ALLEA Prize awarded to Dame Helen Wallace by Commissioner Carlos Moedas

Dame Helen Wallace and Commissioner Carlos Moedas

Dame Helen Wallace and Commissioner Carlos Moedas

At an award ceremony in Lisbon on 23 April, Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation awarded the All European Academies Madame de Stael Prize for Cultural Values to Professor Dame Helen Wallace of the British Academy. The prize honours her renowned scholarly work on European political studies and European integration and was awarded on the occasion of the ALLEA General Assembly at the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon.

Commissioner Moedas said: “For the European Union to best serve its citizens, we need continuous debate on research, science and innovation matters involving all levels of society. Academic leaders, like Dame Helen, provide much of the momentum and expertise for such discussions, helping us all to better understand the challenges ahead and how we can equip ourselves to build a prosperous future.”

From left to right: Luís Aires-Barros, President of the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon; Dame Helen Wallace, prize laureate; Günter Stock, President of ALLEA

From left to right: Luís Aires-Barros, President of the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon; Dame Helen Wallace, prize laureate; Günter Stock, President of ALLEA

“Dame Helen Wallace has provided us with an invaluable resource in her work. Her personal as well as her scholarly integrity is unwavering and her commitment to European cooperation is undisputed”, stated Professor Günter Stock, ALLEA President and chairman of the prize jury, in his speech to the ceremony’s international audience at the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon.

The laureate has served as Foreign Secretary of the British Academy since 2011 and was previously Professor at the European Institute of the London School of Economics and Political Science. Professor Wallace’s research has focused on European politics in nearly every context and region, establishing her reputation as an authority in the field. Her seminal work Policy-Making in the European Union is currently entering its seventh printing. Her advice and consultation is sought after at the highest levels of European policy making.

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Click here to download this press release as a PDF.

The All European Academies Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values is co-sponsored by Stiftung Mercator and endowed with 25,000 EUR. The prize “honours research such as Dame Helen’s which helps us better understand how European integration can be achieved”, said Professor Stock. To find out more about the prize, please click here.

All photos by Felicitas Soeiro.

ALLEA reiterates its support for Open Access to Scientific Publications in Europe

In November 2013, ALLEA issued a Statement on the Enhancement of Open Access to Scientific Publications in Europe. The recent developments at national level, in particular in the Netherlands, offer a good opportunity for ALLEA to reiterate its support for the Open Access model in a follow-up statement to the original document (accessible via the above link).

With the Internet, it is now possible to share the research results at a low cost throughout the world, including in more remote or less developed regions. The results of publicly funded research should be made freely accessible online. Open Access publications can more easily be identified and are thus read and quoted more often. Open Access publishing is beneficial to science and researchers, but as well to the users, the public and society as a whole.

Both the green and the gold routes to Open Access should be envisaged taking into account the specificities of the various academic fields (natural sciences vis-à-vis humanities and social sciences).

It is advisable that authorities define targets for the implementation of an Open Access policy. The transition to an Open Access model should be supported by the authorities.

For the transition to succeed, researchers should be aware of the advantages of Open Access. They should advocate the conversion of publishers towards an Open Access model when they are involved in the publishing process, whether as author, reviewer or member of editorial boards.

ALLEA thus supports all the attempts to work out a balanced solution in favour of Open Access, and in particular the negotiations between the academic community and the publishers that take place in various countries.

This follow-up statement was issued by the ALLEA Permanent Working Group on Intellectual Property Rights in March 2015.

To download the follow-up statement as a PDF, please click here.

Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation receives ALLEA President

Carlos Moedas, Member designate of the EC in charge of Research, Science and Innovation receives Gunter Stock, President of ALLEA (All European Academies)

Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation receives Gunter Stock, President of ALLEA (All European Academies) (Photo courtesy of the European Commission)

On 9 April 2015 the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, Mr Carlos Moedas, invited the ALLEA President, Professor Günter Stock, to discuss a number of current issues and on-going developments in the science and research landscape in Europe. Among other topics, the discussions included the European Fund for Strategic Investment and ALLEA´s position and proposals towards ensuring that future investments benefit the science and research sector.  

On the invitation of the Commissioner, the ALLEA President took the opportunity to present ALLEA´s mission and activities and to elaborate on the role and potential of European Academies for the science and research sector in Europe. The interlocutors addressed the upcoming ALLEA General Assembly in Lisbon (23/24 April 2015) which includes a scientific symposium on “Science and Research in Europe: past, present and future – 15 years of Lisbon Agenda” where the Commissioner will deliver a speech and award the All European Academies Madame de
Staël Prize for Cultural Values Prize to Professor Dame Helen Wallace, Foreign Secretary of the British Academy.

The ALLEA President discussed the Memorandum of Understanding signed between five academy organisations in Europe (Academia Europaea, ALLEA, EASAC, Euro-CASE, and FEAM) and discussed with the Commissioner the added value of coordinated joint activities and interdisciplinary advice which academies in Europe could provide via their networks.

On the European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI), the discussion focused on the question of to what extent scientists and scholars could be involved in and help with the evaluation of investment projects in order for the funds to benefit the science and research sector in Europe and therewith compensate for an impending loss of resources originally provided through the Horizon 2020 programme.

Professor Stock also raised the question of how the impact of research in the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH), a core activity of ALLEA, could be increased for the prosperous development and well-being of the European society.

As a related issue, it was discussed how the potential of SSH can best be harnessed to efficiently contribute towards tackling the big challenges that Europe faces, both through a substantial embedding of SSH in the funding programme and via the separate funding line “Europe in a changing world” (Societal Challenge 6). To that end, it would be instrumental to first and foremost increase the opportunities for SSH applications to be successful in the upcoming calls.

Newsletter 2015-01: The Role and Relevance of Science Education for Modern Societies

ALLEA’s recently released first newsletter of 2015 focusses on the topic “The Role and Relevance of Science Education for Modern Societies”. In this context, the newsletter features an interview with MEP Silvia Costa, Chair of the Committee on Culture and Education as well as a section highlighting investigation-based science education (IBSE). This issue also reports on a variety of activities and developments within the scope of ALLEA.

We often speak about building a European Research Area, but what about its logical prerequisite: a European Education Area? Science education is key for not only inspiring and preparing the future generations of scientists and researchers to engage in scientific careers, but also for increasing the overall scientific literacy in our societies, which plays a major role in preparing citizens to take part in scientific debates – for example, in situations where politics and science intersect and require the votes of the public.

Thus, with this newsletter’s focus topic, ALLEA offers an overview of the role and relevance of science education for modern societies. The accompanying ALLEA interview with Silvia Costa, Chair of the Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) at the European Parliament, offers a glimpse into the perspectives of CULT regarding science education. Moreover, the newsletter explains the importance of IBSE as a pragmatic approach towards providing effective science education to young pupils.

Additionally, this newsletter issue recaps numerous developments regarding science policy and the EFSI regulation and details ALLEA’s recent activities vis-à-vis the European institutions. It also reports on thediverse recent activities of all five ALLEA Working Groups, who perform the bulk of ALLEA’s scientific work.

The newsletter furthermore announces the 2015 recipient of the All European Academies Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values, Dame Helen Wallace of the British Academy, who will be awarded the prize by the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, Carlos Moedas, in the context of the ALLEA General Assembly on 23 April 2015 in Lisbon.

European Academy Organisations Sign Memorandum of Understanding

From left to right: Reinhard Hüttl, President of Euro-CASE; Dermot Kelleher, President of FEAM;  Günter Stock, President of ALLEA; Robert-Jan Smits, Director-General DG Research and Innovation; Jos van der Meer, President of EASAC; Sierd Cloetingh, President of Academia Europaea; Photo by Janina Amendt

From left to right: Reinhard Hüttl, President of Euro-CASE; Dermot Kelleher, President of FEAM; Günter Stock, President of ALLEA; Robert-Jan Smits, Director-General DG Research and Innovation; Jos van der Meer, President of EASAC; Sierd
Cloetingh, President of Academia Europaea; Photo by Janina Amendt

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On 26 March 2015, the Presidents of five European academy organisations met in Berlin to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen inter-academy cooperation in Europe.

The Director-General of DG Research and Innovation, Robert-Jan Smits, who attended the meeting, said: “The Commission welcomes that the European academies are joining forces to provide independent scientific expert advice for policy making in numerous fields. The Commission looks forward to continue working with the Academies on this matter in the future”.

Many of today’s societal issues are cross-cutting and therefore increasingly require the combined expertise from multiple scientific perspectives which academies are well positioned to provide. A clear and united voice of experts from across all scientific disciplines would strengthen the debates about benefits and risks of new advances and will help policy formulation and support greater public confidence. The initiative of the academies highlights the potential of independent evidence-based advice for policy-making in Europe.

Through the MoU, the five academy organisations declare their preparedness to collaborate when this brings added and timely value to their activities, assuring independence of processes and conclusions, and given that the work is supported by adequate additional funding.

The signatories include Academia Europaea, the pan-European Academy of Humanities, Letters and Sciences; ALLEA, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities from the Council of Europe region; EASAC, the association of National Academies of Science of EU member states, Norway and Switzerland; Euro-CASE, the organisation of National Academies of Engineering, Applied Sciences and Technology in Europe; and FEAM, the European umbrella group of National Academies of Medicine and Medical Sections of National Academies of Science.

ALLEA co-organises debate on “Demographic Change in Europe” at the European Parliament

POSTER-EPRS_DemographicChangeOn Tuesday, 24 March 2015, ALLEA is participating in a debate jointly organised with the European Science Foundation (ESF) and the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS). The event is taking place at 18:00 in the EPRS Library Reading Room on the premises of the European Parliament and focusses on the topic of demographic change, a critical subject for the future of Europe.

The speakers include the ALLEA President, who is delivering the introductory address, as well as a panel of experts from both academia and the European Parliament including Professor Ursula Staudinger, Founding Director of the Robert N Butler Columbia Aging Center, and Dr. Harald Wilkoszewski, Head of the Information Centre Brussels of Population Europe, the Network of Europe’s Leading Demographic
Research Centres. After the panel discussion, a debate is envisioned with members of the European Parliament to allow for further examination of demographic change and its many facets, which include aspects such as the ageing society, low childbirth rates, and labour policies, among others.

In the wider context, the event seeks to explore how scientific perspectives can demonstrably contribute to developing effective approaches and solutions for major societal challenges. More concretely, it illuminates the value of contributions from the humanities and social sciences in particular for addressing pressing cross-cutting issues such as demographic change, which is highly influenced by social and economic factors. Thus, issues such as demographic change are also indicators for the growing need to consider both scientific perspectives from the social sciences and humanities as well as from the more technical fields when developing policies that tackle societal challenges..

Click here to download the event programme.

 

ALLEA supports the “Statement supporting European Directive 2010/63/EU” on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes

ALLEA supports the “Statement supporting European Directive 2010/63/EU” on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes” prepared by the Wellcome Trust, the international charitable foundation dedicated to funding biomedical research and supporting the medical humanities. The European Directive was drafted in 2010 and regulates the use of animals when performing research.

The statement, which was released on 3 March 2015, urges the European Parliament and Commission to refuse the “Stop Vivisection” Citizens’ Initiative. The initiative is campaigning against this directive and seeks to ban all animal research.

The Wellcome Trust statement supports animal research “where alternative methods are not available, where the potential benefits to health are compelling, and where acceptable ethical and welfare standards can be met. The Directive has enhanced animal welfare standards and introduced the concepts of refinement, replacement and reduction across the EU, while ensuring Europe remains a world leader in biomedical research.”

Animal research led to major breakthroughs in medicine which have improved the health of both humans and animals. However, it is still important to not only understand the health and diseases of humans and animals, but also to further develop and improve their treatment for people all over the world. Therefore, animals must continue to play a vital role in this research where no viable alternatives are available.

Along with over 60 other signatories including Member Academies as well as EASAC, ALLEA supports the Wellcome Trust statement.

The statement can be accessed here.

ALLEA supports British Academy recommendations on the regulation to establish the European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI)

news bannerALLEA, in view of the regulation proposed by the European Commission, and under discussion in the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament, to establish the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), which foresees a cut to the EU research and innovation programme Horizon 2020 by €2.7 billion, fully endorses the following recommendations originally published by its member, the British Academy, on 18 February 2015. ALLEA urges those in the European institutions mentioned to work towards amending the EFSI regulation accordingly during the upcoming deliberations:

Boosting job creation and economic recovery in the European Union will not be served by taking money away from funding streams such as Horizon 2020 and the European Research Council. On the contrary, this would undermine our ability to fuel sustainable prosperity and growth by neglecting the substantial contribution that high-quality research and innovation makes to our economy and society. The Commission is cutting the Horizon 2020’s budget by 8.4% in 2016 and 8% in 2017. These are deep and damaging cuts, particularly affecting the Union’s ability to respond to grand challenges and develop excellent research.

We believe that there is a risk of fundamental weaknesses in the EFSI’s governance, accountability and priorities. Firstly, the Fund’s proposed governance indicates a reliance on non-expert civil servants. We recommend that a far more inclusive and decentralised governance structure be introduced. Member States should be empowered to short-list suggested projects to a decision-making body of independent experts, made up predominantly of researchers, and not only those affiliated with the Commission. We would, additionally, strongly recommend the involvement of the President of the European Research Council and its Scientific Council in the decision-making process.

Secondly, as regards accountability we recommend that the Managing Director, the Commission and the European Investment Bank report in person quarterly to the Council and in particular the Budgets; Industry, Research and Energy; and Economic and Monetary Affairs Committees of the European Parliament. We also recommend that the appointment of the Managing Director and Deputy Managing Director of the Fund should be approved by the European Parliament and the Council.

Thirdly, the Investment Plan as announced in December and the Regulation proposing the EFSI’s establishment reflect changing notions of the ESFI’s priorities. We are surprised that the Commission is so vague about the priorities of this instrument at this stage.

We recommend that the Fund focuses on five priorities or principles, which are written into the proposed Regulation aligned with the Europe 2020 strategy. They are: excellent research; education and training initiatives in particular to reduce inequalities; supporting the move to a low carbon economy; sustainable growth-enhancing infrastructure to help fight poverty and social exclusion; and providing working capital and risk financing to SMEs to drive employment.

In addition, we strongly recommend that existing and demonstrably effective delivery mechanisms for funding, such as the European Research Council and Horizon 2020, be used to deliver as much EFSI funding as possible. For example, with excellence in research being one EFSI priority, it is clear the European Research Council should be fully involved in selecting successful projects and in delivering the funding granted.

Click here to download the PDF version of the statement.

Click here to download the original statement issued by the British Academy.

Dame Helen Wallace to be awarded 2015 All European Academies Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values

Dame Helen WallaceIn honour of her highly respected and extensive scholarly work on political studies and policy in Europe, Dame Helen Wallace will be the second scholar to be awarded the All European Academies Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values; a prize initiated by ALLEA, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities.

Professor Wallace´s research not only offers comprehensive and incisive insights into the political systems of Europe, but is also a powerful contribution towards analysing the complexity of European integration. “Especially in view of the growing scepticism towards European cooperation, it is even more imperative that we honour research such as Dame Helen’s which helps us better understand how European integration can be achieved”, says Professor Günter Stock, ALLEA President and chairman of the prize jury. “Dame Helen has provided us with an invaluable resource in her work. Her personal as well as her scholarly integrity is unwavering and her commitment to European cooperation is undisputed”.

The laureate has served as Foreign Secretary of the British Academy since 2011 and was previously Professor at the European Institute of the London School of Economics and Political Science. Professor Wallace’s research has focused on European politics in nearly every context and region, establishing her reputation as an authority in the field. Her seminal work Policy-Making in the European Union is currently entering its seventh printing. Her advice and consultation is sought after at the highest levels of European policy making.

The All European Academies Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values is co-sponsored by Stiftung Mercator and endowed with 25,000 EUR. ALLEA established the prize 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 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.

An official press invitation as well as information on registration and programme details will soon be released.

Click here to download the press release in PDF format.

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