History of ALLEA
ALLEA 30th anniversary celebration
On 22 May 2024, ALLEA celebrated its 30th anniversary during its annual general assembly in Berlin. The festivities honoured three decades of international and interdisciplinary academy collaboration. The programme included opening remarks by Antonio Loprieno (ALLEA President), a video address by Iliana Ivanova (European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth), and congratulatory addresses by Henry Marx (Berlin State Secretary for Higher Education and Research) and Hermann Parzinger (Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation).
Hermann Parzinger’s speech during ALLEA’s 30th anniversary celebration was an engaging tribute to the organisation’s legacy. He highlighted ALLEA’s pivotal role in fostering scientific cooperation across Europe and its resilience amidst contemporary challenges. Parzinger’s personal anecdotes and reflections underscored the enduring importance of ALLEA’s mission, making his address a memorable part of the festivities.
Read it below or download it here.
Read Hermann Parzinger’s Speech
Dear Antonio Loprieno, dear Christoph Markschies, dear Presidents of the Member Academies of ALLEA, ladies and gentlemen,
ALLEA is one of the miracles of the early 1990s, the ‘All European Academies’, or the ‘European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities’. In the meantime, it is a unique network of 58 Academies from 40 European countries, from Albania to the Vatican or – in its geographical dimension – from Norway and Portugal to Turkey and Georgia. ALLEA is including the whole of Europe, the Europe of the Council of Europe, not only the Europe of the EU. And of course – since 2022 – minus Russia and Belarus, which was a difficult but unavoidable decision, and ALLEA has endured that decision.
When founded in 1994, this was not only 30 years ago. It was another Europe, the Europe after the fall of the Iron Curtain, and there was a need for such a network of Academies: for fostering cooperation in the field of research, for networking, for promoting the role and importance of Europe’s Academies of Sciences for a peaceful and prosperous development of our continent, and for addressing evolving challenges of our societies.
Concerning these years around 1994, when ALLEA was founded, please let me add some personal experiences from my own field of research and from my own career. I am an archaeologist (pre-historian), and from 1990 on, I was Deputy Director of a department of the German Archaeological Institute in Frankfurt. There, my main task was to establish research cooperations with Eastern European countries, when the Iron Curtain was collapsing, and the focus was on Eastern Central Europe and the Balkans.
Since I was student, in the beginning of the 1980s, and studying in Munich University, I was interested in Eastern Europe. Maybe it attracted me because it was not so easy to go there. Meanwhile my fellow students took a study year in Cambridge or Oxford, I thought that this was not the right direction at least for my scientific interests. I learned Czech, Slovenian, Serbian, and Russian because archaeologists at that time – and still today – published and publish mostly in their own language: Germans in German, Bulgarians in Bulgarian, Hungarians in Hungarian, and so on. I originally was to spend a study year in former Leningrad, everything was prepared, but then it turned out to take too much of my time for waiting. So, I learned Slovenian and went to Ljubljana in Slovenia.
Almost 10 years later and exactly in that ‘ALLEA-year’ 1994, I became Founding Director of a new department of the German Archaeological Institute, the so-called Department for Eurasian Studies in Berlin for starting archaeological research in the former Soviet Union. We started projects in Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, Uzbekistan and in other new and independent states of the former USSR, as well as in Mongolia and China.
These were real years of new beginnings, years of new possibilities that we would never have dared to dream of, taking into account the difficult history between Germany and Russia in the 20th century. After 1945, the Soviet Union was an almost inaccessible country for field research, and now travelling, surveying, and excavating in the most remote corners of Siberia and Central Asia became possible! We have been studying the prehistoric metal supply (copper and especially tin) of the Old World from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan und Tadzhikistan. We have been following the tracks of the earliest equestrian nomads from the 1st millennium BC, the so-called Scythians, discovering one of the richest graves of a Scythian king (with almost 6,000 golden objects), and selling it to the media in both countries saying that only international cooperation can achieve such outstanding success. A few years later we were excavating the mummy of a Scythian warrior with a German-Russian-Mongolian team in the permafrost region of the High Altay Mountains, and the German team was invited by the Russians to take part in Mongolia.
This ongoing field research for almost 30 years was combined with an intensive scientific exchange of students, young researchers, and experienced professors through fellowship programmes in both directions. Young Germans learning Russian, and young Russians learning German, reflecting the different research traditions in both countries, which was crucial for a better and respectful understanding of each other’s approaches and attitudes. I personally was regularly teaching in Novosibirsk University until 2018. What happy times!
I could go on talking about these exceptional years, exceptional decades, decades of harmony and full of opportunities and possibilities, which we have utilised. For me it was impressive proof of the power and opportunities of open and trustful scientific cooperation between research institutions. And this also underlines the enormous potential of ALLEA, and that is more necessary today than ever.
My personal scientific life during the last 40 years, even long before 1994, was a constant move between East and West. Today, I am a member of Academies of Sciences and Humanities not only in Germany (BBAW and Leopoldina), but also in Western Europe (Real Academia in Spain, British Academy in Great Britain) as well as in the East of our continent (Romania, Russia, and recently Georgia), in addition to China (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences) and the USA (American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Philosophical Society). The differences in the Academies in the West and in the East was obvious before the 1990s. In the West, Academies were and still are more a kind of ‘learned societies’, meanwhile in the Soviet world in the Eastern part of Europe, the Academies were the backbones of scientific research and much more important than Universities. Since then, this has changed in the East (including Russia), and Eastern Academies have become closer to their western counterparts, or are a kind of hybrid between Academies of Soviet style and learned societies of Western type.
This Europe in a way – more or less – existed still in 2019, when ALLEA had its 25th anniversary. Interesting are some of the quotes for this jubilee: “ALLEA is crucial for democratic decision-making and for safeguarding our values”, “a flagbearer for research integrity and widely recognised standards”, “a mobiliser of the most impressive intellectual excellence of our continent”, and “a defender of fundamental values of academic life, of open culture and academic freedom”. But there were already some more concerned comments back then, in a way predicting upcoming challenges by underlining the importance of facts and values, of empirical evidence and democratic discourse, against intentional disinformation (“alternative facts”), and by highlighting the first risks for our society talking about climate change, energy supply or antibiotic resistance.
In these last five years since 2019, however, Europe and the world has changed radically. The pandemic (at least the pandemic was defeated by a great moment in science), the rise of extreme right-wing parties in too many European countries, including Germany, the new dimensions of fake news and disinformation in our societies, and at the same time the growing rejection of research and scientific results, the brutal aggression of Russia against Ukraine and the first extensive ongoing land war in Europe since 1945, and the changing role of Europe in the world, losing influence and being listened to less. Not talking about the increasingly worrying climate crisis and the not-ending migration movements from the Global South. All this brings new challenges for ALLEA, and ALLEA is needed now more than ever.
There are many challenges to talk about, and each of the mentioned ones could be the topic of a longer-lasting lecture. But as time is restricted, let me just address four of them.
Challenge 1: We need more European integration
How can we make Europe stronger? Science and research, as well as culture, can play a crucial role. My organisation, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, stands for both. It is one of the largest cultural institutions worldwide, a memory organisation including museums, libraries, archives, and research institutes, and it acts at the interface of art, culture, and heritage on one side and science and research on the other side.
Since some years, I am Executive President of Europa Nostra as an honorary duty. Europa Nostra is an NGO, the Europe-wide network of professionals, organisations, and civil society dedicated to protecting and celebrating Europe’s cultural and natural heritage. We are the voice of all who believe that cultural heritage is vital for our economy, our society, our culture, our environment, our well-being and for the future of Europe. We act as advocates of heritage towards policymakers at all levels of governance. We campaign to save threatened heritage sites through special programmes, and we promote excellence through the European Heritage Awards/Europa Nostra Awards on behalf of the EU.
Man cannot exist without history. Heritage plays an important role for the collective memory, which always has been constructed by selected aspects from the past, and that memory of the past becomes a social phenomenon too. Cultural heritage therefore is crucial for Europe today. Heritage provides considerable benefits for society, environment and economy; the cultural heritage of Europe is the cultural heritage that all Europeans share, it is the visible expression of our common European culture and history, it is uniting past, present and future, it is our shared heritage, which gives a sense of belonging! Cultural heritage is a decisive element of our local, regional, national, und European identity, and therefore it is a cohesive factor for European integration. In short, cultural heritage is one of the most dynamic forces to shape Europe and a European consciousness.
What Europa Nostra is for the cultural heritage sector, is ALLEA for science and research. I believe in the importance and power of a European research space for fostering European integration! It’s exactly like in the cultural world, Europe is ‘unity in plurality’, and this unique selling point has to be made strong in the academic sector too, and it should be a strategic priority of ALLEA!
Challenge 2: We need more trust in science and research
ALLEA is very active in the dialogue between science and society with a lot of initiatives, just mentioning the ‘Fact or Fake’ discussion paper, or the activities in science education and the ‘Ethics in Science Education’ statement. ALLEA’s European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity is crucial in that context too. It is one of the most authoritative guidelines outlining how researchers should conduct their work, it is widely respected as it is a reference document for all Horizon Europe-funded research grants. As there exist various national Codes of Conducts in Europe, the process of extensive and thorough consultation procedures with the wider scientific community and stakeholders from corporate and civil society sectors was a real role model.
But for gaining trust in society, science and research must be free and independent. The absolute freedom of research is not negotiable! It may be tempting for certain political leaders to reduce and restrict this freedom, and we can see such tendencies especially in extreme right-wing parties, but again: this freedom is non-negotiable! ALLEA is fighting for it, for example, as a member of the EP Forum for Academic Freedom. And we can raise our voice self-confidently: very recently there was an inquiry about the role of museums in German society. The result was surprising: there is an enormous social trust in museums as places that offer reliable information and knowledge. Especially in a world of multiple information sources and an uncontrollable dominance of social media, people can no longer assess. So there obviously is a growing tendency towards trust and belief in ‘classical’ institutions. Maybe museums and academies have one thing in common: for those who do not know much about them, they may seem to be a bit old-fashioned. But if we know how to address society, the long tradition of our existence can provide us with potential, which we have to activate in the most modern way.
Challenge 3: We need to strengthen Europe in the global competition
Europe is a unique space of science and research. In no other part of the world do we have a comparable density of academies, universities, non-university research institutes, memory institutions, and so on. But how do we utilise this strength in the global competition?
In Germany, already years ago, the importance of Foreign Science Policy was recognised. ‘Foreign Science Policy’ and ‘Foreign Cultural and Educational Policy’ are closely connected. Both have always been important columns for our Foreign Policy, but to be frank: sometimes more and sometimes less. But we have to be aware about the global competition, especially with regard to the Global South. China and Russia are extremely active in that part of the world, somehow using the argument of fighting together with the Global South against Western dominance in a post-colonial period. We all know that this is not a selfless attitude, and their policy in the Global South is driven by strong and very clear interests as well.
But what is Europe’s answer? I know that the EU has strategic considerations in this respect, but what is the position of ALLEA? I am convinced that we have to address this challenge, and that we only can make it together. Germany in my eyes is maybe not taking the best possible way by reducing the funding for important actors of Foreign Science and Foreign Cultural and Educational Policy, such as the German Academic Exchange Service, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and Goethe Institute. We should do exactly the opposite and invest in creating strong ties with our international partners, especially – but not only – in the Global South. Europe and European countries must be an attractive partner for cooperation and exchange!
Challenge 4: The war in Ukraine
A deep crisis was caused by the terrible and devastatingly brutal Russian attack against Ukraine. Nobody knows when this will end, and how it will end, but ALLEA can develop a strategy to strengthen and rebuild Ukrainian scientific institutions and bringing them closer to Europe, and advising the EU in this process. At the moment, in the upcoming next ‘Ukrainian Recovery Conference’ in June 2024 in Berlin, culture and heritage are missing, as well as science and research, although they are so important because we can and should support these sectors already now!
Another challenge will be – once there is peace again – how to incorporate again Russian Academy of Sciences and the scientific institutions of this country. It will be another challenge for ALLEA because ALLEA was especially founded for building bridges between West and East. And I am convinced that ALLEA will accept the challenge then!
At this moment, this is beyond my imagination, maybe it will take decades until this can happen, and all depends of course on how this war will end up. The way it ends will raise options for how to continue in future. But we should not forget: German Academies and scientific institutions after 1945 also succeeded in again becoming internationally integrated, although in its respective Western and Eastern blocs. But it of course needed a complete change of the country into a democratic state and society.
Coming to the end
A lot could still be said because there are much more and very diverse challenges. Europe and the world have fundamentally changed since the 25th anniversary of ALLEA. The former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe González once said: The great steps forward, Europe only did after moments of deep crisis. If this is true, we can expect a gigantic step forward.
But one thing is also clear: If ALLEA did not exist today, we would have to create it. Because we need networks like ALLEA now more than ever!
Happy birthday and thank you for your attention!
Hermann Parzinger
Looking back on our history
The idea of establishing a network of European academies like ALLEA goes back to an initiative of the Royal Academies of the Netherlands and Sweden in the year 1990. New opportunities for co-operation between European countries arose after the end of the Cold War and the process of the European Union integration strongly affected the areas of science and higher education.
Exploratory meeting
An exploratory meeting among interested academies was held in Amsterdam in April 1990, where issues such as the advisory functions of academies, increasing communication and information sharing between academies, and the fostering of scientific and scholarly cooperation in Europe were discussed.
Second meeting
A subsequent meeting in Stockholm in March 1992, convened representatives from more than 30 Academies, from almost as many countries from all over Europe to discuss the possibility of establishing a confederation of learned societies to address the growing need for scientific advisory arrangements at the European level and to facilitate and promote cross-border cooperation amongst the European academies.
ALLEA is established
A third and final constituting meeting was held in Paris on 22-23 March 1994, where ALLEA was officially established as the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, following the idea that Academies working together across Europe is more than the sum of its parts.
1990–1999
Founding and first working groups1990-1992Building ALLEA
In the years prior to the formal establishment of ALLEA, two decisive meetings took place at the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) in 1990 and at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1992. In these exchanges, academies from across Europe conceptualised a federation with the goal of fostering cooperation in research between the East and the West of Europe after the end of the Cold War. They agreed on the need for a joint endeavour to address common opportunities emerging from the increasing significance of the European Union in the areas of science and higher education.
22-23 March 1994ALLEA Officially Founded in Paris
European academies celebrated the official foundation of ALLEA at the Académie des Sciences in Paris on 22-23 March 1994. The federation was established under the idea that the whole is more than the sum of the parts. Paul Germain, secrétaire perpétuel of Académie des Sciences, became the first President of ALLEA. The scientific discussion of the meeting was titled ‘Research in Nations of the New Europe’.
1994-1996First Working Groups Established
The first ALLEA working groups were established under the topics Basic Research in Society, Research Training and Higher Education in Europe, and Intellectual Property Rights.
1996Domokos Kosary, Second President of ALLEA
The 4th General Assembly took place at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 1996. Domokos Kosary, President of the hosting academy, became the second president of ALLEA.
1996-1998Formulating a European Consensus for Science
During the first years of ALLEA, an increasing number of advisory activities and actions became visible at the European level and an ALLEA Advisory Group (future ALLEA Board) was created. The goal of the organisation was to articulate a European-wide consensus on national level science policy issues. Among its first publications was the report ‘Academic Research Career in Europe’ by the Working Group Research Training and Higher Education in Europe.
1998Gerhard Gottschalk, Third President of ALLEA (1998-2000)
ALLEA celebrated its fifth General Assembly in Munich at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities on 26-27 March 1998. Gerhard Gottschalk (Union of German Academies of Sciences and Humanities) assumed the Presidency of ALLEA (1998–2000). The Working Group National Strategies of Research in Smaller European Countries was established.
2000–2009
Structures and policy advice2000-2002Pieter Drenth, First ALLEA Statutory President (2000-2006)
Pieter Drenth (KNAW) was elected ALLEA’s first statutory president for a three-year term during the sixth General Assembly celebrated in Prague at the Czech Academy of Sciences in 2000. ALLEA was also involved in the shaping of the sixth EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, and developed a number of international partnerships and memberships. The federation became observing member of the European Science Foundation (ESF) and council member of EASAC, which was established by national academies of EU member states for targeted scientific policy advice in selected scientific domains.
2003ALLEA’s Secretariat Established in Amsterdam
With financial subvention from the Dutch Government and substantial support of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), an ALLEA office was established, located at the Dutch academy in Amsterdam, and staffed by a part-time director and full-time secretary.
2004-2005Coming of Age: ALLEA’s 10th Anniversary
ALLEA celebrated its 10th anniversary in Brussels jointly hosted by the Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium, and the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts. Ten years after its foundation, ALLEA had become a reference for European science policy advice. Its activities were expanded with new working groups (Cooperation in European Science, Science & Media). Its membership was also broadened to a total of 47 members from 38 countries.
2006Jüri Engelbrecht, Fifth President of ALLEA (2006-2011)
Jüri Engelbrecht became the fifth President of ALLEA at the General Assembly in Amsterdam on 12-13 April 2006. The ALLEA Statute was revised to include two main decisions. The Presidency was expanded with a new Vice-President, Nico Mann (British Academy). ALLEA was transformed into an officially registered association (Vereniging), subject to Dutch law. Previous President Pieter Drenth was denominated as Honorary President of ALLEA.
2006-2008Towards the Consolidation of the European Research Area
In these years, ALLEA created new working groups (Evaluation for Science, Science Education) and worked with Member Academies to produce policy advice for the European Research Area and the establishment of the European Research Council in 2007. ALLEA also became a platform to foster regional cooperation with the Southeast of Europe. With this goal, the conference ‘Emerging Regional Cooperation: Southeast European Academies of Sciences and Humanities in the European Research Area’ was organised in Amsterdam at the KNAW on 18-19 October 2007.
2008-200915th Anniversary of ALLEA
The tenth General Assembly was hosted by the Institute of Spain (Madrid, 16-17 April 2008). On this occasion, Rüdiger Klein was designated Executive Director of ALLEA. The following year an ALLEA Extraordinary Strategy Meeting was held in Amsterdam to celebrate ALLEA’s 15th anniversary and to discuss the future of ALLEA initiatives.
2010–2019
Science advice, integrity, and academic freedom2010Fostering Interdisciplinarity
A new working group led by the British Academy was created in 2010 to formulate recommendations for the inclusion of the Social Sciences and Humanities in European research and to foster interdisciplinarity. The Standing Committee on Intellectual Property Rights released several positions on the future patent system of the European Union and patenting in stem cells research.
2011European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity
ALLEA and the European Science Foundation (ESF) released the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity. A preliminary version was presented at the World Conference on Research Integrity in Singapore the year before.
April 2012Günter Stock, Sixth President of ALLEA (2012-2018)
After a transition of four months with an interim Presidency (Stefan Luby, Slovak Academy of Sciences, President; Marie Flanagan, Royal Irish Academy, Vice President), European academies agreed on a new strategy and roadmap for ALLEA, presented by Günter Stock (Union of German Academies of Sciences and Humanities). He was elected as the sixth President of ALLEA in Rome at the General Assembly hosted by the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei (11-12 April 2012).
June 2012ALLEA Secretariat Moved to Berlin
During the 2012 General Assembly, Member Academies approved the relocation of the Secretariat to Berlin, in the premises of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BBAW). Daniela Jezova (Slovak Academy of Sciences) and Ed Noort (KNAW) were appointed Vice-Presidents. Matthias Johannsen was appointed Executive Director. The ALLEA Working Group E-Humanities was established.
2013Open Science and Intellectual Europe in Focus
The 14th General Assembly took place in Berlin at the BBAW on 29-30 April 2013 under the theme ‘Management of Large Data Corpora’. The new direction of ALLEA towards areas such as the digital agenda and intellectual Europe was further discussed. In these years, meetings with Commissioner for Digital Agenda Neelie Kroes and EU Director-General for Research and Innovation Robert-Jan Smits took place. ALLEA presented the initiative ‘In search of an intellectual Europe’ to the President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso.
April 2014Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values Established
A new focus on activities surrounding the notion of a cultural and intellectual Europe beyond the political boundaries of the European Union was initiated with the first edition of the ALLEA Madame de Staël Prize, awarded to cultural historian Luisa Passerini on 9 April 2014. The prize was handed over to her by European Commission President José Manuel Barroso in an award ceremony in Brussels at the Academy Palace.
April 2014ALLEA 20th Anniversary: Enabling Early-Career Researchers
ALLEA celebrated its 20th anniversary in Oslo at the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters on 24-25 April 2014 under the theme ‘Enabling early career researchers – needs for training of a new generation’. ERC President Jean-Pierre Bourguignon provided a keynote and congratulatory address on this occasion.
March 2015Re-Imagining the Scientific Advice System of the European Commission
Major steps towards establishing a new scientific advice system at the European level were taken. ALLEA facilitated and hosted a meeting between Academia Europaea, EASAC, Euro-CASE, FEAM and ALLEA. The European academy networks signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which was handed over to the Director General for Research and Innovation Robert-Jan Smits.
April 2015Carlos Moedas Handed Madame de Staël Prize to Dame Helen Wallace
The 2015 Madame de Staël Prize was awarded to political scientist Dame Helen Wallace (British Academy). The award was handed by the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation Carlos Moedas. On this occasion, Moedas announced the integration of European Academies as a fundamental part of the new Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM). The announcement was made during the 2015 ALLEA General Assembly hosted by the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon on 23-24 April. At this meeting, Günter Stock was unanimously re-elected for a second term as President of ALLEA. Both Vice-Presidents, Daniela Jezova and Ed Noort, were re-appointed.
December 2016Launch of SAPEA
ALLEA, jointly with other European academy networks, launched SAPEA (Science Advice for Policy by European Academies). The initiative was designed as an integral part of the European Commission’s Scientific Advice Mechanism, alongside the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors (GCSA). Then ALLEA President Günter Stock was elected Chair of the SAPEA Board (2016-2017).
March 2017Revised Edition of the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity
ALLEA published the revised edition of The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, presented to the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation Carlos Moedas in Brussels. The revised Code became a reference document in the Horizon 2020 Model Grant Agreement for research integrity. The document has been translated into most of European languages to help its implementation into national research policies.
May 2017Koen Lenaerts Awarded the Madame de Staël Prize
The 2017 ALLEA General Assembly became part of the ALLEA-Academia Europaea joint conference ‘Sustainability and Resilience’ at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Budapest. On this occasion, the President of the Court of Justice of the European Union Koen Lenaerts received the 2017 Madame de Staël Prize.
May 2017Antonio Loprieno, Seventh President of ALLEA
ALLEA’s Member Academies elected Antonio Loprieno (Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences) as the new President of ALLEA at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences on 4 September 2017. A new working group on Truth, Trust and Expertise was established, co-chaired by Baroness O’Neill of Bengarve (British Academy and Royal Society) and Ed Noort (KNAW).
2017-2018Defending Academic Freedom
ALLEA became outspoken on the topic of academic freedom in response to the various political infringements on academia in Hungary. Through statements, open letters and media interviews, ALLEA sought to raise the voice of European academies on the provision of a stronger protection for the autonomy of scientific institutions.
September 2018New ALLEA Board Elected in Sofia; Vice-Presidents Elected in Berlin
Antonio Loprieno assumed the Presidency of ALLEA at the General Assembly in Sofia and a new ALLEA Board was also elected on this occasion. In the first meeting of the new Board in Berlin, Hubert Bocken (Flemish Academy of Arts and Sciences), Graham Caie (Royal Society of Edinburgh) and Krista Varantola (Council of Finnish Academies) were elected as Vice-Presidents.
November 2018Data Governance Conference with the Royal Society
ALLEA and Royal Society jointly held the pan-European conference ‘Flourishing in a data-enabled society’ in Buckinghamshire (UK) on 1-2 November 2018. The conference explored major opportunities and challenges that come with new uses of data, and discussed the potential trade-offs that stem from such uses across various sectors of society.
January 2019Democracy in a Digital Society
ALLEA and the think-tank Re-Imagine Europa organised an international Democracy in a Digital Society forum hosted by the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities opened by past President of France Valéry Giscard d’Estaing and European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Mariya Gabriel. In the event, ALLEA presented the work of its Working Group Truth, Trust and Expertise.
May 201925th Anniversary of ALLEA
ALLEA celebrates its 25th anniversary in Bern, hosted by the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences, as part of the 2019 ALLEA General Assembly. The event includes the Madame de Staël award ceremony for the 2019 laureate Mariana Mazzucato (University College London) and the scientific symposium ‘Science and Society in Present-day Europe’.
June 2019Flourishing in a Data-Enabled Society
ALLEA, in collaboration with the Royal Society, released a discussion paper exploring how a European approach to data governance could unlock the full potential of data-based technologies, while safeguarding European values. The discussion paper reflects the conclusions of a conference held in London in 2018.
November 2019Genome Technology: Agriculture’s New Frontier
In November, ALLEA and KVAB held the symposium ‘Genome Editing for Crop Improvement’ in Brussels. Discussions covered crop safety, agricultural challenges, issues relating to intellectual property, and the need to amend European legislation on genome-edited plants. A report presenting the debate was published in 2020.
2020–2024
Disinformation, sustainability, and UkraineJanuary 2020Enhancing Knowledge Exchange: ALLEA-GYA Strategic Partnership
ALLEA and the Global Young Academy (GYA) formed a strategic partnership to enhance cross-border cooperation and address research assessment practices. The two networks will capitalise on their unique expertise through joint activities to promote science as a public good.
February 2020Promoting FAIR Data Sharing in the Humanities
ALLEA championed a new era in humanities research with its report on FAIR Data Sharing, advocating that data be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. This guide aims to steer scholars, funders, and policymakers to transition to a robust culture of data sharing in the humanities.
February 2020SAPEA Report: Recommendations for a Sustainable EU Food System
Coordinated by ALLEA, the SAPEA evidence review report ‘A Sustainable Food System for the European Union’ advised Commissioners on how to transform the European food system, with its complex social, economic and ecological components to become healthier and more sustainable. Together with a scientific opinion by the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors, the report was in response to a request from the College of Commissioners to find workable paths to deliver an inclusive, ‘just’ and timely transition to a sustainable food system, considering ‘co-benefits’ for health, the environment, and socioeconomic aspects.
May 2021Fact or Fake? Tackling Science Disinformation
ALLEA published a discussion paper highlighting the urgent need for European collaboration to combat science mis- and disinformation. Recognising the profound dangers of wrong or deliberately misleading information to democratic principles and societal trust, the report proposed strategies encompassing policy, technology, and communication, emphasising the importance of proactive measures to counteract the ‘infodemic.’
May 2021Exploring Interdisciplinarity: Hybrid General Assembly
ALLEA and the Council of Finnish Academies convened an international symposium online, gathering leading academics, policymakers, and civil society to rethink the role of science in society in response to complex problems and urgent threats like science mis- and disinformation. Highlights included keynote speaker Professor Riitta Hari emphasising the necessity of solid knowledge bases and teamwork in interdisciplinary research, and ALLEA President Antonio Loprieno sharing about how academies can offer adaptable scientific advice during crises.
June 2021Discussing Academic Freedom with the President of Ireland and Noam Chomsky
The event ‘Academic Freedom and Intellectual Dissent’, featuring the President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, and US linguist and political activist, Noam Chomsky, delved into the importance of academic freedom in democratic societies, considering challenges such as political populism and privatisation.
December 2021Unveiling Women’s Contributions in European Academies
ALLEA released the book ‘Women in European Academies — From Patronae Scientiarum to Path-Breakers’, exploring the influential roles of women in European academies and science history. This publication, part of ALLEA’s Discourses on Intellectual Europe series, emphasised women’s academic and scientific contributions.
December 2021ALLEA Welcomes Die Junge Akademie as New Member
ALLEA welcomed Die Junge Akademie (the German Young Academy) into its network, representing exceptional young scholars from Germany and Switzerland. This marked the first time a Young Academy received admission to an international academy network.
March 2022War in Ukraine: Initiating the First Support Programme for Displaced Scientists
In immediate response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Breakthrough Prize Foundation and ALLEA forged a partnership aimed at supporting scientists affected by the war. The European Fund for Displaced Scientists (EFDS) provided crucial support to the Ukrainian scientific community, both displaced scientists and those remaining in Ukraine.
May 2022ALLEA and ENYAs Join Forces: First-Ever Back-to-Back Annual Meetings in Brussels
Delegates from ALLEA and the European National Young Academies (ENYAs) met at the Academy Palace in Brussels on 11 May during the ALLEA General Assembly and the ENYA Annual Meeting for round-table discussions. Concurrently, the ALLEA symposium ‘Transforming Science: Pathways Towards Sustainability and Trustworthiness’ delved into the necessary transformations of the scientific system post-COVID-19, emphasising a commitment to advancing science for a more resilient future.
May 2022New ALLEA Report Advocates for Sustainable Academic Practices
ALLEA released a report urging the academic sector to reduce its climate impact. It called for a cultural change within academia towards climate awareness and action and offered specific recommendations to lower greenhouse gas emissions. The major findings of the ALLEA report were discussed at the 2022 Berlin Science Week.
November 2022SAPEA Report Highlights Ways to Strengthen EU’s Crisis Response
European academies delivered advice on improving crisis management to the European Commission. The Evidence Review Report by SAPEA, whose draft was coordinated by ALLEA, emphasised the need for comprehensive planning, better cooperation among EU institutions, and more flexible financial tools to respond to crises effectively, underlining the importance of solidarity and resilience.
December 2022EU-Wide Publishing Reform: ALLEA’s Call to Action
In a widely well-received statement, ALLEA assessed the impact of current “Big Deals” in scholarly publishing under new EU copyright rules, finding that the surge in Gold Open Access publications improved accessibility for readers but imposed financial burdens on authors. ALLEA urged for EU-wide Secondary Publication Rights without embargo and emphasised fostering a non-profit publishing ecosystem for equity.
May 2023PERITIA’s Final Conference: Exploring Trust and Expertise
Supported by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme, the PERITIA (Policy, Expertise, and Trust in Action) project tackled the rise of anti-science discourse, challenging the trustworthiness of scientific experts and expertise. Over three years, its team produced several valuable publications, and organised major conferences, webinars, lectures, and public engagement activities, including the Youth on Trust essay competition and deliberative workshops across Europe. The project culminated in an academic conference to discuss public trust in knowledge.
June 2023Revised Edition of the European Code of Conduct is Published
ALLEA released a 2023 Revised Edition of the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, reflecting the latest views of the research community on good research practices. Together, these revisions help ensure that the European Code of Conduct remains fit for purpose and relevant to all disciplines, emerging areas of research, and new research practices and serves as a model for national and institutional codes of conduct, funding guidelines, training initiatives, and discipline-specific standards.
June 2023SAPEA Publishes Report on Sustainable Food Consumption
SAPEA published an Evidence Review Report, coordinated by experts from ALLEA, on how to encourage healthy and sustainable food consumption in the EU, taking into account the myriad factors that influence consumption behaviour, including food availability, habits and routines, emotional and impulsive reactions, and their financial and social situation. This report will inform the revision of the Farm-to-Fork strategy.
October 2023Advancing the Reform of Research Assessment
In a bid to revamp research evaluation practices, ALLEA contributed to the ‘Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment’ and joined the EU-funded CoARA Boost project in October 2023. ALLEA’s participation underscored its commitment to balancing scientific progress and public accountability in research funding, assessing research’s societal impact, and improving assessment methods.
December 2023ALLEA Publishes Its Vision for FP10: Elevating European R&I
ALLEA released a statement outlining its transformative vision for the 10th European Union Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP10), slated to span 2028-2034. Advocating for increased and stable investment in European Research and Innovation, basic research, Open Science, international collaboration, diverse talent, and simplified processes.
February 2024ALLEA Addresses IP Challenges in NGT Crop Development
ALLEA released a statement on the impact of the intellectual property (IP) system on adopting New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) for crop breeding, addressing the concerns European breeders and farmers faced, especially the smaller ones, within the current IP framework, and providing recommendations on how to overcome them.
May 2024ALLEA Celebrates 30 Years: Research Collaboration in a Shifting Geopolitical Landscape
ALLEA commemorated three decades of international collaboration with a special celebration in Berlin as part of the 2024 General Assembly. The event included a symposium, ‘European Research Collaboration in a Shifting Geopolitical Landscape: How Open Can We Be?’, bringing together experts to discuss challenges in open research amidst geopolitical changes. CERN Director-General Fabiola Gianotti, the 2023 Madame de Staël laureate, delivered a keynote at the event, which also marked the completion of an institutional transformation process as ALLEA moved its legal seat from Amsterdam to Berlin and became a registered German charitable association.
Congratulatory messages on our 30th anniversary
© European Commission“As we commemorate both the 30th anniversary of ALLEA and the 40th anniversary of the EU framework programmes for research and innovation this year, we stand on the shoulders of those visionaries who recognised the profound value of pan-European cooperation in science and humanities.
This is a moment to celebrate the crucial contribution of ALLEA and its member academies to enhancing international research collaboration through the European Research Area and other policies and initiatives. Achievements such as the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity that is now guiding Horizon Europe projects or ALLEA’s instrumental work underpinning the European Commission’s Scientific Advice Mechanism showcase the power of international cooperation.
Looking ahead, we need to keep reinforcing the role of science in society, reaching out to all talents and ideas across countries and disciplines, and laying the foundations of our future resilience in the face of global challenges.
Happy birthday, ALLEA – let’s continue building a legacy of scholarly unity and scientific cooperation for the benefits of Europe and beyond.”
Iliana Ivanova European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth
“Congratulations to ALLEA on this milestone! You can proudly mark three decades of remarkable work for collaboration across Europe and its neighbourhood with over 50 Academies of the Sciences and Humanities as members. Rooted in the tradition of the Enlightenment, ALLEA has stood up for universal science across borders, be they geographical or disciplinary, and for academic freedom, which is more important than ever today. Whilst the ERC is only just over half your age, our two organisations share many values and strive towards similar goals, not least fostering excellence in research. We are grateful to ALLEA for its unwavering backing of the ERC and its dedication to advancing blue-sky research across all fields over the years. Here’s to many more years of fruitful collaboration and to scientific curiosity!”
Maria Leptin President of the European Research Council (ERC)
“ALLEA connects the talents present in Europe’s Academies of Sciences, sensu lato, being a bridge between cultures that have their own identity, yet respect and trust one another. It is this bridge function that enables ALLEA to underpin the search for the common good with scientific insights shared by a large cross-section of Europe’s academic ‘force de frappe’. This role is essential to cope with the challenges ahead of us, such as how to consolidate a pluralistic, tolerant and inclusive democracy in a digital environment where facts and fakes are not readily distinguishable; or how to reorient economic development and technological innovation towards sustainable energy supply and, more generally, climate-saving objectives.
ALLEA’s work shows that science and policy choices are interdependent and that when Europe’s brightest join forces, Europe’s future looks bright indeed. Happy Thirtieth Anniversary, ALLEA, ad multos annos!”
Koen Lenaerts President of the Court of Justice of the European Union