On May 14, 2024, in parallel with the General Assembly of Science Europe, a workshop titled Voting for Science: The Role of Science in Europe was held in Brussels, Belgium. The workshop is part of Science Europe’s (SE) campaign to promote the importance of research in view of the upcoming European Parliament elections, as well as to prepare advocacy messages for the next EU Framework Program for Research and Innovation. Through the campaign, Science Europe aims to emphasize the importance of science and research in the complex political landscape of the European Union.
The objectives of the SE campaign Voting for Science aim to :
- sensitise politicians to the relevance and importance of scientific considerations;
- promote changes to the EU’s impact assessment practices, to enhance support for scientists in the future, as stated in the Open Letter co-signed by Science Europe;
- advocate for more and better support for autonomy and accountability for Research Organisations;
- provide input in view of the preparation of the next EU Framework Programme on research and innovation;
- address polarisation with scientific consensus – using science communication to forge trust and understanding between scientists and the public.
The events organized by Science Europe bring together representatives of the largest European organizations that carry out and fund research, representatives of European ministries of science, high-ranking officials of the European Commission, as well as invited experts and researchers.
The National Research Foundation of Ukraine was represented at the event by Executive Director Olga Polotska. As an invited expert, she joined the session Addressing the Performance Gap in Research and Innovation across Europe. Representing a country that is rapidly changing its research policy and striving for integration into the European Union, Olga Polotska presented her views on the formation of research and innovation policy for the next few years.
During the event, participants also discussed bottom-up and top-down research funding policies; current instruments of the Horizon Europe program; research and innovation gaps between EU regions and the policy challenges they pose; and measures to strengthen and facilitate researcher mobility between European countries.
Tomorrow, on May 15, 2024, Science Europe member organizations will meet during the General Assembly to make the necessary statutory decisions and discuss the activities of the Association for the coming years.
