How can the academic system become more climate sustainable? This is the main question we posed at this year’s Berlin Science Week in a joint event with the Swiss Embassy in Berlin and Die Junge Akademie on 2 November 2022.
The European Fund for Displaced Scientists Programme (EFDS) was set up to provide financial support for Ukrainian scientists and institutions that have been affected by the war. A total of up to 100 Ukrainian scientists will benefit from the programme.
Last March, ALLEA, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, announced the launch of the European Fund for Displaced Scientists Programme (EFDS) to assist the Ukrainian scientific community as a response to the ongoing Russian invasion. The programme was set up in partnership with the Breakthrough Prize Foundation who donated USD1.5 million for the launch of the programme.
The EFDS Programme consists of two separate funding lines: Funding Line 1 provides funds to academic institutions within the Council of Europe region that are able to host displaced scholars from Ukraine; Funding Line 2 provides funds to Ukrainian academic institutions for the continuation and/or reinstatement of their scientific operations and research collaborations, as well as to support initiatives that facilitate the reintegration of researchers upon their return to Ukraine. A total of up to 100 Ukrainian scientists will benefit from the EFDS Programme through the combined funding of both lines.
ALLEA President Antonio Loprieno stated that “the remarkably large number of applications received by ALLEA under both funding lines is a clear indication of the need that exists for the EFDS Programme and similar schemes to assist Ukraine’s research community, particularly for institutions within Ukraine to support the country’s effort to maintain its scientific operations and avoid an irreversible loss of talents and skills.”
Under Funding Line 1, financial support was provided to set up new or maintain existing positions for displaced researchers from Ukraine during the war. Institutions were eligible to apply for up to €25,000 for a period of 12 months. ALLEA received a total of 244 applications from 23 countries under this Funding Line, of which 35 beneficiaries were finally selected due to funding limitations. The grants will be distributed to academic institutions from eleven different countries, including Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden.
The application process took into account the measures planned by the host institutions to avoid brain drain and support the beneficiaries to return and reintegrate into the Ukrainian academic system upon completion of the hosting arrangement. Particular attention was given to scholars from areas that had been most affected by the war or that were under ongoing fire. Priority was also given to scholars who are affiliated with institutions that had to relocate as a result of the war or institutions with heavily damaged research infrastructure, which would make it impossible for them to continue their research work in Ukraine.
Under Funding Line 2, Ukrainian institutions were eligible to apply for up to €75,000 for a period of 12 months. ALLEA received a total of 105 applications from 89 institutions within Ukraine. Of these, 6 applications were selected, which will directly support a total of 64 Ukrainian scientists from both the university and the academy sector to continue their work in Ukraine. Funds will mainly be used to cover the costs of institutional staff and to purchase critical research equipment and materials.
The evaluation and selection process for both funding lines was carried out by an independent selection committee composed by senior officials from international and pan-European scientific institutions representing universities, funding organisations and researchers, including the European Research Council, the European University Association, the Global Young Academy, and Science Europe.
More information about the EFDS programme can be found here.
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About ALLEA
ALLEA is the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, representing more than 50 academies from about 40 countries in Europe. Since its foundation in 1994, ALLEA speaks out on behalf of its members on the European and international stages, promotes science as a global public good, and facilitates scientific collaboration across borders and disciplines.
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Academic and research institutions play a key role in providing evidence on the climate crisis as well as potential mitigation strategies. But, what are they doing to become more sustainable themselves? ALLEA’s latest report Towards Climate Sustainability of the Academic System in Europe and beyond suggests that much more can, and should, be done to make the academic system climate-conscious and sustainable. A change in culture is required where all stakeholders within the academic system become aware of their climate impact and act to reduce it.
One focal point for such a culture shift within academia is the lab. Laboratories are integral spaces for research, innovation and technological progress. But they are also resource and energy intensive. One estimate found that labs account for about 2% of global public waste and use as much as 3 to 10 times more energy per square metre compared with a typical office.
Martin Farley is Europe’s first full-time sustainable laboratory specialist.
What can labs do to reduce their climate impact? That is the very question Martin Farley has been working on in the last years. As the creator and manager of the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) at the University College London (UCL), he has been doing this by creating and disseminating a green lab standard, and providing toolkits and resources to help scientific institutions improve the sustainability and efficiency of their laboratories. In this interview, we talk to Mr Farley, Europe’s first full-time sustainable laboratory specialist, to understand the challenges and opportunities in the quest to reduce the climate impact of labs.
“Sustainability as a topic of research and discussion will only grow, so I thought, ‘why not consider it in laboratories also?’”
Question: What motivated you to push for the sustainable transformation of scientific labs? Why did you focus on this particular niche?
Martin Farley: I worked and studied in labs in the US and Netherlands. During my time in these labs, I couldn’t help but notice the volume of plastic that I was using, particularly for tissue culturing (a research technique that involves growing animal or plant cells/tissues on an artificial medium outside the parent organism), and I wondered if anyone was doing anything about the sustainability of science. Sustainability as a topic of research and discussion will only grow, so I thought, “why not consider it in laboratories also?” It turns out that science facilities, while niche, are quite resource intensive with many opportunities for sustainability wins.
Q: Tell us a little bit about how you developed, and currently manage, UCL’s LEAF Programme. Was this an initiative that came from you? What barriers were the most challenging to overcome in the process of setting up the programme?
MF: While I initiated the programme, the support from UCL has been crucial to LEAF’s creation, particularly support from Joanna Marshall-Cook, Aaron Kashab, Vindya Dassanayake, Richard Jackson, and Ciaran Jebb, to name a few. Beyond the expected challenges one encounters when developing a new initiative, such as time, creating a website, or building engagement, I’m not sure there have been many that are notable. Both the scientific and sustainability communities have been hugely supportive of this effort, and LEAF has grown thanks to that support. I should add that we still have more to develop, and we need to find the best ways to expand LEAF’s remit while maintaining impact.
“We could also include sustainability and efficiency requirements, as we do with health and safety requirements, in the building and refurbishment of science facilities.”
Q: In a Nature article, you mention that the LEAF framework was developed to set shared standards for sustainable laboratories. Can this framework be applied across disciplines and geographical boundaries (we noticed that most of the signatories are in the UK)?
MF: While the majority of institutions that have signed up are from the UK, LEAF is in use in 14 countries now, including two institutions in Australia. This framework certainly can be applied beyond the UK. We’re also developing some new versions of LEAF for more specialist environments, which should be ready in early 2023 for participating institutions. The work that we’ve done has shown that there’s a lot of people working in specialist environments seeking guidance on how to be more sustainable.
Q: You also advocate for more stringent, mandatory “sustainability requirements” analogous to those for occupational safety. What could that look like?
MF: There’s much scope for discussion on what this would look like, but I like the health and safety model – having common, accessible standards that operations may be assessed against. Such standards in the sustainability space should be supported by academic institutions, funders, and commercial operations. We could also include sustainability and efficiency requirements, as we do with health and safety requirements, in the building and refurbishment of science facilities.
“I think more sharing and standardisation of approaches might be positive in our transition to climate sustainability. Currently, institutions need to […] repeat the same learnings that others have likely already done.”
Q: What are some of the challenges you have encountered with institutions trying to replicate the LEAF standard?
MF: I think generally most sustainability initiatives are voluntary, and so are dependent on the availability and willingness of individuals. This is a challenge for all such initiatives: How does one transition from a singular effort of goodwill to a common practice? My hope is LEAF helps them make that transition more easily, but it’s only one part of the wider sustainability efforts.
Q: Beyond laboratories, what would you like to see more/less of in the academic system’s transition towards climate sustainability? What are the low-hanging fruits that we can immediately build on right now?
MF: I think more sharing and standardisation of approaches might be positive in our transition to climate sustainability. Currently, institutions need to each develop their own strategies, create their own job descriptions, and repeat the same learnings that others have likely already done. I know academic institutions in some ways are in competition, but when it comes to sustainability, we need to understand that we’re on the same side. Sharing of practices does take place, but more could facilitate a quicker acceptance of targets, standards, etc. Also, there could be more efforts made to understand scope 3 carbon emissions (indirect emissions across an organisation’s whole value chain, such as travel, lab equipment, materials and waste) because by only focusing on scope 1 (direct emissions such as from refrigerants, on-site electricity generation and gas consumption for heating) and scope 2 (indirect emissions from energy directly consumed) emissions, we might be shooting ourselves in the foot. Low-hanging fruit might be as simple as shutting down our buildings (lights, heating etc.) after office hours.
“I know academic institutions in some ways are in competition, but when it comes to sustainability, we need to understand that we’re on the same side.”
Q: What institutional or cultural practices within academia are the most difficult to change in the transition towards climate sustainability?
MF: I think our accounting systems potentially disincentivise sustainability solutions. The financial year is 12 months, but sustainability planning might rely on much longer time scales, and this mismatch could create challenges for institutions to incorporate climate-conscious solutions. But we can work around these challenges. The budget to build a facility, for example, might be different from the one that pays to operate it. Equally, the individuals who utilise resources (like energy or consumables) often aren’t those who are responsible for paying for them, which affects consumption – bridging this gap between the payers and users could have a positive impact on consumption. I think we need to consider financial models and incentives alongside standards if we want to achieve some long-term net-zero goals.
Q: Do you believe that the sustainable transformation within academia is happening fast enough?
MF: I’m certainly encouraged enough to keep trying!
Martin Farley will be one of the panelists at the hybrid event Towards Climate Sustainability – Taking the Academic System from Evidence to Action on 2 November, co-organised by ALLEA in partnership with the Swiss Embassy in Berlin and Die Junge Akademie as part of 2022 Berlin Science Week. Learn more about this event here.
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About Martin Farley
Martin Farley is the founder and manager of the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework Programme (LEAF) at the University College London (UCL), as well as the Director of Green Lab Associates, a consultancy which helps make laboratories more efficient and sustainable.
While he began his career as a biologist, Farley went on to become the UK’s (and Europe’s) first full-time sustainable laboratory specialist at the University of Edinburgh. Today, his pioneering strategies are used by research universities in Europe, Australia, China, Singapore, and Japan to identify, track, and meet sustainability goals in the lab. Farley has been recognised for his innovative work in the sustainability sphere with the EAUC’s Sustainability Professional Green Gown award, as well as an Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment fellowship.
Recent Publications by Martin Farley
How green is your science? The race to make laboratories sustainable
Getting labs to net zero needs a coordinated effort
Re-use of labware reduces CO2 equivalent footprint and running costs in laboratories
Outstanding young scientists and artists can apply for a 5-year membership to Die Junge Akademie (German Young Academy). Applications for the 2023 selection can be submitted exclusively online until 15 November 2022 via the application platform.
Die Junge Akademie always has 50 members. Every year, ten members leave and ten new members are accepted. The annual selection takes place alternately via the supporting academies of Die Junge Akademie (the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities and the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina) and via Die Junge Akademie itself. For selections via the supporting academies in the even years the candidates are suggested. Selection via Die Junge Akademie in the odd years takes place via direct applications.
Membership of Die Junge Akademie is intended for outstanding scientists and artists that can show evidence of a completed doctorate or an artistic work. This work must have been completed at least three, but no more than seven years before the end of the application deadline (15 November 2022) and can be demonstrated by the doctorate certificate or a comparable document. Parental, care and sick leave are all taken into account during the selection process.
At least one other outstanding scientific/artistic achievement is expected, or that the applicant achieved visibility with their own scientific or artistic profile. The members should represent their field with innovation, passion and the ability to hold interdisciplinary discussions. They should also have the time for active membership.
A two-stage selection process will take place following submission of the application documents. The selection interviews will likely take place on February 16-17, 2023 in Potsdam. They will be conducted in the German language.
The call for applications for the 2023 selection can be downloaded here (in German only).
Further information on the selection procedure and the application platform can be found at: www.zuwahl.diejungeakademie.de
ALLEA signed today the European Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment and announced in a new statement to further support its Member Academies with developing assessment criteria based on principles of quality, integrity, diversity, and openness. Read the ALLEA Statement here.
The European Agreement was published on 20 July, following a six-month collaborative process involving more than 350 European organisations, and opened for signature to organisations from across the world during the recent European Research and Innovation Days. The Agreement includes the principles, commitments and timeframe for reforms and lays out the framework for a Coalition of organisations willing to work together in implementing the changes.
ALLEA first contributed to the Agreement as part of a core group of 20 research organisations and reemphasizes today its commitment to a more diverse and inclusive academic system by publicly signing the agreement, joining the Coalition, and announcing in a new statement its support to its Member Academies.
ALLEA President Antonio Loprieno says “Rewarding and promoting excellence is a core value of academies. This Agreement is an important step forward towards the equitable and objective assessment of both early career researchers and established researchers, which is of utmost importance in a very highly competitive research landscape.”
ALLEA is committed to using the momentum to explore, jointly with its Member Academies, what can be done to further develop the selection criteria and procedures for academy fellows in line with our shared overarching European values. ALLEA will therefore establish a dedicated task force with the aim to collect, exchange and promote best practices for admitting new Academy fellows, and to contribute to a meaningful cultural change of the research assessment system.
The ALLEA Board held a 2-day meeting in Berlin for their first in-person meeting of the year, following the confirmation of the new board last May.
The ALLEA Board meeting took place on 6-7 October at the ALLEA Secretariat offices in Berlin. It was their first in-person meeting following the (re)appointment of the Board Members earlier this year and the confirmation of the new board during the ALLEA General Assembly last May at the Academy Palace in Brussels.
The ALLEA Board and staff held a joint meeting on day 2 of the ALLEA Board Meeting in Berlin.
The first day of the meeting took place at the premises of the Berlin Brandenburg Academy of Sciences, the seat of the ALLEA Secretariat. On this ocassion, the Board discussed and made decisions on strategic organisational issues relevant for the future of ALLEA. On the second day, the Board held a joint meeting with the members of the secretariat, where they received an update on the most recent activities of ALLEA, including among others, the European Fund for Displaced Scientists and additional activities in support of Ukraine, EU-funded projects SAPEA and PERITIA, ALLEA’s activities on Climate Sustainability in Academia, and the upcoming update of ALLEA’s European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity.
The Board also briefly discussed the organisation of ALLEA’s next General Assembly, which is scheduled to take place in London, and will be co-hosted by ALLEA’s UK members in June 2023.
The next ALLEA Board Meeting is set to take place virtually in December 2022.
Academic institutions have long played a key role in providing evidence on the climate crisis as well as potential mitigation strategies. But what is the academic system itself doing with this evidence? Is academia walking the sustainability talk fast enough?
Download the ALLEA report
Every sector of society needs to rethink their current operational models if we are to limit global warming to 1.5°C as stipulated in the Paris Agreement. This also includes the academic system. ALLEA’s latest report Towards Climate Sustainability of the Academic System in Europe and beyond presents data that suggests that many sectors within the academic system far exceed the yearly emission levels required to remain under 1.5°C of global warming.
While some stakeholders have begun to engage with the issue of their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and are implementing first steps to track, disclose and reduce them, there are still many widespread behaviours embedded in the academic system that contribute to the degradation of the climate. How can we change these practices without sacrificing research excellence or diminishing international collaboration in the process? What are the lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of positive ways to restructure the internal operations of academia? What best practices are already being implemented, and how can these be transferred to other academic sectors?
ALLEA, the Swiss Embassy in Berlin and Die Junge Akademie are partnering to address these and other important questions at our upcoming event ‘Towards Climate Sustainability – Taking the Academic System from Evidence to Action’ on 2 November 2022. This event will present some of the major findings from ALLEA’s report and will feature representatives from key stakeholder groups within the academic system who will present the programmes and strategies they have developed to embed sustainable practices in their operations and reduce the levels of emissions within their sectors. Registration for in-person and online attendance is available here.
This event will take place in the context of 2022 Berlin Science Week. The theme of this year’s international science festival is ‘Paradigm Shift. Co-Creating a Sustainable Now!‘ where science-driven organisations from Europe and beyond will hold several events, exhibitions, and interventions to evoke discussions and encourage inspiring alternatives to steer the world towards a more sustainable path.
In a new statement, ALLEA sets priorities for building a new European Research Area (ERA) and for implementing the Policy Action Points developed in the ERA Transition Forum.
In 2021, ALLEA was invited by the European Commission to be part of developing a new European Research Area (ERA) that supports the free circulation of researchers and knowledge, joint and more efficient use of research infrastructure, excellence, attractive careers, equal opportunities, and cooperation between research and innovation actors across Europe. With the ALLEA Statement for an ERA of Freedom and Excellence published today, the European Academies of Sciences and Humanities reflect on the 20 ERA Policy Agenda Action Points developed in the consultations of the ERA Transition Forum, which brings together delegates from the European Commission, Member States, Associated Countries, and Stakeholder Organisations.
The statement has been prepared by the ALLEA Working Group on the ERA, and it welcomes this initiative for a new ERA that reflects the European Academies’ vision for borderless and universal science as a global public good that transcends national and disciplinary boundaries. The statement strongly emphasises the need to enable scientific cooperation, particularly in times of multiple crises. This cooperation should take place in a robust and empowering institutional setting and should be based on good research practices. Accordingly, a strong ERA should be built on the principles of academic freedom, integrity and ethics, excellence, trustworthiness, inclusiveness, openness, sustainability, collaboration, mobility, equality, diversity, equity, as well as thinking and acting globally.
Highlighting these priorities and thereby commenting on various ERA Policy Agenda Action Points, the authors specifically stress the need for safeguarding academic freedom: “This includes advocating clear and unanimous support for Higher Education Institutions and Research Performing Organisations facing threats to academic freedom through political circumstances, such as internal or external oppression, or war.”
Other priorities for the ERA Policy Agenda highlighted in the statement are:
Read the full statement for more information on how to implement an effective ERA beneficial for all Europeans.
Today, ALLEA, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, responded to the European Commission’s Call for evidence on digital education and digital skills. You can read it in full here.
The European Commission recently issued two calls for ideas and evidence on ensuring equal access to digital education and promoting digital skills. The feedback will be used in the preparation of a Commission proposal for a Council Recommendation on the enabling factors for successful digital education and for one on improving the provision of digital skills in education and training. The proposals are part of the Commission’s initiatives under the European Union’s Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027).
In response to this call, ALLEA’s Working Group on Science Education, with Professor Timo Leuders as principal author, prepared a statement with recommendations on improving inclusivity in digital education and the effective provision of digital skills, built on a robust foundation of scientific evidence.
The statement contends that a systemic approach that addresses teaching and learning at different levels – policy, research, curriculum design, teacher education, and practice – is necessary for the proposed actions to be implemented efficiently and effectively. The statement also calls for greater emphasis to be placed on interdisciplinarity, the integrated nature of digital technologies within STEM education, and the critical roles of empirical educational research, initial teacher education (ITE) and teachers’ professional learning (TPL).
Some recommendations from the statement are highlighted below:
Interdisciplinarity – Closing the digital gap requires interdisciplinary expert groups that reflect on the technical, educational, social, and ethical issues in relation to digital education, and that can advise on political, administrative, and curricular decisions in a coherent manner.
Evidence-based reforms – Every decision about a technical or structural innovation in digital education must be tested against the latest scientific evidence on teaching and learning, including curricula, pedagogies, ITE and TPL.
Initial teacher education and teachers’ professional learning – Too little emphasis is currently being placed on the roles of ITE and TPL. A coherent picture of digitalisation-related teacher professionalism is critical to all efforts of systematic development in educational institutions. Teachers need to be supported so they develop the requisite Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) and skills needed to critically evaluate and implement technology-based innovations.
The ALLEA statement encourages the European Commission to support national governments and individual teachers by identifying best practices in digital education across Europe so that they have access to an evidence-based roadmap towards a technology-driven educational landscape.
You can read the statement by the ALLEA Working Group on Science Education in full here.
Read more about the ALLEA Working Group on Science Education and its members here.
The report includes important lessons and recommendations on how to support the science sector in Ukraine and in other countries affected by conflict and disaster.
The report, published on 31 August 2022, summarises the discussions of the conference ‘The Ukraine Crisis: Responses from the European Higher Education and Research Sectors,’ organised jointly between ALLEA, Science for Ukraine, Kristiania University College and the International Science Council (ISC) in June 2022.
The report highlights 7 key principles for national governments, multilateral organisations and the global science sector to support the academic system in countries that have been affected by conflict:
The conference brought together over 150 stakeholders from across Europe. Over half of the attendees came from Ukraine, including the Minister of Education and Science for Ukraine, the Honourable Serhiy Shkarlet, who delivered a keynote speech. Participants reflected on the assistance provided to-date for academics, scientists, researchers and students who are at-risk, displaced or refugees as a result of the war in Ukraine, and put forward recommendations for mid- to long-term support, including rebuilding of the higher education and research sectors after conflict.
In launching the report, ALLEA President Antonio Loprieno remarked that “we are now six months into the invasion and there is a real need to remind people that the crisis has not gone away, so the report is very timely.”
The report will be shared at the forthcoming Science|Business Network Conference ‘United Europe: Widening R&I cooperation in times of war’, which will take place on 7 September 2022.
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Conference on the Ukraine Crisis: Responses from the European Higher Education and Research Sectors
