Prof Didier Viviers
Permanent Secretary of the Royal Academy of Sciences, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium (ARB)
Prof Antonio Loprieno
President of ALLEA
Thomas Dermine
Belgian State Secretary for Scientific Policy, Recovery Program and Strategic Investments
Mariya Gabriel
European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth
Prof Marion Koopmans
Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases at Erasmus MC
Building the Ship while Sailing: The Challenges of Scientific Advice during an Emerging Crisis
The world around us seems increasingly unpredictable and the challenges society is faced with appear to become ever more complex and interlocked. Whereas new scientific data can be collected and analysed at unprecedented pace, the challenges in connecting and translating this knowledge into transformative solutions that support policymaking and benefit society are manifold. The Covid-19 pandemic and the climate crisis provide striking examples of the challenges we encounter when continuously evolving knowledge on complex problems is used to inform policy decisions in times of crisis.
9:15 – Keynote
Prof Christiane Woopen, Professor at Center for Life Ethics, University Bonn
Being Caught between All Stools? Sciences and Policy Advice
9:40 – Presentations
• Prof Michael Bang Petersen, Professor at Aarhus University
Using Social Science to Uphold Trust during a Crisis: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Prof Tina Comes, Professor at Delft University of Technology & Maastricht University
Science under pressure. Transforming crises
• Prof Eric Lambin, Member of the European Commission’s Group of Chief Scientific Advisors.
Engaged scholarship, system thinking, and partnerships
10:25 – Q&A with all speakers
Because of our increasingly complex world, societal transformation relies more and more on scientific expertise. At the same time, however, experts, their institutions, and the entire scientific system are under pressure from society. This session focuses on the internal drivers of trust in science and research and explores how we can improve the trustworthiness of our research cultures by transforming how we publish, assess research careers, and set our standards for research integrity. What are the opportunities for research organisations, funding bodies, publishers, and policymakers to work together in building sustainable relationships between science and society?
11:15 – Keynote
Prof Maria Leptin, President of the European Research Council
Science communication for an age without gatekeepers
11:40 – Discussion panel
• Prof Maria Leptin, President of the European Research Council
• Prof Antonio Loprieno, President of ALLEA
• Dr Marc Schiltz, President of Science Europe
• Dr Magdalena Skipper, Editor In Chief of Nature
• Prof Andrea Pető, Professor at Central European University
The disruption of the pandemic has encouraged a re-thinking of working modes and practices leaving no domain untouched, including academia. In this transformation, researchers are investigating the role the academic system can play in mitigating greenhouse emissions and the potential for a new framework to conduct more climate sustainable research. How can we achieve this without compromising on research quality and international collaboration? Led by its member Die Junge Akademie (German Young Academy), ALLEA has recently published the report “Towards Climate Sustainability of the Academic System in Europe and beyond”. In this session, the key conclusions from the report are presented, followed by a discussion of best practices for moving towards a climate sustainable science.
13:45 – Presentation
Towards Climate Sustainability of the Academic System in Europe and beyond
Prof Astrid Eichhorn
Chair of the ALLEA Working Group Climate Sustainability in the Academic System, University
of Southern Denmark
14:10 – Discussion Panel
• Dr Leonard Burtscher, Leiden University
• Prof Astrid Eichhorn, Chair of the ALLEA Working Group Climate Sustainability in the Academic System, University of Southern Denmark
• Prof Marthe Nyssens, Prorectrice of UCLouvain
• Prof Dominique Van Der Straeten, Ghent University