2nd Ukraine Conference Report Published

Over three days in March 2023, ALLEA and the ISC hosted a second conference on the Ukraine crisis, ‘One year of war in Ukraine: Exploring the Impact on the Science Sector and Supporting Initiatives’. 

Held one year after the start of the full-scale assault on Ukraine, the conference and corresponding report sought to engage with the insights and recommendations that emerged from the previous conference held in June 2022. The aim was also to place them in the broader context of how and why the international science system and research community can show solidarity in times of crisis. The conference report affirms the validity of the recommendations of the June 2022 conference, and underlines considerations based on the worsening situation in Ukraine.

The online conference brought together over 530 participants from around the world with sessions hosted by Science Europe, National Research Foundation of Ukraine, The Council of Young Scientists, and the Ministry of Education and Science for Ukraine. The three-day event mobilised the scientific community to evaluate the protection and support efforts implemented during the past year while assessing further steps toward enhanced support and post-conflict reconstruction.

Read the full report

What is the Role of Research in Crises? A Summary of the 2023 ALLEA General Assembly

The 2023 ALLEA General Assembly was held on 22-23 June at the Royal Society in London, and was attended by more than 260 participants.

Consumers Shouldn’t be Solely Responsible for Shift to Sustainable Food Consumption, Academies Advise European Commission  

A group of renowned scientists nominated by European academies through the European Commission’s Scientific Advice Mechanism have advised Commissioners on how to transform European food consumption to become healthier and more sustainable.  The advice comes in response to a request from the College of Commissioners to inform the revision of the EU’s Farm to Fork strategy. The SAPEA evidence review report, which was coordinated by ALLEA, was submitted this morning in Brussels. The report addresses key policy areas including pricing, availability, composition, and the social and digital environments that influence which foods people consume.

SAPEA, as a part of the Scientific Advice Mechanism, is a consortium of academy networks that includes over a hundred academies, young academies, and learned societies. ALLEA President and Chair of the SAPEA Board Antonio Loprieno states,

“We formed a powerhouse of interdisciplinary expertise to deliver a comprehensive report on sustainable food consumption. This approach is unique in Europe, and we are proud to deliver this evidence to the European Commission”.

Europe’s current food system has a major impact on the environment, and poor-quality diets are also linked to risk of disease, obesity and overweight — which affect around 60% of adults and 30% of children in European countries, evidence shows. The experts advise unburdening the consumer and making sustainable, healthy food an easy and affordable choice.  Professor Erik Mathijs, Chair of the SAPEA working group that reviewed the scientific evidence says:

“Policies should address the whole food environment, anywhere where food is obtained, eaten, and discussed, such as shops, restaurants, homes, schools, and workplaces, and increasingly also digital media.”

Because of this complexity, it is crucial to follow the scientific evidence for decision-making, he added. Based on this evidence, the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors to the European Commission – another key part of the Scientific Advice Mechanism – recommend a range of evidence-based measures for promoting healthy and sustainable food choices, including:

Pricing: There is clear evidence that direct measures are effective. This includes sugar taxes, meat taxes, and pricing products according to their environmental impacts, as well as lower taxes on healthy and sustainable alternatives.

Availability and visibility: Healthy and sustainable food options are more frequently chosen if they are displayed in prominent places. The advertising of foods which are unhealthy or unsustainable if consumed regularly should be restricted. Voluntary codes of conduct in this area have not been effective.

Composition: Reducing unhealthy fat, sugar, and salt content, and adding more plant-based alternatives, can be helpful — but only if these measures are mandatory and comprehensive. The evidence shows that past voluntary agreements have had limited effect.

It will be critical to create an environment that allows all stakeholders to work towards the goal of healthy and sustainable food, following fair rules. This approach may also help to overcome opposition from those who profit from the current system, including some large private sector organisations with powerful voices, scientists advised.

 

ALLEA Publishes 2023 Revised Edition of the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity

Today, ALLEA released the 2023 revised edition of “The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity” which now reflects 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. As such, the European Code of Conduct can continue to provide a framework for research integrity to support researchers, the institutions in which they work, the agencies that fund them, and the journals that publish their work.

The Chair of the dedicated Code of Conduct Drafting Group, Krista Varantola, launched the new edition under the auspices of ALLEA’s 2023 General Assembly in London, presenting the revised Code to delegates of ALLEA Member Academies in parallel with its online release to the wider research community.

 

The 2023 revised edition

ALLEA President Antonio Loprieno sees a fit-for-purpose European Code of Conduct as “providing a common framework, developed by peers, to enhance trust in science among policymakers and the public at large, through improved quality and reliability of research design, conduct, and dissemination“.

Accordingly, the revisions echo an increased awareness of the importance of research culture in enabling research integrity and implementing good research practices and place a greater responsibility on all stakeholders for observing and promoting these practices and the principles that underpin them. It likewise accommodates heightened sensibilities in the research community to mechanisms of discrimination and exclusion and the responsibility of all actors to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion.

The revised European Code of Conduct also takes account of changes in data management practices, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), as well as recent developments in Open Science and research assessment. In the meantime, Artificial Intelligence tools and social media radically change how research results are produced and communicated.

As the Drafting Group Chair Krista Varantola points out, “the rapid development of digital tools and their availability for research create tremendous opportunities, but at the same time pose new challenges to upholding the highest standards of research integrity”.

 

The revision process

From early 2022, the Drafting Group, consisting of members of the ALLEA Permanent Working Group on Science and Ethics, set about exploring what changes would be needed to update the 2017 edition of the European Code of Conduct to ensure it reflects the current views on what are considered good research practices. Their work culminated in October 2022 in a draft revised document being sent for consultation to leading stakeholder organisations and projects across Europe, including representative associations and organisations for academia, publishers, industry, policymaking, and broader societal engagement. The response to this stakeholder consultation was exceptional, indicating a sense of ownership and engagement with the European Code of Conduct amongst the research community. All feedback was captured and discussed in detail in February 2023 by the Drafting Group. A summary of the stakeholder feedback process and how this informed the 2023 revision can be found at www.allea.org/code-of-conduct.

 

Read the 2023 revised edition here.

New Chair Appointed for the Working Group on the ERA

Arben Merkoçi assumes office as the new Chair of the Working Group on the ERA

Arben Merkoçi appointed new Chair of Working Group on the ERA

On 15 June 2023, Arben Merkoçi,  ICREA Professor and Director of the Nanobioelectronics & Biosensors Group at Institut Català de Nanociencia i Nanotecnologia (ICN2), was introduced as the new Chair of the Working Group on the European Research Area (ERA) at the group’s first meeting of the year. Prof Merkoçi (Academy of Sciences of Albania) was appointed to the position by the ALLEA Board on the proposal of the ALLEA Presidency. ALLEA welcomes the appointment of Prof Merkoçi as Chair of the Working Group on the ERA and wishes him good luck in his tenure!

Prof Merkoçi takes over the position from Prof Kerstin Sahlin (Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences) who assumed the role in 2021. ALLEA extends its heartfelt thanks to Prof Sahlin, whose tenure saw the publication of a statement for a new ERA of Freedom and Excellence, among other notable achievements. We also deeply appreciate her continued engagement with the Working Group as a member. 

ALLEA Welcomes Two Young Academies as New Members

ALLEA can now count among its members the Young Academy of Sweden and the Young Academy of Scotland following an election by current membership this past month. Bringing these academies into ALLEA’s network not only supports young academics – it fosters further cooperation between Young and Senior Academies as well.  

The Young Academy of Sweden is an interdisciplinary academy for prominent younger researchers in Sweden. Founded in 2011 through an initiative by the Royal Swedish Academy, the Young Academy serves as an independent platform that provides young researchers with a strong voice in the policy debate and that promotes science and research, often with a focus on children and young adults.

The mission of the Young Academy of Scotland is to help Scotland’s people and policy-makers build a future that is equal, enterprising, sustainable, healthier, smarter and international. Also established in 2011 by its Senior Academy, The Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Young Academy brings together entrepreneurs, academics, business leaders, teachers and other professionals to work collaboratively for the benefit of society.

ALLEA President Antonio Loprieno extends a warm welcome to the two Young Academies:

“With the admission of additional and diverse Young Academies to our network, ALLEA has continued the important step in bringing young researchers into interchange with established academics, including and beyond Senior Academies. This enriches discussions across disciplines, borders and, crucially, generations.”

Call for Contributions: Open Consultation on Innovative Outputs in the Humanities

Working with digital outputs in the humanities? Consider contributing to the ALLEA Working Group E-Humanities draft recommendations by 26 July 2023.

The ALLEA Working Group E-Humanities has launched an open consultation concerning draft recommendations on recognising digital scholarly outputs in the humanities. The goal is to gather broad feedback from active humanities researchers and institutions in order to tailor the recommendations to the community’s needs.

A link to the draft recommendations and instructions for contributing is available here: https://bit.ly/ALLEAehumanities

 

Open Consultation

The consultation is open to all researchers and practitioners working in disciplines within the humanities, policymakers, and representatives of all public and private organisations active in the field. We are particularly keen to hear from humanities researchers in ALLEA member academies. The consultation is open until 26 July 2023.

 

Practicalities

1. Suggest changes or leave comments in the document.

2. Types of feedback

  • clarification – let us know whether any parts of the text are unclear and need clarification or elaboration.
  • omissions – highlight issues we might have overlooked.
  • further reading – suggest resources worth recommending to readers.

3. Recognition. All contributors will be listed in the final report. Please ensure that your comments are properly signed with your name. If you wish to remain anonymous, use private browsing.

4. Contact. Should you have any questions, feel free to contact the WG Chair, Dr Maciej Maryl, directly (maciej.maryl@ibl.waw.pl).

Please note that the final draft will be additionally proofread for language.

 

On the report

This report proposes recommendations regarding recognition, evaluation, and assessment of innovative scholarly outputs in the humanities.

First, the report focuses on the cross-cutting issues pertinent to digital practices in the humanities, such as (1) linking studies with underlying data, (2) open-ended outputs, (3) collaboration and authorship, (4) training and competence building, and (5) reviewing and evaluating. Next, it discusses particular case studies of innovative outputs where these cross-cutting issues manifest themselves, i.e. (a) digital scholarly editions, (b) extended publications, (c) databases and datasets, infographics, (d) code, (e) blogs, and (f) podcasts.  Finally, the conclusion provides some general remarks on recognising and evaluating digital practices in the humanities.

 

About the ALLEA Working Group E-Humanities

The ALLEA Working Group E-Humanities, composed of experts from across European academies, is committed to identifying and raising awareness for priorities and concerns of the humanities, paying particular attention to current and emerging developments in digital practices. Currently, the Open Science agenda figures highly in research policy and research funder requirements, and is driving changes in research practice. To address this agenda, and facilitate the adoption of Open Science across the humanities, the working group has turned its attention to supporting humanities researchers in their research data management practices.

More information on the ALLEA Working Group E-Humanities and its members can be found here: https://allea.org/e-humanities/

Stakeholders Welcome European Efforts Towards Publicly Owned and Not-For-Profit Scholarly Communication

Publicly funded research and its results should be immediately and openly available to all without barriers such as subscription fees or paywalls.

For European public research and innovation actors, scholarly knowledge is a public good. Publicly funded research and its results should be immediately and openly available to all without barriers such as subscription fees or paywalls. This is essential for driving knowledge forward, promoting innovation, and tackling social issues.

Key representative organisations of the public research and innovation sector have welcomed today’s adoption of the ‘Council conclusions on high-quality, transparent, open, trustworthy, and equitable scholarly publishing’.

In a joint response, the signatories urge EU member states and institutions to continue their efforts towards a high-quality, transparent, open, trustworthy, and equitable scholarly communication ecosystem, through stakeholder engagement, constructive dialogue with the public research and innovation sector, and with evidence-based reforms underpinned by the principles of open science.

Joint Response to Council of Europe’s conclusions on high-quality, transparent, open, trustworthy, and equitable scholarly publishing

Signatories include the European University Association (EUA), Science Europe, the Association of European Research Libraries (LIBER), the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities (ALLEA), the Association of ERC Grantees (AERG), the Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA), the European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers (Eurodoc), cOAlition S, OPERAS, and the French National Research Agency (ANR).

The public research and innovation sector is actively pursuing a not-for-profit scholarly communication ecosystem. Notable examples, among other initiatives, include: backing for not-for-profit open access publishing models (e.g. the Action Plan for Diamond Open Access); demand for more dependable and comparable data on the state of scholarly communication (e.g. the Journal Comparison Service); and emphasis on infrastructure development (e.g. OPERAS).

As such, the statement welcomes the Council of the EU’s encouragement of initiatives that align with the objective of developing a not-for-profit scholarly communication ecosystem and reiterates the signatories’ commitment to launch activities that will further engage their members in shaping the future of scholarly communication.

The Ukraine-Australian Research Fund Call for Applications is Now Open

 

Call for Applications open until 31st May 2023.

The Australian Academy of Science has partnered with the Breakthrough Prize Foundation to deliver a program to support Ukrainian researchers in eligible fields of science who have been impacted by the war with Russia. The donation is being used to establish two different activities, each designed to offer practical support to enable the continuation of research and technology activities by Ukrainian scientists.

Activity 1 – Short-term visits

The first activity (Activity 1) will support Ukrainian researchers to participate in short-term visits to Australia to engage in project research at a host institution, or to participate in a conference and site visit program. The Australian host organisation is responsible for applying for the funding and administering the grant to cover the direct costs to support the visit. More details on eligibility criteria, application, assessment, and terms of the award can be found here.

Activity 2 – Facility access

The second activity (Activity 2) provides practical support to research being undertaken in Ukraine that has been impacted by the current war. Under this activity, Ukrainian researchers can access leading infrastructure capabilities in Australia, such as supercomputing facilities, microscopy and microanalysis, and telescopes. Ukrainian researchers will be able to send their samples to National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) facilities for analysis, with the results returned to the Ukrainian research institute. Funding will cover the cost of sending samples between Ukraine and the Australian testing facility, and the cost of testing and analysing the samples. This activity will keep Ukrainian researchers productive and publishing at their own institutes in Ukraine while also engaging in international collaborations. More details can be found here.

For more details on the application process for both activities, visit the Australian Academy of Science’s page here. You can also read the FAQs for more information.

TechEthos Publishes Policy Briefs on Enhancing EU Law on Emerging Technologies

TechEthos publishes recommendations on enhancing EU legal frameworks for new technologies that could impact the planet, the digital world, and bodily integrity.

In February 2023, TechEthos released four policy briefs targeted at enhancing EU legal frameworks for emerging technologies in the three families of Climate Engineering (Carbon Dioxide Removal and Solar Radiation Modification), Extended Digital Reality, and Neurotechnologies. These policy briefs, co-authored by Julie Vinders and Ben Howkins from Trilateral Research, were developed based on the analysis of International and EU laws and policies governing these three technology families, published as a report in July 2022.

TechEthos Report on the Four Policy Briefs Published in Feb 2023

The findings of this report were debated in a series of policy consultations with relevant EU officials, particularly those working at relevant Directorate General (DG) units and cabinets of the European Commission and involved in relevant legislative and policy development processes, held from December 2022 to February 2023, which then led to the identification of the regulatory priorities for the EU set forth as recommendations in the policy briefs.

Some key highlights from the four policy briefs are shown below.

Enhancing EU legal frameworks for Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR):

  • Clarify the role of CDR, a type of climate engineering technique that removes atmospheric carbon dioxide and stores it in geological, terrestrial and oceanic reservoirs, in meeting the EU’s legally binding target of net-zero by 2050
  • Carefully evaluate wider socio-economic implications of CDR, including but not limited to fundamental rights, biodiversity, international development, international trade, food production and food security, short- and long-term cost implications, and energy security
  • Devise robust sustainability requirements for CDR, particularly those in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Enhancing EU legal frameworks for Solar Radiation Modification (SRM):

  • Investigate whether further research into various types of SRM, a type of climate engineering technique that aims to reflect sunlight and heat back into space, should be conducted, and determine the conditions, if any, under which SRM research in general, and especially any open-air testing, could be conducted
  • Focus on both the large-scale SRM activities with the purpose of moderating the global climate system as well as the cumulative effect of small-scale SRM activities conducted for purposes other than the moderation of the global climate system
  • Collaborate internationally and evaluate existing international governance regimes

Enhancing EU legal frameworks for Digital Extended Reality (XR):

  • Include the protection of fundamental rights, such as the right to dignity, the right to autonomy, the right to non-discrimination, the right to privacy, and the right to freedom of expression, as a central consideration in assessing the risk factor of AI-enabled XR technologies
  • Recognise that the immersive and increasingly realistic nature of XR technologies, which include advanced computing systems that can change how people connect with each other and their surroundings through interactions with virtual environments, may exacerbate the risks and impacts of harmful online content consumed through XR, particularly by special category groups such as children
  • In addition to the Code of Practice on Disinformation, the EU should encourage the adoption of similar industry-led self-regulatory codes addressing issues associated with harm to XR users, including hate speech, online violence, (sexual) harassment, and mis- and disinformation

Enhancing EU legal frameworks for Neurotechnologies:

  • Monitor and assess the possible under-regulation of consumer and dual use neurotechnologies (devices and procedures used to access, monitor, investigate, assess, manipulate, and/or emulate the structure and function of the neural systems of natural persons)
  • Recognise and define putative neurorights, such as the “right to cognitive liberty”, prospectively, through the adoption of a Declaration on Neurorights and Principles, similar to the European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles, and include them in the human rights frameworks
  • Adjust and promote the more effective enforcement of existing legal frameworks

You can also find a report consolidating the recommendations in the four briefs here.

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TechEthos is led by AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and will be carried out by a team of ten scientific institutions and six science engagement organisations from 13 European countries over a three-year period. ALLEA is a partner in the consortium of this project and will contribute to enhancing existing legal and ethical frameworks, ensuring that TechEthos outputs are in line with and may complement future updates to The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity.