ALLEA-Royal Society conference: Living a good digital life in a data-enabled Europe

In this fast-paced environment where technology is an irreplaceable attribute to our modern-day societies, questions about the flows of data we exchange via multiple devices that we own, the electronic residue we leave behind while browsing the internet and the final destination of this data often remain unanswered. At the same time, new applications of data can make a great contribution to human flourishing, but, to realise these benefits, societies must navigate significant choices and dilemmas.

The pan-European ALLEA-Royal Society conference “Flourishing in a data-enabled society” delved into these conundrums during a two-day event held in Buckinghamshire (UK) on 1-2 November 2018. Experts explored major opportunities and challenges that come with new uses of data, and discussed the potential trade-offs that stem from such use across various sectors: in society, from academics to governments, from civil society actors to tech industry.  In a set of keynotes, panel discussions and breakout sessions experts from ALLEA Member Academies representing a variety of academic backgrounds and stakeholders from a multitude of sectors convened for an interactive and multidisciplinary conference at Chicheley Hall, the Royal Society’s residential conference centre.

From fearing new uses of data to data-enabled human flourishing?

A close-up view revealed that not only has this topic gained in relevance over the past few years; it has transformed the ways users perceive technology as large parts of the society increasingly fear the human autonomy be put at risk. Flourishing as such was addressed during the conference from a number of angles while experts from the field of ethics, law and public policy argued that living a good digital life should be viewed at the centre of discussions around the topic of data use.

In his introductory speech, ALLEA President Antonio Loprieno underlined the omnipresence of data in the daily lives of citizens: “Data raises questions like privacy, accountability, legal and ethical aspects. But the core question is certainly how we, humans, can share and use data without the fear of facing a risk. How can data be collected, processed and managed for human good?”

 “Data raises questions like privacy, accountability, legal and ethical aspects. But the core question is certainly how we, humans, can share and use data without the fear of facing a risk. How can data be collected, processed and managed for human good?”  – Antonio Loprieno, ALLEA President

The conference marked the beginning of an interdisciplinary debate across Europe that is timely, relevant and applicable to the digital era. Outcomes of the conference will be released in a discussion paper that will seek to inspire and shape the discourse around a data-enabled Europe. This initiative is the result of a Royal Society-led proposal first presented in the context of ALLEA’s 2017 General Assembly in Budapest.

To learn more on the topic, read ALLEA’s interview with Prof Richard Catlow, Royal Society Foreign Secretary and Vice-President, and Chair of the Organising Scientific Committee of the “Flourishing in a data-enabled society” project.

 

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Tallinn conference delves on the Advisory Role of Academies in the Information-Rich Society

While the production of new knowledge has been and remains a cornerstone of the Academy, a rapidly growing task of a contemporary academy is providing scientific advice.

The conference “Advisory Role of Academies in the Information-Rich Society”, which took place on 22-23 October at the Estonian Academy of Sciences in Tallinn, provided a platform for academicians, scientists, policy-makers and educators to discuss the changing roles of academies at a time when the sociopolitical European landscape is taking new turns. The Estonian Academy of Sciences invited attendees to further articulate on the options, challenges and mechanisms of advice on scientific matters in a contemporary society that is oversaturated by information. The event opened with remarks from Mr Eiki Nestor, Member of Parliament of Estonia, and Professor Tarmo Soomere, President of the Estonian Academy of Sciences.

Picture by Reti Kokk.

The conference was inspired by the Tallinn Call for Action and the outcome of the subsequent SAPEA (Science Advice for Policy by European Academies) workshop “Crossing Boundaries: New Approaches to Science for Policy in Europe,” held during Estonia’s EU Council Presidency in October 2017.

The message from the scientific perspectives was presented, among others, by ALLEA President Professor Antonio Loprieno, who delivered a talk on the roles of academies in bridging the production and the implementation of science, taking into account their less institutionally biased stance when compared to universities, which are increasingly concerned with their own scientific visibility. Additional speakers included Professor Sierd Cloetingh, President of the Academia Europaea, and Dr Katrien Maes, Deputy Secretary-General of LERU, who provided the perspective from research intensive universities.

An important aspect that the conference sought to ponder on was how excellent science can be converted into useful policy advice. This rapidly-growing field was commented on by high-level experts, among which was Professor Janusz Bujnicki, member of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors. Their messages were complemented by an insight into problems that academies in other parts of the world are facing, taking the example from the Academy of Sciences of Nicaragua, as presented by Professor Jorge Huete.

ALLEA President Antonio Loprieno deliver his speech at the Estonian Academy of Sciences. Picture by Reti Kokk.

In order to strengthen the mechanisms and channels through which research is communicated, and also through which it provides advice to policy-makers, the viewpoint of the recipients of science advice were presented. This session had the presence of top-level decision-makers, including Dr Robert-Jan Smits, Former director-general of the DG Research and Innovation (RTD) at the European Commission, and Professor Marju Lauristin, former Minister in Estonia and former member of the European Parliament.

Speaking on the relevance of this event, Professor Loprieno emphasised that “it is vital, in the present moment of European science history, that academies reflect on their role and become involved more intensively in stressing the role of science in society.”

This conference marked the 80th anniversary of the Estonian Academy of Sciences as well as the centenary of the Republic of Estonia. The full programme of the conference can be accessed here.

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Pictures by Reti Kokk

ALLEA series ‘Europe on Test: Narratives of Union and Disunion’ launched with first conference in Göttingen

The process of European integration has arrived at a crossroads. Events like the Eurozone crisis, disagreements on migration and the Brexit referendum call for reflections and reassessments of the ideational and political foundations of Europe. What has held Europeans together and what is dividing them? What kind of Europe do we want to create?

Inspired by a conference at The British Academy, ALLEA has invited its Member Academies to address these questions in a series of conferences across Europe. The series “Europe on Test: Narratives of Union and Disunion” aims to address historical and contemporary developments from a variety of disciplinary perspectives.

On 20 October, the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities hosted the first conference within the series under the theme: “Germany and Europe – Views from Within and Without”. Historians and political scientists discussed the historical, present and future relations of Germany in Europe, focusing especially on the UK and France. The academic panels were accompanied by a speech from Stephan Weil, Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, on the possibilities of creating “unity in diversity” in times of mass migration.

Academies and European identity

Prime Minister Stephan Weil (left), and President of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities Andreas Gardt (right). Credit: Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities

Professor Andreas Gardt, President of the hosting academy, opened the conference and welcomed the participants to the discussion. ALLEA President Professor Antonio Loprieno introduced the topic of the conference series emphasising the role of Academies as a prominent example of the long history of establishing a cosmopolitan European society. He further stressed that the vision of a common European identity based on democratic values and ideals of openness is under scrutiny by apparently “irreconcilable divisions” among the people of Europe:

“While taking advantage of European citizens’ asymmetrical access to the benefits of a globalised, cosmopolitan Europe, even nationalist, right-wing populist movements are acting in a transnational European playing field, and they are building upon well-established networks across Europe. This shows what a complex, multi-faceted issue Europe is”, Professor Loprieno said.

“Anywheres” versus “Somewheres”

Following up on these introductory remarks, British journalist David Goodhart gave a talk on the various sets of values that divide citizens in Europe. He posited that Europe had witnessed a domination of a “new openness” narrative over the last 30 years, promoted by the liberal democratic left, which now seems to have ended. With this came a liberal promise that openness towards peaceful globalisation would yield benefits for everyone. He claimed that this promise had never been realised, particularly in the UK and the US, leading instead to a cultural division into what he calls ‘meta-tribes’ of ‘anywheres’ and ‘somewheres’, exhibiting achieved versus ascribed identities.

Goodhart explained that ‘anywheres’ are much more individual, have more affluent identities that are much better suited to deal with rapid social transformations and change.” This divide and the seemingly moral superiority of ‘anywheres’ have caused the unbalancing of societies and a backlash on European integration and the rise of a defensive national populism.

German-British relationship

The conference continued with a panel on the historical trajectories of European integration after the Second World War. Professor Piers Ludlow (London School of Economics) highlighted the role that the rivalry between Britain and France over the future of Germany – and hence over a European community – still plays today.

He further expressed hope for the future of post-Brexit relations between Germany and Britain, highlighting that “Germany is nowadays rather seen as a solution to the European problem in Britain, not as a problem.”

In the following talk, Dominik Geppert provided a German perspective on the German-British relationship and claimed that different attitudes towards Europe can be traced back to different experiences with post war reconstruction, memories of their imperialist pasts, and socio-economic developments in the 19th century.

The impact of Brexit

In the political science panel, Simon Bulmer and Andreas Busch discussed the future of the EU and the impact Brexit will have on it. All speakers highlighted the enormous challenge that the UK leaving the EU poses to Europe. Simon Bulmer presented Germany as Europe’s “reluctant hegemon”, growing more and more into the primary adherent of the liberal world order. Andreas Busch criticized both sides for not understanding the other’s particularities and predicted that any form of ‘deal’ or ‘no-deal’ would only reinforce nationalist, anti-liberal tendencies in Britain. Stefan Colignon compared economic developments in France and Germany, predicted France as the next booming economy in Europe, and concluded that both countries are not as different as the caricatures painted of them often suggest.

Prime Minister of Lower Saxony Stephan Weil. Credit: Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities

In his speech on the possibilities of “unity in diversity” in Europe, PM Stephan Weil (SPD) emphasised that Europe cannot only be a project of the elites, and underscored the  importance of finding a solution to the “refugee crisis”, stating that Europe would only be able to find a viable solution by standing close together. He finished by outlining concrete steps in order to come to a solution and strengthen European integration at the same time,  for instance by replacing the “Dublin-System”, implementing effective EU border control, and combating the causes for migration and flight.

The conference ended with perspectives from Poland and Russia on European values and analyses of recent political and social developments in the two countries by Adam Krzeminsnki and Vladislav Belov.

Speaking on the importance of the conference series “‘European Narratives of Union and Disunion”, and on the relevance of exchanging ideas about the changes undergoing the European continent, Professor Antonio Loprieno said:

ALLEA President Antonio Loprieno. Credit: Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities

 

„We are experiencing today a simultaneous convergence and divergence of European societies. This conference in Göttingen and the upcoming conferences at other European academies are important and necessary contributions to the scientific view on the complicated mosaic of cultural and political identities in Europe.”

75th anniversary of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia

The 75th anniversary of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia (NAS RA) was held in Yerevan on 17 and 18 October 2018. ALLEA was represented by its Vice President, Professor Graham Caie. 

ALLEA Vice President Graham Caie delivers a speech in the celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia in Yeveran in October 2018. Credit: NAS RA

Professor Gheorghe Duca, President of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova and member of the ALLEA Board, also attended the event. Many of the high-ranking foreign delegates in attendance delivered congratulatory remarks and gifts at the impressive Praesidium Building to the academy’s President Professor Radik Martirosyan and his colleagues. 

The National Academy of Sciences of Armenia promotes and carries out fundamental and applied research in a wide variety of scientific fields, and it further coordinates research throughout Armenia with more than 35 scientific institutions and 3700 researchers, including 87 academicians.

The NASRA exhibition of its institutions and research centres showed visitors the breadth and high quality of research in Armenia. The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, visited the exhibition and exchanged ideas with the visiting delegates on the important role of the NASRA in the advancement of science in Armenia. The climax of the celebrations was a Jubilee Session at the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet, with a concert that was preceded by speeches by the President of Armenia, Armen Sarkissian, President Martirosyan and others invited speakers, including Professors Caie and Duca.

In his speech, Professor Caie stated: “This academy has set an example of resilience and endurance, and we all stand to learn from its history and its academic achievements. ALLEA is honoured to have the Armenian Academy as one of its distinguished and highly regarded Academies.”

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Credit for pictures: NAS RA

Future strategies for science communications in Europe

Making science part of the public conversation is the aim of multiple actors, but the lack of strategies and coordination weakens the impact of science communications and hampers the exploitation of untapped potential.

Researchers, science communicators, industry stakeholders and policy-makers sought to discuss this and other key challenges ahead to improve science communications at the European level in a one-day workshop in Brussels on 17 October 2018. The participants analysed the status quo of current science communications initiatives across Europe, and discussed future strategies and opportunities for creating new platforms for cooperation in this field.

The event was co-organised by public engagement platforms in Germany and Sweden, Wissenschaft im Dialog and Vetenskap & Allmänhet, and the European Science Events Association (Eusea), as well as with the collaboration of ALLEA as partner, and sponsored by Bayer.

From left to right in the panel discussion, Jim Dratwa, (European Commission); Tiemo Wölken, (European Parliament); Professor Gloria Origgi (CNRS Paris and member of the ALLEA Working Group Truth, Trust and Expertise), and Christophe Kampa, (Bayer).

Is science losing the ground in communications across Europe?

The contestation of scientific facts, the degradation of science journalism and of scientific reasoning on social media platforms has the potential to severely undermine the relationship between science and society. In a series of breakout sessions, researchers, science communicators, journalists and policy-makers assessed current examples of successes and failures of science communications and its particular challenges in complex scientific fields such as genome editing.

Following a series of impulse presentations, including by Professor Pere Puigdomènech, member of the ALLEA Board, participants deliberated on new formats of science communications in social media and citizen science, the science advice system across Europe, and opportunities for further cooperation and coordination through science communications networks.

Communicating the uncertainty of science

In the evening, an interactive panel discussion brought together representatives of ALLEA, the European Commission, the European Parliament and industry to debate the results of the morning sessions. Speakers included Jim Dratwa, Head of the European Group of Ethics Office at the European Commission; Tiemo Wölken, Member of the European Parliament and representative of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety; Professor Gloria Origgi, researcher at the CNRS Paris and member of the ALLEA Working Group Truth, Trust and Expertise, and Christophe Kampa, from Bayer Digital & Innovation Communication.

Panelists highlighted the necessity to increase the transparency and integrity of the scientific system and called for more efforts to explain the uncertainty of science to the public. A particular focus of the debate was the primary aim of science communications, which the panel situated between the two poles of raising the awareness of science in the public sphere and increasing the scientific literacy of citizens. The results of the workshop will be gathered in a report to be published in Euroscientist.

Professor Pere Puigdomènech, ALLEA Board Members, delivers an impulse on genome editing and communications at the workshop “Communicating Science in a Complex World” in Brussels on 17 October 2018.

 

 

Towards sustainable and fair Open Access publishing? Deliberations from the ALLEA Science & Ethics working group

At their latest meeting, ALLEA’s Permanent Working Group Science & Ethics convened to discuss contributions to the important and ongoing debates around Open Access publishing in Europe following the publication of Plan S among other pertinent issues concerning research ethics and integrity.

Members of the Permanent Working Group Science and Ethics at the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin. Credit: RIA

Expertly and generously hosted by the Royal Irish Academy, the meeting took place on 19 September at the academy’s premises in Dublin.

The expert group discussed the ethical implications of the Plan S, which was released on 4 September by 11 national research funding organisations, the so-called “coalition S” and endorsed by the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, Carlos Moedas, and the European Research Council. The proposal aims to make scientific publications funded by the coalition and through the EU’s Framework Programmes available immediately in Open Access from 2020 onwards. ALLEA is working on an initial response to the proposal.

In addition, the group discussed additional topics, which could become the focus of their inquiry in the future. Among them are the regular update of the European Code of Conduct and the dissemination of the currently available translated versions (LINK). Future topics may also include the ethics of research evaluation or ethical challenges in public-private research partnerships.

 

What is Plan S?

At its core, Plan S is made up of one target and 10 accompanying principles.

The target: “After 1 January 2020 scientific publications on the results from research funded by public grants provided by national and European research councils and funding bodies, must be published in compliant Open Access Journals or on compliant Open Access Platforms.”

 

The principles:

  • Authors retain copyright of their publication with no restrictions. All publications must be published under an open license, preferably the Creative Commons Attribution Licence CC BY. In all cases, the license applied should fulfil the requirements defined by the Berlin Declaration;
  • The Funders will ensure jointly the establishment of robust criteria and requirements for the services that compliant high quality Open Access journals and Open Access platforms must provide;
  • In case such high quality Open Access journals or platforms do not yet exist, the Funders will, in a coordinated way, provide incentives to establish and support them when appropriate; support will also be provided for Open Access infrastructures where necessary;
  • Where applicable, Open Access publication fees are covered by the Funders or universities, not by individual researchers; it is acknowledged that all scientists should be able to publish their work Open Access even if their institutions have limited means;
  • When Open Access publication fees are applied, their funding is standardised and capped (across Europe);
  • The Funders will ask universities, research organisations, and libraries to align their policies and strategies, notably to ensure transparency;
  • The above principles shall apply to all types of scholarly publications, but it is understood that the timeline to achieve Open Access for monographs and books may be longer than 1 January 2020;
  • The importance of open archives and repositories for hosting research outputs is acknowledged because of their long-term archiving function and their potential for editorial innovation;
  • The ‘hybrid’ model of publishing is not compliant with the above principles;
  • The Funders will monitor compliance and sanction non-compliance. 

Learn more here

Working Group meeting of the ALLEA Permanent Working Group Science and Ethics at the Royal Irish Academy. Credit: RIA

ALLEA 2019 General Assembly: Science and Society in Present-Day Europe

Next year will mark the 25th anniversary of ALLEA, and we will celebrate the occasion with our Member Academies at the 2019 General Assembly, which will be hosted by the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences on 8-10 May 2019.

As in all jubilees, there should be room for pride and celebration, but also for appraisal and critique. Under the theme “Science and Society in Present-Day Europe,” ALLEA Member Academies will look at past achievements with a contemporary perspective, in order to prepare a better future.

As public confidence in the guiding role of science in shaping our future seems to be increasingly called into question, the ALLEA 2019 General Assembly will provide a platform for ALLEA Member Academies to ponder on these issues, and devise effective strategies to overcome them. What role can European academies play to bridge the gap between the production and the diffusion of knowledge within society? How can they contribute their share to the anchoring of the underlying values of the Enlightenment upon which scientific progress is based?

About the ALLEA General Assembly

ALLEA and its Member Academies will delve into these questions during our annual General Assembly in Bern on 8-10 May 2019. The event includes the annual closed meeting of European academies of sciences and humanities, the award ceremony of the All European Academies Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values and the symposium “Science and Society in Present-Day Europe”.

At the closed business meeting on 8 May, ALLEA governance and policy matters are on the agenda and discussed by ALLEA Member Academies. In the evening, the opening of the conference will take place with a commemoration of the 25 years of ALLEA and the award ceremony of the Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values.

The symposium will bring together European policymakers, scientists, scholars as well as the interested public to debate the most pressing issues faced by science and society on 9 May 2019. The one-day symposium will seek to debate the role of academies in present-day Europe and look at past achievements with the eyes of the present, in order to prepare a better future.

The event is completed with a cultural programme on 10 May 2019. The Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences will invite participants of the conference to a day-trip to visit the scientific facilities of Basel.

 

To the General Assembly website

Previous editions of the General Assembly

 

Dame Jocelyn Bell-Burnell awarded special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics

Picture retrieved from The Royal Society website

Dame Jocelyn Bell-Burnell, Astrophysics professor at the University of Oxford and former President of the ALLEA Member Academy Royal Society of Edinburgh, has been awarded the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics in recognition of her discovery of radio pulsars, widely considered to be one of the greatest astronomical discoveries of the twentieth century. The prize also acknowledges Dame Jocelyn’s inspiring scientific leadership over the last five decades.

The award comes five decades after Jocelyn Bell-Burnell made the discovery of the pulsar back in 1967. Dame Jocelyn has announced that she will donate the $3 million prize to the Institute of Physics, in order to fund graduate students from under-represented groups who wish to engage in physics research.

Dame Jocelyn will be recognised at the 2019 Breakthrough Prize ceremony on Sunday, November 4, 2018, at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California, United States.

Jocelyn Bell-Burnell is also Fellow of the Royal Society, ALLEA Member Academy.  

 

About the Breakthrough Prize

The Breakthrough Prize, known as the world’s largest science prize, recognises the world’s top scientists with a prize of US$3 million, and is presented in the fields of Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics and Mathematics. Previous recipients of the award include Stephen Hawking, seven CERN scientists attributed the discovery of the Higgs boson, and the LIGO collaboration that detected gravitational waves.

ALLEA is a partner of the Breakthrough Prize since 2017 and has sought to increase awareness of the opportunity to nominate great scientists and mathematicians on our website and other communication channels. We share the common goal of promoting a culture where science and scholarship can thrive, and where scientists who significantly contribute to our collective understanding of the world should be recognised.

Workshop: Communicating Science in a Complex World

The development of more strategic methods and channels for science communication are needed if we wish our investments in scientific expertise and research to have a bigger social impact. To that end, ALLEA has partnered with Wissenschaft im Dialog to prepare the panel discussion “Communicating science in a complex world: Experiences, Controversies and Future Strategies.”

In the panel discussion, representatives from European networks of science communication, academies, research organisations, EU institutions and industry will discuss and exchange strategies, experiences and innovative ideas for science communication. Participants are expected to develop approaches for a more strategic and effective communication of research topics by analysing previous successes and failures from a wide range of fields.

This event represents a partnership between ALLEA and Wissenschaft im Dialog, a German organisation working on science communication throughout Europe. It is also co-organised by other science communication and science policy organisations, namely Vetenskap & Allmänhet, a Swedish science communication organisation, and the European Science Events Association (Eusea)

The panel will take place on 17 October 2018 in Brussels from 18:00 to 19:30, with a networking cocktail served afterwards. This event is free of charge, but registration is required; if you are interested in participating, please register here.

 

ALLEA Workshop “Trust in Science & Changing Landscapes of Communication” held in Amsterdam

Public-opinion and perceptions of science and expertise are heavily influenced by old and new forms of media communication. The ALLEA workshop “Trust in Science and Changing Landscapes of Communication” shed light on the ways in which public trust in scientific institutions, evidence and advice is being challenged by new social and technological transformations.

On 31 August 2018, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) hosted the ALLEA workshop “Trust in Science & Changing Landscapes of Communication.” Chaired by former KNAW President Prof. José van Dijck, the workshop sought to improve our collective understanding on how changing landscapes of communication – brought about by advances in information technology, the media, and a number of socio-technical and political-economic transformations – have altered the way in which scientists communicate empirical and theoretical findings, and the way the public perceives and engages with research and academia.

Overall, trust in science seems to remain relatively high, but might be undermined by an increasing loss of trust in, and trustworthiness of, traditional media, accompanied by a growing importance of social media platforms. The workshop also looked at some of the criticism that has been raised towards researchers and the scientific community’s alleged lack of willingness and/or competence to communicate the results to the public in a differentiated way, adjusting to and engaging with new online communication tools.

Renown scholars and researchers from the fields of Science and Communication, Media Studies, Philosophy, Psychology and Political Theory discussed various aspects from a wide range of perspectives. The discussions were divided into five sessions:

  •  Session I: Stephan Lewandowsky – Rejection of Scientific Findings – Worldview, Ideology, and the Norms of Science
  • Session II: Mike Schäfer – Trusting Science in a Changing Media Environment
  • Session III: Judith Simon – Trust and Knowledge in a Digital World
  • Session IV: Lisa Herzog: Trust in Science – What should Young Scientists do?
  • Session V: Erika Widegren: The Truth about the Truth – A Practitioner’s Perspective on Current Incentive Frameworks

This was the third workshop led by the ALLEA Working Group Truth, Trust and Expertise, which extensively discusses issues regarding trust in science and expertise through a series of events and publications. A discussion paper summarising the outcomes of this workshop and other discussions held within the Working Group will be published in the upcoming months. You may read our first discussion paper here.