyst at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). Prof Duffy presented insights into the varying polarisation models , both affective and issue-based, in the literature and invited participants to analyse which might apply to the debates on food systems in Europe. Participants also looked into how issues on sustainable food are increasingly being looked at through a ‘culture war’ lens and discussed how this could be mitigated. Mario Scharfbillig then presented the latest research from the JRC on ‘Trustworthy Public Communication’, inviting participants to think about how to enable a paradigm shift – from influencing to empowering public debates on “contentious” topics. With a disclaimer that more effective communication is not the only tool to combat polarisation, Scharfbillig shared the report’s recommendations on how to talk to the public in a way that builds, and retains, trust.

Workshop 3

Depolarisation Tools and Solutions – Discovering “How” to Have Constructive Conversations on Sustainable Food Systems

In the final workshop, participants were tasked with discussing and developing depolarisation tools and methodologies. The session included presentations by Prof Stephan Lewandowsky, Professor of Cognitive Science, University of Bristol and Prof Bram Büscher, Professor and Chair at the Sociology of Development and Change group, Wageningen University. Prof Lewandowsky, who was previously a part of ALLEA’s PERITIA project on building trust in expertise, shared his research into combatting mis- and disinformation, particularly through the use of ‘inoculation’ science, along with real-life examples of such methodologies at work. Prof Büscher then shared his insights into the power structures that underpin polarisation with a look at conservation and environmentalism in the era of post-truth politics and platform Capitalism. He stressed that there was a pressing need to build alternative networks to the hegemony of the digital space, which could be harnessed for goals such as environmental and food sustainability. Participants then debated if/how inoculation methods could be applied to controversial topics in sustainable food systems, such as new genomic techniques (NGTs), and further discussed how to build alternative networks dedicated to making food more sustainable.

A more detailed report with key insights from the workshop series will be published in Spring 2025.

ALLEA Calls For Balanced And Secure International Research Collaboration In A Changing World

In a statement published today, ALLEA, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, highlights the urgent need to safeguard openness, research integrity, and academic freedom in international research collaborations while addressing emerging security concerns in a rapidly and radically changing geopolitical landscape.

As a longstanding advocate for open and responsible science, ALLEA urges European and national policymakers, research funders, and academic institutions to adopt a harmonised and principles-based approach to research security.

“Europe must find a balanced path that manages risks without undermining academic freedom and scientific progress,” said Professor Pawel Rowinski, ALLEA President and a lead contributor to the statement. “This is not just about protecting research—it’s about protecting the values that underpin it.”

Towards a European Framework for Research Security

ALLEA’s statement welcomes established frameworks like the EU Council Recommendation on Enhancing Research Security and builds on extensive exchange with its Member Academies, the scientific community, and European Institutions. It offers a distinctly European perspective on navigating the complexities of international collaboration in an increasingly fragmented geopolitical landscape.

The statement stresses the importance of capacity building and harmonised rules within the European Research Area (ERA) to empower researchers and institutions. Seeking to tackle the enormous global challenges by enabling sustainable and secure international scientific partnerships in a responsible manner, it calls for creating fair conditions of equitable access to research security resources and clarifying responsibilities.

Integrating Freedom and Responsibility

While academic freedom remains a cornerstone of science, ALLEA underscores that it comes with responsibilities. Researchers and institutions must carefully evaluate potential risks while adhering to principles of research ethics and integrity.

“Research security frameworks must not close doors but enable informed choices, allowing science to thrive without compromising its openness,” said ALLEA Vice President Marie Louise Nosch, another principal contributor.

Key Recommendations from ALLEA’s Statement:

  • Balancing Openness and Security: Research policies must integrate openness with robust security measures to mitigate risks without restricting academic freedom.
  • Harmonised Rules Across Europe: ALLEA calls for a unified framework across the ERA to provide consistency and clarity for researchers and institutions.
  • Capacity Building: Policymakers and institutions must invest in tools and training that equip researchers at all career stages to manage collaboration risks effectively.
  • Guidance for Sensitive Partnerships: ALLEA advocates for clear guidelines to support collaborations in environments that may not fully respect academic freedom or institutional autonomy.

ALLEA’s Commitment

This statement, developed by a dedicated task force alongside the ALLEA Working Group on the European Research Area, reflects ALLEA’s ongoing commitment to fostering science as a global public good. Through its work, ALLEA continues to promote secure, inclusive, and globally relevant scientific collaboration.

This statement builds on the key topics discussed at the ALLEA General Assembly in May 2024 in Berlin, where a major focus was responsible internationalisation in science. Specifically, the discussion centered on how to encourage and foster international research collaborations during times of geopolitical crises, while preventing the misuse of science and technology. To this end, ALLEA invited insightful comments from experts, including Juras Banys (President of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences and ALLEA Board Member), David Harel (President of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities), Mark Walport (Foreign Secretary of The Royal Society), Yves Flückiger (President of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences), Antonio Loprieno (Former ALLEA President), and Pawel Rowinski (ALLEA President), in a video discussion:

 

The full statement, “ALLEA Statement on Research Collaboration and Research Security in a Shifting Geopolitical Landscape,” is available here.

 

Top Scientists Advise European Commission on Solar Radiation Modification Technologies

A group of leading scientists nominated by academies has provided advice to the European Commission about solar radiation modification technologies through the Scientific Advice Mechanism. This advice underscores that solar radiation modification technologies are not yet mature and deploying them could have many effects, both intended and unintended.

The Scientific Advice Mechanism provides independent scientific evidence and policy recommendations to the European institutions.

For decades, technologies have been proposed that would reduce or counteract global warming by reflecting sunlight away from the Earth. These proposals, known as “solar radiation modification” technologies, include stratospheric aerosol injection, cloud brightening, and others.

However, none of the technologies is mature and deploying them could have many effects, both intended and unintended. They could have negative impacts on ecosystems, change rainfall patterns, and hamper food production. Moreover, they would not address the direct impacts of greenhouse gases.

The benefits and risks of these proposals are also highly uncertain. Member of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors, Prof. Nebojsa Nakicenovic, adds that “Deploying them could have effects on the climate in different parts of the world which would be difficult to predict and difficult to manage in practice.”

“These climate interventions could present grave risks if they are ever deployed, or come to be relied upon to protect critical habitats—coral reeds, Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets, farmland key to food security—by lowering temperatures in a world of global warming,” says Prof. Benjamin Sovacool, co-chair of the SAPEA working group. “Our Evidence Review Report synthesises the vast evidence on these controversial options, with a wonderful inclusion of work in the social sciences, arts, and humanities,” he adds.

Some solar radiation modification applications would need to run for generations-long timescales and have impacts across the entire planet. A strong global governance framework would be needed for this, with adequate representation for all affected parties, and with compensation mechanisms for those potentially harmed. No such framework exists, and it is not clear how one could be created.

More information

Scientific Advice Mechanism, Group of Chief Scientific Advisors, Solar Radiation Modification, Scientific Opinion No. 17.

Scientific Advice Mechanism, Science Advice for Policy by European Academies, Solar Radiation Modification, Evidence Review Report.

European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies, Solar Radiation Modification, Ethical perspectives, Opinion No. 34.

Online events.

 

 

German Physicist Viola Priesemann Awarded ALLEA’s 2024 Madame de Staël Prize 

 

ALLEA is proud to announce that German physicist and Board Member of the German Young Academy (“Die Junge Akademie”), Viola Priesemann, has been awarded the 2024 Madame de Staël Prize for European Values in recognition of her remarkable scientific achievements in the field of physics, her exceptional leadership, and her profound commitment to fostering a coordinated European response during the pandemic. 

Prof Dr Viola Priesemann is a Board Member of “Die Junge Akademie”, professor of Physics at the Georg-August University and group leader at the Max-Planck-Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organisation in Göttingen.  She is a member of the Board of the Campus Institute for Data Science, the Cluster of Excellence ‘Multiscale Bioimaging’, the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Her research focuses on living and artificial neural networks, carving out the basic mechanisms of self-organisation, learning, and efficient coding.  

During the Covid-19 pandemic, she brought together and coordinated a transdisciplinary team of researchers to develop coordinated mitigation strategies. This team published several papers in The Lancet, including a practicable, transdisciplinary ‘Action Plan for Pan-European Defense against new SARS-CoV-2 variants.’ Within integrating researchers from small countries and disciplines this endeavor reflects the very values of European unity, transdisciplinary research, and the promotion of an open and inclusive science advancement in Europe. 

The selection committee felt that Priesemann’s unwavering dedication to fostering an environment in which interdisciplinary research can flourish and the advancement pan-European cooperation in science, policy, and public health during a global crisis were both outstanding in their own right, as well as complementary to ALLEA’s own mission of facilitating scientific collaboration across borders and disciplines.   

“The jury wholeheartedly agreed to award Viola Priesemann with the 2024 Madame de Staël Prize in recognition of her exceptional scientific leadership and dedication to fostering European collaboration. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Prof Priesemann brought together a team of researchers, from various countries and diverse disciplines, to coordinate mitigation strategies, resulting in several papers, including a practicable ‘Action Plan for Pan-European Defense against new SARS-CoV-2 variants.’ Her work reflects the very values embodied in the Prize – of promoting science as a global public good, facilitating scientific collaboration across borders and disciplines, and strengthening the impact of science in society,” said Paweł Rowiński, President of ALLEA and chair of the Madame de Staël Prize Jury. 

 

Read more about the Madame de Staël Prize here. 

ALLEA Presidency Meets Key European Partners During Brussels Tour

On 21-22 November 2024, the ALLEA President Paweł Rowiński was pleased to visit Brussels together with the ALLEA Vice-Presidents Annette Grüters-Kieslich and Marie-Louise Nosch to engage with key European partners.

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Event Report: ALLEA at the World Science Forum 2024 in Budapest

ALLEA was honored to participate in the 11th World Science Forum (WSF) 2024, contributing to critical discussions on research assessment, academic freedom, and the intersection of science, policy, and society as a driver of change in a rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape.

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ALLEA Discusses ‘One Health’ at Akademientag 2024

On 6 November 2024, ALLEA participated as an official partner in “Akademientag“, an event organised by the Union of Academies, an association of eight German science academies. Titled “Living in Healthy Cities – Living Healthy in Cities”, the event brought together experts to examine the complex interactions between urban environments and health from an interdisciplinary perspective.

With rapid urbanisation and demographic shifts, the focus on healthy cities has never been more relevant. Held at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the event offered a range of formats addressing current science issues to a growing audience interested in understanding and improving urban health. The event saw over 300 attendees, a turnout that exceeded expectations and highlights the growing interest in the Akademientag.

At the ‘Europe Table’, ALLEA invited participants to a lively exchange with two experts on the One Health approach: Tuomas Aivelo, from the Finnish Research Council (Suomen Akatemia), and Antje Kohlrusch, a representative of the City of Munich’s health department. The experts challenged participants’ vision of healthy cities and provided insights on how the One Health approach can be implemented from the European to the city level. The opportunity to bridge the conceptual framework of One Health at the EU level with practical examples from the city of Munich proved to be particularly valuable. The topic of urban health was explored from diverse perspectives, including urban planning, nutrition, mobility, architecture, and historical views of cities, highlighting the interdisciplinary nature of creating healthier urban environments

As part of the programme, ALLEA Vice-President Annette Grüters-Kieslich co-hosted discussions comparing healthy cities across Europe. Professor Grüters-Kieslich remarked, “In Europe, 75% of the population lives in cities, facing a complex mix of challenges including mobility, pollution, noise, social disparities, isolation, and violence. This intersection of factors influences the health and well-being of everyone, but there is a disproportionate impact on vulnerable groups, such as children, adolescents, and the elderly, for whom targeted solutions are urgently needed. European cities need to learn from each other and share best practices to develop a cohesive strategy for improved population health outcomes. The collaboration across disciplines and borders that the ‘One Health’ approach necessitates is a core priority for ALLEA, which brings together expertise from over 40 academies across Europe in its mission to foster innovation in science and evidence-based policy.”

“The collaboration across disciplines and borders that the ‘One Health’ approach necessitates is a core priority for ALLEA, which brings together expertise from over 40 academies across Europe in its mission to foster innovation in science and evidence-based policy.” 

– Professor Annette Grüters-Kieslich, ALLEA Vice-President

 

 

ALLEA Participates in Akademientag

On 6 November 2024, ALLEA will participate as an official partner in “Akademientag”, a joint event dedicated to the most relevant and current science issues, organised by the Union of Academies, an association of eight German science academies.

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