ALLEA Joins InsSciDE Conference on Science Diplomacy

ALLEA was invited to join InsSciDE’s third open conference, held on 22-24 March at the premises of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences and the Universidade Nova de Lisboa. This year’s InsSciDE’s conference focused on the Global South and explored crucial themes in Europe’s relationships to the many emergent poles of scientific expertise and influence. Different perspectives were prompted on how a new vision and practice of science diplomacy may be critical to bridging the Global North and South interests and contribute to finding common, albeit diverse, solutions. 

On day 1, the focus of the conference was on the role of Academies of Science in science diplomacy to delineate the role of such academies as science diplomacy organisations, particularly concerning their international involvement and role in asserting science diplomacy. The four sessions throughout the day engaged a diverse group of scholars and professionals to chart Academies’ international action in the present and as far back as the 18th century.

Daniel Kaiser presents a brief introduction of ALLEA and its involvement in Science Diplomacy at the Lisbon Academy of Sciences.

ALLEA’s Scientific Policy Officer Daniel Kaiser joined session 3 as a moderator and session 4 as a panelist, where he delivered a brief presentation on the history of ALLEA and its work on science diplomacy throughout the years. In his presentation, Daniel Kaiser emphasised that ALLEA “strives to advance the role of Science Diplomacy in Europe, promote a global approach to science and research, and provide an international structure for enhanced cooperation on global challenges as well as high-quality independent science advice for policy.”

On day 2 of the conference, diverse stakeholders came together to discuss the entanglements between science diplomacy and four topics that the conference deemed as central to future action: Open Science, Anthropocene, Technoscience and Innovation Diplomacy, New Actors and a New Definition of Science Diplomacy. ALLEA was represented by its President, Professor Antonio Loprieno, who joined the morning roundtable on Open Science. He briefly presented the work of ALLEA’s Open Science Task Force and introduced ALLEA’s involvement with the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science.

President Antonio Loprieno virtually joined InsSciDE to introduce ALLEA’s activities on Open Science.

Speaking on the changes needed for succesful Open Science, Professor Loprieno remarked that “the move to full open access must be accompanied by concurrent reforms of the systems for research evaluation and career progression; it will thus require a fundamental re-evaluation of the responsibilities of all the different actors in the research system. Particular attention must be paid to the impact on early-stage researchers, those from disadvantaged institutions and communities, and those working in specialist disciplines.”

On the third and final day of the conference, the focus of discussion was on InsSciDE’s historical case studies from the forthcoming book of Harmonized Case Studies. In this session, case study authors, invited experts and public attendees engaged with the research to identify cross-cutting themes and present-day applications for teaching, training and everyday practice.

You can read the full programme of the three-day conference here or visit the conference’s website here.

“Science Communication Is How Society Talks About Science”

Professor Massimiano Bucchi

The increasing amount and spreading capacity of online disinformation related to critical sociopolitical issues, such as vaccines or climate change, coupled with the ongoing global health crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic have all made it painfully clear that we need to become more adept at communicating science within society. Seeking to dissect the importance of increasing and improving communication channels between science and society, we talked with Massimiano Bucchi, Professor of Sociology of Science and Communication, Science and Technology at the University of Trento and one of the leading European scholars on the science of science communication.

Professor Bucchi, together with his colleague Brian Trench, defines Science Communication as “the social conversation(s) around science” and he explains in more detail what this definition encompasses. While he certainly believes that organisations should devote more resources training experts in science communication, he also believes that there should be an increased focus on “developing communication and engagement activities that are grounded on the  theoretical and empirical literature about science communication.”

 

Unfortunately, a representation of the public as hostile, sceptical and ignorant is still widespread among policy makers and experts, supporting a paternalistic and authoritarian vision of science communication and of science in society.

 

Question: You have been working in the field of science communication for many years, and you are now the Director of the International Master programme SCICOMM at the University of Trento. Where did your interest in the field of science communication originate from?

Massimiano Bucchi: As a sociologist, I think it is not possible to understand contemporary societies without taking into account the increasingly relevant role of science and technology. I am interested in science communication as one of the keys to study science in society dynamics and their transformations.

 

Q.: In a recently published essay you co-authored with Brian Trench, you define science communication as “the social conversation(s) around science.” Can you briefly elaborate on this definition?

M.B.: Science communication as social conversation is a broad, inclusive definition: science communication is “how society talks about science”, including everyday stories about science on radio programmes, in social networks, in artists’ studios, in cafés and bars. Add to that the novels, pop and rock songs, theatre and comedy performances that give presence to science in public and popular culture and in everyday life.

This view emphasizes a mode of interactive communication that is set in contrast with dissemination or other hierarchical modes, and a concept that embraces all that is being said on a certain matter in society. Our inclusive definition of science communication not only validates activities such as science cafés and science comedy that are oriented to pleasure, but also recognises as part of the wider practice of science communication the ‘spontaneous’ use in popular culture of images and ideas from and related to science.

 

“In many cases, communication by scientific experts (and sometimes even by research institutions) has been guided mostly by personal goodwill and inclination, without much consideration given to the extensive literature available on this topic, to data on public perception and audience intelligence .”

 

Q.: Why do we need experts specialising in science communication?

M.B.: We certainly need resources trained in science communication, particularly for research organisations. The point is not so much teaching practical science communication skills, or training science journalists (for whom, unfortunately, there are very few jobs) but developing communication and engagement activities that are grounded on the now vast and profound theoretical and empirical literature about science communication, its actors, processes and audiences.

 

Q.: In a 2010 commentary piece, you argued that science communication “is not (yet) established as an academic discipline but that [it] could emerge as a discipline with strong interdisciplinary characteristics.” Do you think this has changed over the last decade?

M.B.: Yes, the field has become more structured and established. But the importance of high quality science communication, which cannot be improvised or left to the individual talent or good will of natural scientists or general staff has still to be understood in many research and policy organisations.

 

I am not sure misinformation is the main challenge, at least in the narrow way in which it is usually defined through terms like “fake news”. The broader, central challenge is the quality of science communication: how to improve it, how to reward it, how to distinguish it.”

 

Q.: What do you think the Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated about what is done right, and what still needs to improve in the way we communicate science? What would you say is the main impact that the pandemic has had in the field of science communication?

M.B.: We have been through the most spectacular science communication experiment in human history. Several international studies found citizens to be in general attentive to communication about the pandemic provided by health institutions and mostly sceptical of social media, with trust in institutions playing a key role. 

The unprecedented exposure of expert sources across the media has found many institutions unprepared to deal with such responsibility. In many cases, communication by scientific experts (and sometimes even by research institutions) has been guided mostly by personal goodwill and inclination, without much consideration given to the extensive literature available on this topic, to data on public perception and audience intelligence 

 

Q.: What are effective ways in which science communicators can contribute to the fight against scientific disinformation (i.e. on topics like anti vaccination or climate change denialism)? 

M.B.: I am not sure misinformation is the main challenge, at least in the narrow way in which it is usually defined through terms like “fake news”. The broader, central challenge is the quality of science communication: how to improve it, how to reward it, how to distinguish it from low quality, improvised science communication with unclear aims and limited intelligence of the context. Another long-term, educational challenge is building awareness for the quality of information and its value and cost (not just about science) among citizens.

Unfortunately, a representation of the public as hostile, sceptical and ignorant is still widespread among policy makers and experts, supporting a paternalistic and ultimately authoritarian vision of science communication and of science in society. As the literature from the past two decades clearly shows, this representation largely reflects unfounded prejudices.

 

Q.: What advice do you have for experts that wish to go in the science communication field? 

M.B.: Study and read broadly: history of science, sociology, psychology, literature.
 

Q.: Many creative formats, such as Nerd Nite, Pint of Science, or Long Night of Museums have been established to communicate science in a fun and innovative way, mixing knowledge with entertainment. What is your opinion of such formats? 

M.B.: The idea that the format shapes or guarantees the quality of the content today is very popular but probably misleading. Some of the content hosted within such formats may be more interesting or fun. However, we should look at the long-term consequences of such formats in terms of audience perception. Do they convey an idea that science – and science communication – can be easily and quickly improvised? This may not be a very constructive message, particularly for younger generations. 

 

Professor Massimiano Bucchi will be one of the panelists at this year’s Future of Science Communication Conference 2.0, organised by Wissenschaft im Dialog in partnership with ALLEA. The conference will take place in Brussels on 26 April 2022.

 

About Massimiano Bucchi

Massimiano Bucchi (Ph.D. Social and Political Science, European University Institute, 1997) is Full Professor of Science and Technology and Society and Communication, Science and Technology at the University of Trento and Director of the International Master  programme SCICOMM.

He has been visiting professor in Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania. Since 2018, he is director of the Master in Communication of Science and Innovation. He is the author of  several books (published in more than twenty countries) and papers in journals such as Nature, Science, PLOS ONE. Among his books in English: Science and the Media (Routledge, 1998); Science in Society (Routledge, 2004); Beyond Technocracy (Springer, 2009); Handbook of Public Communication of Science and Technology (2 eds. 2008, 2014, with B. Trench, Routledge) and the 4 vols. anthology The Public Communication of Science (Routledge, 2016). He has been the editor of the international peer reviewed journal Public Understanding of Science (Sage, 2016-2019) and regularly contributes to newspapers and TV programmes.

Recently published articles by Massimiano Bucchi

To boost vaccination rates, invest in trust

Rethinking science communication as the social conversation around science

Public Perception of COVID-19 Vaccination in Italy: The Role of Trust and Experts’ Communication

 

Czech Translation of ‘Fact or Fake? Tackling Science Disinformation’ is Now Available

ALLEA publishes the Czech version of Discussion Paper #5 ‘Fact or Fake? Tackling Science Disinformation’.

In March 2022, ALLEA published the Czech translation of its Discussion Paper ‘Fact or Fake? Tackling Science Disinformation’, which was translated in partnership with the Czech Academy of Sciences. The Discussion Paper was first published in May 2021.

ALLEA Discussion Paper ‘Fact or Fake? Tackling Science Disinformation’

The paper describes and discusses the problems and the consequences of science disinformation in three areas of concern, namely climate change, vaccines and pandemics, and what we can do to increase awareness and minimise harm caused by the spread of disinformation. It does so by highlighting the societal value of the scientific method, research integrity, open science communication and the resulting trust in science. The underlying question is how to protect the pillars of science from the severe consequences of disinformation while maintaining openness and democratic principles. The paper identifies underlying cognitive, social and economic mechanisms that amplify the spread of disinformation and evaluates potential solutions, such as inoculation, debunking, recommender systems, fact-checking, raising awareness, media literacy, and innovations in science communication and public engagement.

You can read the Czech translation here.

ALLEA and ENYAs Join Forces at Upcoming Annual Meetings in Brussels

The landscape of European National Young Academies (ENYAs) is rapidly evolving, with new alliances for connecting young scientists and scholars being established and expanded throughout Europe. ALLEA welcomes these developments and acknowledges that combining efforts in shaping the European research ecosystem is crucial for researchers of all generations to flourish.

Antonio Loprieno, President of ALLEA, already delivered a talk at the (online) ENYA annual conference in 2020, and ALLEA and the ENYAs now are seeking to further intensify their collaboration. After two years of online meetings, delegates from both networks will get together at the Academy Palace in Brussels on 11 May, as part of the ALLEA General Assembly and the ENYA Annual Meeting.

Throughout Europe, we can find examples of national Young Academies who have quickly realised their potential and can in many ways be considered role models in guiding the way with innovative formats and ideas. In ALLEA we look forward to an open exchange on how we can work together towards a robust and dynamic academic community.” says Antonio Loprieno.

Shared programme parts will include networking opportunities and round-table discussions on topics of international and intergenerational interest. Together, the participants will explore the role of academies in supporting a fair and balanced assessment of research careers, the transition towards a climate sustainable academic system, and diversity and inclusivity of science advice mechanisms, among others.

The parallel meeting of ALLEA and the ENYAs means that a large and diverse group of representatives of the European scientific community will be gathered in Brussels.”, says Sarah Verhulst (professor Information Technology, Ghent University and internationalisation board member of the Young Academy of Belgium), “This makes it an excellent opportunity to learn from each other and to set up a dialogue on topics that concern us both as academics and engaged citizens.

In recent years, ALLEA has intensified its collaboration with young academies. For instance, in 2019, ALLEA launched a strategic partnership with the Global Young Academy, which started with joint projects on research assessment models and the future of peer review. In 2020, ALLEA accepted its first young academy, Die Junge Akademie (the German Young Academy), which is currently leading the project ‘Climate Sustainability in the Academic System’.

Statement by the ALLEA Board on the Suspension of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus

The Board of ALLEA has released a statement on the suspension of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. The statement reads:

In light of the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine initiated by the Russian government and supported by the Belarusian government, ALLEA, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, has decided to suspend the membership of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.

ALLEA restates the European Academies’ commitment to academic freedom and human rights and hopes that efforts to defend democracy and the rule of law will eventually prevail. Conscious of its duty to uphold these fundamental values and giving practical expression to the moral outrage of the academic community, the ALLEA Board decided to enact this extraordinary measure, in line with international sanctions against institutions in the two states.

The Board is aware that this step might have an unintended impact on individual scientists and international scientific collaboration, but it concludes that the ability of these academies to act autonomously and independently from their governments has come into question – and therefore warrants this decision targeting only the institutional level. This suspension will be reconsidered by ALLEA member academies in their upcoming General Assembly on 11 May 2022.

The full statement is available here. ALLEA released an initial statement in support of Ukraine, its citizens and academics on 25 February. A list of resources, including funding and hosting tools aimed at helping Ukrainian scientists, can be found on this webpage.

Statement in Support of Ukraine, its Citizens and Academics

Today, the ALLEA Presidency has released a statement in support of Ukraine, its citizens and academics. The statement is a response to the ongoing military incursion by Russia into the country. ALLEA expresses its deep concern for the safety of our academic colleagues.

ALLEA, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, reacts with shock and deep regret to the military incursion by Russia into Ukraine. We call on the Russian government to respect the international conventions on the protection of civilians and cultural artefacts and express our deep concern for the safety of our academic colleagues.

You can read the full statement here.

Two Generations on Women in Science Day: Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Valerie Domcke

“Because I was a girl, I was not expected to do science. I was expected to learn cookery and needlework”, says the woman who discovered radio pulsars and changed the way we look at the universe, astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell (Royal Society, Royal Society of Edinburgh).

She is one of the two interviewees that we brought together on today’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Valérie Domcke (Die Junge Akademie), theoretical physicist and cosmologist who works at CERN and was awarded the L’Oréal-Unesco “Génération Jeune Chercheuse” Prize as a young post-doc, provides us the perspective of a young researcher navigating through today’s scientific system.

We invite you to watch the two interviews for a reflection on the disparities and commonalities of being a woman in science across different decades in physics. Happy Women in Science Day!

 

The Race against Time for Smarter Development – A European Perspective

What is the current state of global research? How has the scientific community evolved over the past five years? What are the emerging trends in national and regional policy agendas for science, innovation and technology? These and many related issues are addressed every five years in a systematic and data-driven analysis by UNESCO.

The latest 758-page UNESCO Science Report The race against time for smarter development” provides an inventory of global efforts to move towards a digital and sustainable society. On 9 February 2022, UNESCO and the European Commission hosted an online event that discussed key conclusions of the report and its implications for the European Research and Innovation agenda.

Global Trends 

Between 2014 and 2018, global research spending has increased by 19.2% (compared to 14.8% growth in GDP) and the number of researchers has grown by 13.7%.  In spite of these promising figures, however, large inequalities can be found around the globe: four out of five countries are still only investing less than 1% of their GDP on research and the G20 continues to account for more than 90% of the global research spendingpublications and patents.

Source: global and regional estimates based on country-level data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, August 2020, without extrapolation

A striking trend identified in the report is that countries of all income levels are prioritizing their research efforts to support the transition to digital and green economies. This can be partially explained by the countries’ commitment to reaching the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. At the same time, there seems to be a strong realisation that rapid transition to a digital society is key to maintaining global economic competitiveness in the future.  

“science is at the heart of our future and should form the basis for public policies that support the entire continuum from society to economy”

Importantly, the UNESCO report urges all countries to further increase their spending on science in order to address global issues such as climate change, food security and pandemics more effectively.  During the event, Jean-Eric Paquet, Director-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission, emphasized that “science is at the heart of our future and should form the basis for public policies that support the entire continuum from society to economy.”

The European Perspective

Although the EU remains one of the main players when it comes to producing knowledge, lower and middle-income countries are showing the strongest growth in research investments and output. The playing fields for fundamental research and commercialisation of knowledge are rapidly changing and the pandemic has exposed both strengths and weaknesses of European research and innovation. 

Luc Soete, Dean of the Brussels School of Governance at the Free University of Brussels, commented that the global pandemic had a strong influence on how we perform and communicate science in Europe: “The crisis has fostered the green and digital transition across the globe, and promoted further involvement, investment and implementation of science.” On the other hand, Sylvia Schwaag Serger, Professor of Research Policy at Lund University, noted “there is still much uncertainty on how Europe’s massive investments [as part of the European Green Deal and NextGenerationEU stimulus package] will be able to make far-reaching change”, and warned against the effects of a possible economic backlash of the pandemic.

“we need to invest in changing our research culture and start approaching science as a global endeavour, rather than approaching it from the national level”

European and global collaboration will be instrumental in our race against time for a sustainable and digital transition and to fight current and future crises. A truly collaborative international research community can only be accomplished when global equity and solidarity are at the essence of our research policy agendas.  As stated by Lidia Borrell-Damián, Secretary General of Science Europe, “[w]e need to invest in changing our research culture and start approaching science as a global endeavour, rather than approaching it from the national level.”

Gender Equality

Source: WEF (2018) The Global Gender Gap Report 2018. World Economic Forum: Geneva.

Strikingly absent from the discussion organised by the European Commission were the report’s alarming conclusions on gender imbalance as one of the major obstacles in realising Europe’s ambitious sustainability and digitalisation goals. Also in Europe, women still accounted for only one in three researchers in 2018, occupied only 24% of the highest positions, and make up a mere 12% of the national science academies’ memberships.

Particularly in areas relevant to the digital revolution (such as digital information technology, computing, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, physics, mathematics and engineering) women remain underrepresented, meaning that they risk missing out on jobs in a future that becomes increasingly digital. “[…] progress towards righting the gender imbalance could be compromised, unless strenuous efforts are made at the government, academic and corporate levels not only to attract girls and women to these fields but, above all, to retain them”, the report urges.  

The Covid-19 pandemic has disproportionally affected women in science and engineering. Women in the USA and Europe have reported a 5% larger decline in research time compared to their male peers (and even 17% for women with at least one child five years old or younger), resulting in the publication of fewer preprints and peer-reviewed articles, starting fewer research projects, etc. 

The report concludes that “[s]ome of the radical changes to the work–family balance induced by the pandemic may be here to stay. It will be important for these changes to be converted into policies which ensure that women do not spend a disproportionate amount of time as unpaid carers, homemakers and educators but, rather, have the time and the energy to make their mark on the science and innovation of tomorrow.”

Watch video summary of the report

 

Useful Links

Report website

Read complete report

Read executive summary

European Commission Event

 

ALLEA Supports the #StickToScience Movement

ALLEA has joined the movement ‘Stick to Science’ calling for open and barrier-free collaboration among Europe’s research and innovation (R&I) actors. The initiative is a response to the delayed progress in the EU research association agreements with Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

The campaign was launched during the event ‘Science without borders: Why European trusted partnerships matter more than ever’ on 8 February. The initiators of the campaign are collecting signatures online and calling on European institutions and governments to not interfere in long-standing European research partnerships with these countries.

“Allowing political differences to prevent scientific collaboration is contrary to the interests of society at large. (…) The signatories urge the EU, the UK and Switzerland to rapidly reach association agreements so that the two countries can contribute scientifically and financially to the strength of Horizon Europe and to a truly open, inclusive and excellence-driven European Research Area”, the statement reads.

The signatories request that the European Council, Parliament, Commission, as well as European Union (EU) Member States, and the governments of the UK and Switzerland, recognise that advancement in R&I is best achieved when all actors in science and innovation work together across geographic boundaries.

On social media, the campaign can be followed under the hashtag #StickToScience and supporters can join the movement by signing the call, inviting others to sign and sharing their ideas. All information can be found here.

At the moment of the launch, 12 Nobel Prize winners, over 250 leaders from industry, research organisations and institutes, charities, health organisations, universities and foundations, more than 45 supporting organisations including umbrella bodies, trade associations, and research funders had joined the call. More than 1500 individual signatures have been collected so far.

The EU’s flagship programme for research and innovation Horizon Europe is already in course with the first grants being signed. A number of association agreements with non-EU countries were finalised at the end of 2021, but the ones with the UK and Switzerland continue to be delayed.

On several occasions, ALLEA has reaffirmed the need for securing the highest degree of participation of both countries in the European Research Area. “The scientific endeavour inherently does not have a passport, it is a truly global citizen and it would be a shame to restrict its abilities for the purposes of political negotiations”, said ALLEA President in a recent statement.

ALLEA Joins the European Commission Coalition on Research Assessment Reform

ALLEA has joined the European Commission’s core group working on reforming research assessment. The group will support the drafting of an agreement led by the European University Association, Science Europe and the European Commission on key issues and timelines for implementing changes.

The coalition is composed by funding organisations, research performing organisations, national/regional assessment authorities or agencies, associations of research funders, of research performers, of researchers, as well as learned societies and other relevant organisations.

ALLEA is represented by Deborah Oughton, member of the ALLEA Permanent Group Science and Ethics and representative of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. She is a Professor at the Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management Faculty of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.

Towards a Research Assessment Reform

In 2021, the European Commission published the scoping report ‘Towards a reform of the research assessment system’. The publication presents the findings from a consultation with European research stakeholders and identifies the goals that should be pursued with a reform of research assessment. The report proposes a coordinated approach based on principles and actions that could be agreed upon by a coalition of research funding and research performing organisations committed to implement changes.

Research assessment reform is one of the topics ALLEA has worked jointly with its Member Academies and partners in recent years. In July 2021, ALLEA and the Global Young Academy (GYA) published a report covering the key takeaways of their webinar ‘Research Assessments that Promote Scholarly Progress and Reinforce the Contract with Society’. The event brought together science and policy stakeholders to rethink current research assessment models.

The key areas for research assessment identified by the stakeholders were how to strike a balance between funding of research to advance scientific progress and public accountability, how to assess the societal relevance of research and who defines the criteria, and how research assessment should be done.

In 2020, ALLEA, the Global Young Academy and STM (International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers) organised a series of workshops about the future of peer review in scholarly communications. A short summary report is available here.