ALLEA Framework Programme 9 Working Group meets in Brussels

ALLEA’s Framework Programme 9 Working Group (FP9WG) met in Brussels on 8 May to discuss contributions from ALLEA to the development of the EU’s research and innovation Framework Programme 9 starting in 2021, succeeding the current Horizon 2020 programme.

The Group had a series of discussions about how aspects of Horizon 2020 could be constructively built upon in the next Framework Programme and where new areas could be explored. In addition, it considered how the Framework Programme could provide critical European added value and support research into the issues that face European society and culture currently and in the decades ahead.  

The Group aims to develop a position paper on Framework Programme 9 in the summer to present the academies’ position in the current debates on FP9’s development. The Group will also prepare to submit a document to a likely European Commission consultation in the autumn and undertake further outreach activities to present the Group’s viewpoint to relevant stakeholders in the months ahead.

The expert group was set up in 2016 as a successor to ALLEA’s Working Group on Social Sciences and Humanities (WGSSH). It seeks to ensure that any successor research programme to Horizon 2020 is developed with the interests of the Wissenschafts-community in mind and in particular to ensure that the Social Sciences and Humanities are fully represented.

Creating a supportive climate for research integrity is the next big challenge for the academic system

The lead author of the revised European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, Dr Maura Hiney, elaborates on the key aspects of the new edition. In addition to her involvement in ALLEA. Dr Maura Hiney was chair of the Science Europe Working Group on Research Integrity during its remit, and is Head of Post-Award and Evaluation at Health Research Board (HRB) in Ireland, which includes the development of policy for the organisation.

 

Why was the revision of the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity necessary? Could you give us a few examples of main new challenges covered in the revised version? 

MAURA HINEY: The previous European Code of Conduct was developed by ALLEA and the European Science Foundation back in 2010. It was a very important document at the time, but much has changed in the intervening years that rendered it somewhat outdated and indicated a revision. I see three main areas of change. Firstly, even in the space of seven years, there have been significant changes in the research environment in Europe. With a recognition of the importance of the ‘knowledge economy’ many countries have increased the level of public funding for research, but have married that with increased targeting and prioritisation of research areas. There has also been an increased demand for application-driven research and for partnering with the enterprise sector.

“Even in the space of seven years, there have been significant changes in the research environment in Europe.”

Secondly, there have been many technology-driven changes for research and for how researchers interact and communicate their findings, which are sometimes collectively termed ‘Open Science’. Examples include: new publishing models to allow open access to publications; open publication platforms such as F1000 that are far broader in the content they will accept for publication and use post-publication peer review; increased demand for dissemination of research data through repositories and other platforms; and the advent of new social media tools to disseminate research findings outside of the peer-review system.

Thirdly, there have been societally-driven changes, with a more science-literate and interested public who want greater access to, and understanding of, the evidence unpinning many facets of their lives such as health and environment; the emergence of crowd funding of research and citizen science projects; and a greater appetite among the public for transparency and accountability in research following high-profile misconduct cases in many pillar institutions (banks, the church, the police etc.).

Together all of these changes are both very exciting and very challenging for the research community in terms of ensuring continued Good Research Practice, and there was a need to update the European Code of Conduct to reflect this.

So what is new in the revised Code of Conduct?

M. H.: Much of the existing Code of Conduct was preserved in the revision process. However, there were some important changes made. Readers will instantly notice that the revised Code of Conduct is much shorter and more concise, which the drafting group felt was very important if it is to be widely read and used. The revised Code takes account of the changes in the research environment and those driven by technology and society that have emerged since 2010. The Principles have been refined to isolate the essential underpinning values of research, with more process-driven concepts moved to the appropriate section in the good research practices.

“The Code is written as a description of what IS done to ensure integrity in the research process, rather that what SHOULD be done, which can sometimes be interpreted as optional.”

The Code of Conduct includes a number of important innovations. The Code is written as a description of what IS done to ensure integrity in the research process, rather that what SHOULD be done, which can sometimes be interpreted as optional. Research Environment is placed first among the good research practices, to stress the vital role that research institutions and organisations play in establishing, nurturing and supporting a climate of research integrity. The section on Training, Supervision and Mentoring is greatly expanded to reflect a growing understanding of the pivotal role that these play in improving the skills of researchers at all levels of their career, not just in research integrity and ethics, but also in design, methodology and analysis. Likewise, a new section on Collaboration reflects the increasing cross-disciplinary, cross-sectoral and cross-border nature of research activity.

The chapter on Violations of Research Integrity includes some important unacceptable practices which were not captured in the original Code. These underscore: the importance of publishing all data and materials that can contribute to reproducibility and replicability (not withholding results); the importance of disseminating negative results, which is now possible with the advent of open publishing platforms; and the importance of allowing researchers the independence to do their work without interference from funders or sponsors who might wish to enhance (or suppress) particular findings.

The ALLEA drafting group involved a wide range of stakeholders in the revision process. Could you tell us a little more about the consultation and how it contributed to come to a final revised version of the Code?

M. H.: The stakeholder consultation was a vital component of the revision of the Code. We chose, for practical reasons, to consult with representative organisations and associations for researchers (both established and emerging), universities, funding agencies, publishers, the enterprise sector and policy-driven groups and in total 22 of these stakeholder organisations became involved in the consultation process.

“We could not have produced a relevant and comprehensive revision of the Code of Conduct without this generous and intensive input from the research community in all its forms.”

This provided us with a wide range of perspectives on what a Code of Conduct should cover, but also helped to ensure that the Code would be widely applicable across Europe and beyond. We invited written submissions on both the original Code and where the gaps lay, and on a draft of the revised Code – both of which were mapped carefully and incorporated where possible and appropriate. The Stakeholder Workshop held in November 2016 in Brussels, and made possible by the European Commission, was a fantastic opportunity for us to hear at first hand about the ideas and challenges faced by the different stakeholders with regards to the Code. It also provided and opportunity for diverse groups to exchange ideas and reach a better understanding of each others challenges. Overall, we could not have produced a relevant and comprehensive revision of the Code of Conduct without this generous and intensive input from the research community in all its forms.

The competitive nature of the academic career system is often considered to increasingly disincentivise research integrity. What would you suggest to overcome this challenge and how might the Code of Conduct help tackle this issue?

M. H.: Yes, there is certainly a significant body of evidence to support the impact of competition for career advancement and funding on the behaviour of researchers. Unfortunately, as in any resource constrained system competition will remain a feature of the academic world. That is why I think that improvements in the research environment are so important.

“Unfortunately, as in any resource constrained system competition will remain a feature of the academic world. That is why I think that improvements in the research environment are so important.”

There is a growing body of evidence to demonstrate that providing a supportive climate for research integrity, from strong organisational policies and practices, to encouraging open discourse among colleagues about the challenges they face on a day-to-day basis, coupled with adequate training and mentoring, can enhance research integrity and ethical behaviour. Creating such a climate is the next big challenge for the multitude of actors in the academic system from research organisations, to funders, publishers, governments and of course the research community itself.

The European Commission will implement the Code as the required standard of research integrity for projects funded by Horizon 2020. In your view, how could the Code be applied and implemented on the national level in order to best serve the research community across Europe?

M. H.: Most European countries either already have, or are in the process of developing, national policies, guidelines or codes of conduct. Many of these used the original ESF/ALLEA European Code of Conduct as their starting point. I do not believe that a truly harmonised policy and regulatory environment across Europe is a realistic goal.

“The revised European Code of Conduct can continue to provide a common framework from which national and local codes and policies can be developed or updated to reflect current challenges.”

However, the revised European Code of Conduct can continue to provide a common framework from which national and local codes and policies can be developed or updated to reflect current challenges. This will be important in ensuring consistency at a high level and promoting a common understanding of what constitutes good practice in research. That can only benefit the European research community and enhance public trust in their research outputs.

 

A shorter version of this interview was published in ALLEA Newsletter of May 2017

G7 Science Conference: The role of academies and academy networks in policy advice

The international conference, organised by Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei under the auspices of the G7 Academies initiative and Italy’s Presidency of the G7 2017 summit, brought together in Rome on 3 May prominent representatives of the national and international academies, as well as Italian high level officials to discuss the role of national academies and international academy network in providing policy advice to institutions.

Credit: G72017 Italia

ALLEA President Günter Stock participated in a panel discussion with representatives of international academy networks of Africa, Asia, America and Europe, and brought to the table a European perspective on the roles and responsibilities of academies to advise institutions. President Stock highlighted both the achievements of European academies in shaping the framework conditions for research in Europe and  more recent efforts in the field of science for policy field by providing science advice on societally-relevant matters on the European level.  In this regard, President Stock presented the work of the SAPEA project (Science Advice for Policy by European Academies), which connects academy networks across Europe to support the European Commission’s Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM) on the development of science-based policies.

“We can no longer afford to sit in our ivory tower or we are running in real danger of drifting into obscurity, in modern terms we would call it alternative facts”

Recalling the most recent political developments in Hungary and Turkey, President Stock emphasised the challenges ahead for science and academies to defend the principles of academic freedom in times of political attacks and disdain to science and facts. “We can no longer afford to sit in our ivory tower or we are running in real danger of drifting into obscurity, in modern terms we would call it alternative facts”, said President Stock.

Furthermore, the conference presented the work of the G7 Academies initiative, chaired by Accademia dei Linzei President Alberto Quadrio-Curzio.  The coordinators of the working groups presented joint statements on three main topics: the relevance of culture heritage, the challenge of neurodegenerative diseases and the role of science, technology, innovation and infrastructure in the new economic growth.

The event was attended by high level Italian officials and personalities, including Sergio Mattarella, President of the Italian Republic, Romano Prodi, former Prime Minister and President of the European Commission,  Dario Franceschini, Minister of Cultural Heritage, and Pier Carlo Padoan, Minister of Economy and Finance.

Koen Lenaerts awarded the 2017 ALLEA Madame de Staël Prize

Professor Koen Lenaerts, President of the Court of Justice of the European Union, honoured with ALLEA Prize for his outstanding scholarly contribution on European law

Koen Lenaerts, 2017 ALLEA Madame de Staël Prize Laurate

Professor Koen Lenaerts will be awarded the 2017 All European Academies Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values to honour his extensive scholarly work on European law and his reflections on European jurisdiction. Professor Lenaerts, President of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), will be the fourth scholar to be awarded the ALLEA Prize, at the initiative of ALLEA, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, with the friendly co-sponsorship of Compagnia di San Paolo.

The 20,000 EUR Prize will be awarded on the occasion of the ALLEA General Assembly in the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Budapest on 4 September 2017. As a Professor of European Union law, his scholarly work represents a thorough and impeccable analysis for understanding the EU’s judicial system and the democratic values for which it stands.

The Prize serves to remind us that despite variations in definition and geographical boundaries over the centuries, there has always been a deep-rooted understanding of European culture as rooted in an inherent openness supported by a dynamic and vigorous intellectualism.

Professor Günter Stock, ALLEA President and chairman of the Prize jury said: “This Prize feels especially pertinent this year – in a time when the cultural diversity of Europe seems to be increasingly threatened by scepticism, extremism and instability. Law is at the origin of the European idea and the basis for free societies, and this year the Prize Jury decided to honour a scholar with a truly European track record in law. President Lenaerts is an outstanding scholar and at the same time an exceptional promoter of European jurisdiction.”

“Law is at the origin of the European idea and the basis for free societies, and this year the Prize Jury decided to honour a scholar with a truly European track record in law. President Lenaerts is an outstanding scholar and at the same time an exceptional promoter of European jurisdiction.”

Koen Lenaerts, born in 1954 in Mortsel (Belgium), is professor of European Law at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and, since 2015, President of the Court of Justice of the European Union. His work represents not only an invaluable contribution to the understanding of the judicial system of the European Union, but also a wealth of analysis on the case law of the Court of Justice. His publications include: “Constitutionalism and the many faces of federalism” (1990), “Interlocking legal orders in the European Union and comparative law” (2003), “In the union we trust: Trust-enhancing principles of community law” (2004), “The rule of law and the coherence of the judicial system of the European Union” (2007), “Exploring the Limits of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights” (2012), “How the ECJ Thinks: A Study on Judicial Legitimacy” (2013), “The Principle of Democracy in the Case Law of the European Court of Justice” (2013),  “La vie après l’avis: Exploring the principle of mutual (yet not blind) trust” (2017), among others.

About the ALLEA Madame de Staël Prize

ALLEA established the All European Academies Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values to pay tribute to the boundless intellectual and cultural diversity and richness of Europe, and to highlight how outstanding scholarly work, particularly in the fields of the humanities and social sciences, contributes to the understanding of Europe as a cultural and intellectual entity. The Prize is awarded to eminent scholars whose work represents a significant contribution in these objectives. The first laureate, Professor Luisa Passerini, received the Prize from former European Commission President José Manuel Barroso in 2014 to honour her work on European cultural identity. In 2015, Professor Dame Helen Wallace was awarded the Prize by EU Commissioner Carlos Moedas for her outstanding work on political studies and policy in Europe. Last year, Professor Rémi Brague was the third scholar to be honoured for his comprehensive understanding of the relationship between Judaism, Christianity and Islam today.

Click here for more information about the All European Academies Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values.

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Breakthrough Prize and ALLEA announce partnership

The Breakthrough Prize and ALLEA, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, today announced a partnership to further the shared goal of promoting a culture where science and scholarship can thrive.

ALLEA brings together 59 academies in more than 40 countries, with members leading scholarly enquiry across all fields of the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities.

For the sixth year, the Breakthrough Prize, recognized as the world’s largest science prize, will honor top scientists, handing out up to five prizes in Life Sciences, one in Fundamental Physics and one in Mathematics. Each prize comes with a $3 million award.

As an international award, the Breakthrough Prize welcomes nominations on behalf of outstanding researchers throughout the world. Starting this year, ALLEA’s website and communication channels are raising awareness of the opportunity to nominate great scientists and mathematicians, and directing nominators to the Breakthrough Prize nomination form. All researchers in Europe are encouraged to visit the site and make a nomination on behalf of outstanding scientists and colleagues.

For the sixth year, the Breakthrough Prize, recognized as the world’s largest science prize, will honor top scientists, handing out up to five prizes in Life Sciences, one in Fundamental Physics and one in Mathematics. Each prize comes with a $3 million award.

The Breakthrough Prize was founded by Sergey Brin and Anne Wojcicki, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, and Yuri and Julia Milner to celebrate achievements in Fundamental Physics, Life Sciences and Mathematics. The awards are presented at an annual globally televised ceremony, followed by a day of lectures and discussions co-sponsored by Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley and University of California, San Francisco. In addition to the Breakthrough Prize, awards for junior researchers in mathematics and physics are also handed out yearly.

To learn more visit, https://allea.org/breakthrough-prize

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Contact

For Breakthrough Prize

Kristen Bothwell
KBothwell@Rubenstein.com / 212-843-9227

For ALLEA

Susana Irles
Irles@allea.org /+49 (0)30-3259873-72

ALLEA stands with the Central European University

 

ALLEA sends letter of support for Central European University in light of proposed legislative changes in Hungary.

“We consider the proposed legislation a fundamental threat to basic and internationally valid principles for conducting science and research”, states ALLEA President Professor Günter Stock in a letter addressed to the Hungarian Minister for Human Capacities, Mr Zoltán Balog. With the letter, ALLEA joins a multitude of scientific institutions from Hungary and all over the world in voicing grave concerns regarding the proposed change in legislation of Act CCIV of 2011 on National Higher Education of the Hungarian Government which would deprive the Central European University (CEU) of itsability to operate according to fundamental scientific principles such as academic freedom, scientific excellence and self-governance. CEU is a Budapest-based prestigious US-Hungarian private university with international reputation which just recently celebrated its 25th anniversary.

“We consider the proposed legislation a fundamental threat to basic and internationally valid principles for conducting science and research”

ALLEA President, Günter Stock

 

The Hungarian National Assembly deliberates on the legislative proposal on Tuesday 4 April 2017. In case of its passing it would eventually lead to a forced discontinuation of CEU’s activities in its present form in Hungary. An official CEU statement calls the proposed legislation “discriminatory and unacceptable”. The amendments would prevent CEU to operate as a “free and independent international graduate university”. The CEU President urged the Hungarian government “to enter into negotiationswith us to find a satisfactory way forward that allows CEU to continue in Budapest and to maintain the academic freedoms essential to its operation”.

CEU has started a petition directed to the Hungarian National Assembly and Government which in the past few days was signed by almost 40.000 individuals.  The petition calls on the Hungarian National Assembly to “drop the proposed legislation and to enter into negotiations with the leadership of CEU that will ultimately allow this prestigious university to remain a proud contributor to scientific discourse in Hungary”.

Click here to read ALLEA’s letter.

Click here to join the petition.

To read further and updated information and to learn how to support CEU via social media support please click here.

ALLEA supports joint statement of UK and Irish Academies after triggering Art. 50

ALLEA supports upholding the principles outlined in a joint statement on “Higher Education, Research and Innovation: After Triggering Article 50”, issued on 29 March 2017, by seven Academies from the British Isles, five of which are ALLEA Member Academies. ALLEA joins the academies in continuing to flag the importance of honouring existing research collaboration agreements for the duration of their course and to ensure the best possible conditions are in place for future collaboration between the EU and the UK.

Joint statement on higher education, research and innovation by UK and Irish Academies, following the formal invocation of Article 50 by the UK Government

Higher Education, Research and Innovation:

After Triggering Article 50

Research and innovation are vital for the UK’s growth, prosperity and influence, given the centrality of the service/knowledge economy and its reliance on higher education and research for current and future competitiveness.

Enhancing the UK’s world-leading research, innovation, and higher education systems should remain a key priority now that Article 50 has been triggered. Last year, following the outcome of the referendum, we laid out four areas of focus for the Government in the negotiations: people, collaboration, resources, and regulation. Clear action across these four areas is needed for the Government to deliver its commitment that the UK continue to be one of the best places in the world for research and innovation.

The Government should commit now to:

Overall

• creating early in the negotiations a clearly defined arrangement for higher education, research and innovation, in terms of both time and content.
• maintaining a continued close partnership with the EU for higher education, research and innovation. UK research and innovation will continue to benefit substantially from collaboration with colleagues in EU Member States. Non-European research collaborations are also vital, but cannot substitute for European collaboration.
• recognising that Northern Ireland will acquire a unique position as the only region within the UK which will share a land border with an EU Member State and that, where possible, the unimpeded movement of academic staff and students across that border to work and study should be allowed to continue.
• creating measures to ensure that the UK remains open to the world and welcoming to talented people from Europe and globally.

People

• safeguarding the ability of UK institutions to retain and readily employ EU innovation, research and higher education staff after the UK leaves the EU.
• providing a right to remain indefinitely to all EU staff and their dependants, employed in the UK at the time of the departure from the EU, in order to remain a competitive environment to recruit talented researchers.
• maintaining the opportunities UK nationals presently have to work in the EU because the UK benefits from them being able to work overseas to develop expertise and networks, and bring these back to the UK.
• providing measures to ensure that the UK remains open to the world and welcoming to talented students from Europe and globally, for instance extending the same assurances for EU students arriving in the UK for the academic years 2018-19 and 2019-20 as have been provided for those arriving in the current and next academic year in terms of eligibility for student finance throughout the duration of their courses, including taking up post-degree employment in the UK.

Collaboration

• continuing to participate fully in Erasmus+ and Horizon 2020, including the European Research Council and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, until their completion.
• gaining continued close association with European programmes in the knowledge that three of the UK’s top five research collaborators are EU Member States.
Resources
• demonstrating its ambition by setting a target of 3% of GDP for combined public and private R&D spending and take steps to deliver this by at least matching public investment to the OECD average of 0.67% of GDP invested into R&D.
• providing an environment and incentives that encourages greater private sector investment in the UK’s research and innovation base.

Regulation

• preserving the mutual recognition of professional qualifications between the UK and EU Member States.
• preserving and building on regulatory and standards equivalence with the EU where appropriate.

Click here to download PDF.

The statement follows up on a first joint initiative of the seven academies in response to the Brexit vote in July 2016. The text can be found here.

ALLEA publishes revised edition of The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity

ALLEA, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, published today the revised edition of The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, a document that serves the European research community as a framework for self-regulation across all scientific and scholarly disciplines and for all research settings. Particularly the revised Code addresses recent and emerging challenges emanating from technological developments, open science, citizen science and social media, among other areas. The publication was presented to the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, Carlos Moedas, in Brussels, who recognised the relevance of the ALLEA Code as a model for organisations and researchers across Europe.

ALLEA President presents European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity to European Commissioner for Science, Research and Innovation, Carlos Moedas Credit: European Commission

The Code sets out principles of research integrity, criteria for good research practice, and describes how to prevent violations of research integrity. The present revision is motivated by current developments in the European research funding and regulatory landscape, changing institutional responsibilities, and evolving review procedures. In addition, the Code is applicable to expanding open access publishing, and the use of digital repositories, and takes into account new ways of communicating science and involving citizens in research. The Code seeks to empower individual researchers and a variety of research bodies, funding agencies and publishers by creating a common understanding of how research should be conducted.

Presentation of the ALLEA Code in Brussels

In a meeting in Brussels, the publication was presented by the ALLEA President, Professor Günter Stock, the lead author of the drafting group, Dr Maura Hiney, and the chair of the ALLEA Permanent Working Group on Science and Ethics, Professor Göran Hermerén, to European Commissioner Carlos Moedas, who welcomed the publication. “The Commission’s recent White Paper on the Future of Europe shows that we need knowledge and innovation to respond to global challenges and to address the needs of people in the European Union. The public needs full trust in science, and this can only be achieved if the highest level of research ethics and integrity are guaranteed. This goes hand in hand with our Open Science agenda to ensure open access to scientific publications and data. I warmly thank ALLEA and its member academies for producing this new Code of Conduct for Research Integrity. I am sure it will serve as a model for organisations and researchers across Europe”, said Commissioner Moedas.

“I warmly thank ALLEA and its member academies for producing this new Code of Conduct for Research Integrity. I am sure it will serve as a model for organisations and researchers across Europe”

European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, Carlos Moedas

 

President Günter Stock underlined the efforts of ALLEA in supporting the scientific community in the field of research integrity and particularly in keeping the pace with the changing conditions of the research environment. “Research integrity is a prerequisite for achieving excellence and building trust in research. The Code offers a common understanding on the ethical and practical challenges inherent to research in Europe and globally. Through the revision process, the Code helps researchers to navigate the changing and increasingly complex research environment they are facing today and in days to come. At the same time it reveals to the general public how researchers reflect on their work and what principles they follow”, said President Stock.

“Through the revision process, the Code helps researchers to navigate the changing and increasingly complex research environment they are facing today and in days to come. At the same time it reveals to the general public how researchers reflect on their work and what principles they follow”

ALLEA President, Günter Stock

The publication of the Code is the result of a ten-month revision process led by ALLEA’s Permanent Working Group on Science and Ethics, which brings together leading European experts in the fields of research integrity and research ethics. The revision process included an extensive stakeholder consultation at the European level, involving major actors in European research, both public and private, including civil society organisations, private institutions, universities, publishers and the European Commission. The Working Group will review the document every three to five years and revise it as necessary to account for future emerging issues.

The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, which was originally published in 2011 jointly with the European Science Foundation (ESF), informs national research policies across Europe and is widely recognised as a general framework for research integrity on the continent. At the European level, the European Commission uses the Code as a reference document in the Horizon 2020 Model Grant Agreement. The Council of the European Union has also reaffirmed the importance of the ALLEA Code in its Council conclusions of 1 December 2015, which presented research integrity as an essential condition for achieving scientific excellence and socio-economic impact.

Read the publication here

Press Kit

ALLEA Board meets at the Leopoldina and the Union of the German Academies

The ALLEA Board held its first meeting of 2017 in Berlin on 16-17 March on the kind invitation of the Leopoldina and the Union of the German Academies of Sciences and Humanities. Board members discussed the year ahead for ALLEA, including the release and further implementation of The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, recent progress of the SAPEA project and the preparations for the ALLEA General Assembly in Budapest at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences on 4-6 September 2017.

The discussions of the meeting focused on the upcoming release of the Code of Conduct and the successful revision process led by the ALLEA Permanent Working Group on Science and Ethics. ALLEA Board Member, Krista Varantola, who is part of the Drafting Group responsible for the revision process, reported the final steps of the editing procedure of the Code, which will be available online on ALLEA’s website and ready for print in the coming months. The document will serve as a reference document for the Horizon 2020 Model Grant Agreement and will inform national and regional policy-makers, as well as science-related organisations on research integrity across Europe. The ALLEA Board members agreed on the importance to disseminate the document widely within the scientific community and across all sectors, both at the European and national levels, and highlighted the indispensable role of Member Academies in this regard.

The progress of ALLEA’s science for policy activities within the SAPEA project were further assessed, in particular the rapid setup of the working structures and the scientific activities supporting the High Level Group within the Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM). Member Academies actively support these efforts through the nomination of experts for the provision of science advice in a number of topics that SAM addresses such as Cybersecurity, New techniques in agricultural biotechnology, and Food from the Ocean.

Furthermore, the preparation and programme of the 2017 General Assembly and the follow-up international conference on “Sustainability and Resilience” were presented and discussed. Participants welcomed the high quality of the scientific endeavour, which will bring together renowned scientists and scholars, and high level officials from all relevant sectors in the European research area.

In the course of the meeting, ALLEA Board member Carlo d’Adda informed on the outcomes and future priorities of the ALLEA Permanent Working Group Intellectual Property Rights. The Group works towards producing statements on the patentability of Human Embryonic Stem Cells (HESC), the patenting of products of essentially biological processes, the inventorship of multinational inventions, and the European Commission’s proposal for a directive on copyright in the Digital Single Market. Furthermore, the experts will continue monitoring the latest developments on “Open Access”, taking into account the complex negotiations between the publisher Elsevier and several German scientific institutions, as well as the case law of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) concerning the linking and making available of contents on the Internet.

About Leopoldina and the Union of German Academies

Founded in 1652, the Leopoldina is one of the oldest academies of science in the world. It is dedicated to the advancement of science for the benefit of humankind and to the goal of shaping a better future. With some 1,500 members, the Leopoldina brings together outstanding scientists from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and many other countries.

The Union of the German Academies of Sciences and Humanities is the umbrella organisation of eight German academies of sciences and humanities. The member academies comprise a total of over 1,900 scholars of diverse subjects, all of whom are outstanding representatives of their research fields, both nationally and internationally. Together they are committed to promoting scientific exchange, excellence in research, and supporting young early-stage researchers in the sciences and humanities.

ALLEA participates in international conference on European non-university research

The international conference “Prague Forum” brought together on 8 March 2017 high level research, university and academy representatives to reflect and discuss how the future of non-university research should be addressed beyond 2020. President Günter Stock represented ALLEA in the event, which was organised by the Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS) on the occasion of the ending of the Presidency of Professor Jiří Drahoš.

The future of non-university research institutions and research infrastructures, their further development and society-wide roles of these organisations were the main themes of the forum, which took place in Prague under the aegis of the Czech Vice Prime Minister for Science, Research and Innovation Pavel Bělobrádek. Experts and officials exchanged opinions and experiences on the challenges and opportunities for scientific excellence and the widening concept, the question of open science as a new paradigm of the European Research Area, and the relevance of a dialogue between science, policy and the wider public.

ALLEA President, Günter Stock, in a panel in the Prague Forum. Credit: Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS)

The ALLEA President participated in a panel under the title “Scientific Excellence and the Widening Concept”. In his presentation, Prof. Stock reflected on how scientific excellence and the widening concept can be an “opportunity for inclusion” in various perspectives, from including more disciplines in the search for solutions to pressing problems, to connecting science with policy-making and the general public. Particularly he underlined the necessity to be more inclusive with lower performance research institutions in Europe by enabling them to compete at the highest level.  “I translate the widening concept into something like structural support programmes with competitive elements to bring up more academic institutions to a level where they can truly compete in this Europe-wide race for example for European Research Council grants”,  said Prof. Stock.

 “I translate the widening concept into structural support programmes with competitive elements to bring up more academic institutions to a level where they can truly compete in this Europe-wide race for example for European Research Council grants”

ALLEA President, Günter Stock

The President of the CAS, Professor Jiří Drahoš, acquainted the participants of the conference with the structure and conception of the academy, and foresaw that “the role and importance of peak non-university institutions, including their cooperation with universities, will grow also after 2020”. The event was attended by top level representatives of European science, including Martin Stratmann, President of the the Max Planck Society, Maive Rute, Deputy Director General of the Joint Research Centres, Michael Matlosz, President and Chief Executive Officer of the French National Research Agency for the Support of Research, among others.

The conference also touched upon a wide range of topics, concerning the functioning of scientific institutions of non-university research, as well as the prospects of scientific collaboration and non-university research development in Central and Eastern Europe.

About the Czech Academy

The Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS) is the Czech successor of the former Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences. It is set up as a complex of 54 public research institutions. Its primary mission is to conduct basic research in a broad spectrum of the natural, technical and social sciences and the humanities. This research, whether highly specialised or interdisciplinary in nature, aims at advancing developments in scientific knowledge at the international level, while also taking into account the specific needs of both Czech society and national culture. Scientists of the Academy institutes participate in education, particularly through doctoral study programmes for young researchers and by teaching at universities as well. The Academy fosters collaboration with applied research and industry. The integration of Czech science into the international context is being promoted by means of numerous joint international research projects and through the exchange of scientists with counterpart institutions abroad.