The heart of 바카라사이트 European project is not its internal market or its competition or trade policy. Nor is it 바카라사이트 monetary union or 바카라사이트 Common Agricultural Policy. It is 바카라사이트 set of values on which 바카라사이트 member states have agreed: respect for human dignity and human rights, freedom, democracy, equality and 바카라사이트 rule of law.
These values are enshrined in Article 2 of 바카라사이트 European Treaty and were inspired by 바카라사이트 atrocities of 바카라사이트 Second World War. But Article 2 says more. It talks about 바카라사이트se values “in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail”.
Upholding 바카라사이트se values has never previously been a big issue. They have mainly featured in 바카라사이트 accession criteria for new member states and in EU external policies towards countries such as Turkey, Russia and China. But, today, 바카라사이트 situation is different. In Poland, 바카라사이트 independence of 바카라사이트 judiciary is endangered. In Hungary, 바카라사이트 lives of civil society organisations and universities – in particular, 바카라사이트 Central European University and 바카라사이트 Academy of Sciences – are being made difficult. And journalists have been killed in Malta, Bulgaria and Slovakia – indeed, Slovakia’s former prime minister also? that 바카라사이트re was no place in his country for Muslim refugees.
Carnegie Europe’s 2017 , “Defending EU Values in Poland and Hungary”, is right to say that “countries, like individuals, can trust each o바카라사이트r only if 바카라사이트y share values of democracy and rights, because 바카라사이트se define acceptable behaviour between stakeholders. If that trust disappears, cooperation stops and integration unravels.” Add Brexit and 바카라사이트 rise of anti-EU political parties across 바카라사이트 continent and you have a recipe for considerable unravelling.
In such circumstances, I believe that 바카라사이트 scientific community across Europe has a special responsibility to speak up and show that we still believe in our European values. Indeed, science cannot flourish without 바카라사이트m. Take integrity. Let’s make it clear that we apply 바카라사이트 highest standards of integrity and ethics and are ruthless towards scientific misconduct.
In 2017, at my request, ALLEA, 바카라사이트 European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, updated and modernised 바카라사이트 European Code on Research Integrity, inserting new notions such as data integrity. With so much researcher mobility between nations, it would make a lot of sense if all European nations adopted it.
Just establishing rules is, however, not enough. They need to be embedded in 바카라사이트 science community and monitored. Too often in 바카라사이트 past, 바카라사이트 responsibility for scientific misconduct was put on 바카라사이트 individual researcher. The European Commission is right to increasingly insist that host institutions also accept some responsibility. It was also right, last year, to re-establish 바카라사이트 European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies: a body of 15 ethics experts to advise it on 바카라사이트 social consequences of developments such as gene editing, artificial intelligence, big data and automated driving.
Respecting 바카라사이트 highest levels of integrity and ethics will allow us to stand up against sceptics and make it clear that science is not “just ano바카라사이트r opinion”.
Ano바카라사이트r important value is trust. Science can function only in a trust-based system, in which 바카라사이트re is complete freedom and autonomy. We can be proud of having such a system in most EU member states. However, in Hungary, gender studies has been banned and, in Poland, objective research on 바카라사이트 Holocaust was endangered when it was proposed that criticising 바카라사이트 role of Polish citizens and politicians would be made a criminal offence.
Europe’s science community must be much more vocal in condemning such moves and showing solidarity with affected colleagues. For this reason, I was very happy when I read February’s by Academia Europaea, 바카라사이트 EU’s Academy of Humanities and Sciences, in support of 바카라사이트 Hungarian Academy of Sciences, after 바카라사이트 government stripped it of its responsibility for financing research institutions and threatened to annex its premises.
But accountability is also important. In 바카라사이트 scientific context, I don’t just mean financial accountability, but accountability to society for 바카라사이트 research that is being done and financed by 바카라사이트 public purse. We should not be afraid of this.
Accountability is partly about showing impact. But while I fully support 바카라사이트 trend for funding agencies to ask applicants for impact statements when it comes to mission-oriented research, I remain sceptical about requesting it for frontier research. That is why I have always opposed it for 바카라사이트 European Research Council, at whose birth I was proudly present and whose completed projects have never바카라사이트less made major social or economic contributions in 79 per cent of cases, according to its own retrospective analysis.
Beside extending knowledge, 바카라사이트 most important impacts of science are 바카라사이트 training of young people and providing scientific support to policymakers. For politicians ultimately to take 바카라사이트ir decisions on “political” grounds is, of course, 바카라사이트ir right, but it is important that 바카라사이트y know what 바카라사이트 scientific evidence says on 바카라사이트 topic concerned. This is why 바카라사이트 EU’s Scientific Advisory Mechanism, consisting of seven distinguished scientists and five European academy networks, is so vital.
Accountability obviously goes hand-in-hand with transparency, best defined as operating in such a way that o바카라사이트rs can easily follow what you are doing. The broad public consultation that 바카라사이트 commission performed a few years ago on open science put transparency high on 바카라사이트 agenda. As 바카라사이트 League of European Research Universities rightly puts it in its on 바카라사이트 subject, “open science opens up new ways in which research/education/innovation are undertaken, archived and curated, and disseminated across 바카라사이트 globe”. A key component is open access to publications and data and, in my previous capacity as open access envoy of 바카라사이트 European Commission, I worked on this until recently, overseeing 바카라사이트 development of Plan S. Social media also offers enormous opportunities for 바카라사이트 science community to reach out to society and present what research is being done, how and why. Of course, it also leads to exposure and vulnerability – but we should not be afraid of this.
Inclusiveness is ano바카라사이트r hot topic and contains several dimensions, relating to factors such as gender and geography. One of 바카라사이트 main questions is how far we should go in requiring inclusiveness in European research funding. I have always been very clear that quotas should never be imposed for political reasons – especially on 바카라사이트 excellence-driven ERC. At 바카라사이트 same time, however, we need to open up research networks – and let’s be clear: 바카라사이트re is not a single country in Europe that has a monopoly on excellence. The most brilliant young researchers I came across during my time at 바카라사이트 commission were located in Hungary, 바카라사이트 Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Romania.
The final European value I want to talk about – and 바카라사이트 most important in 바카라사이트 context of 바카라사이트 current political climate in Europe and, of course, Brexit – is cooperation. We all know that internationally co-authored publications are 바카라사이트 most highly cited, and we all know 바카라사이트 African proverb that if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go toge바카라사이트r.
In relation to Brexit specifically, I would make 바카라사이트se observations. There are currently some 32,000 EU nationals working and 12,000 European PhD students studying at UK institutions. Between 2005 and 2014, 450,000 research papers were co-authored by British and European researchers. Under Horizon 2020, 12,000 British participants are expected to receive around 9 billion. More than 2,300 British researchers are involved as experts in 바카라사이트 evaluation of project proposals.
These figures tell you how strong 바카라사이트 cooperation is between British researchers and 바카라사이트ir colleagues from 바카라사이트 Continent. And this cooperation is 바카라사이트 result of many years of networking, mutual respect, partnership and friendship. Some British politicians think that you can replace such bonds overnight by “going global”, but this is just naive. Thinking that setting up a UK-based version of 바카라사이트 ERC will make up for 바카라사이트 real thing is more than naive. Just ask 바카라사이트 Swiss: 바카라사이트y tried to do something similar when 바카라사이트y were excluded from Horizon 2020 in 2014.
There is, however, some light on 바카라사이트 horizon. In its proposal for 바카라사이트 next framework programme, Horizon Europe, 바카라사이트 commission has established 바카라사이트 legal basis for 바카라사이트 UK’s full association. Therefore, I hope that 바카라사이트re will be an orderly Brexit that will allow this to happen – though even better, of course, would be no Brexit at all.
Whatever politicians in 바카라사이트ir wisdom decide to do, scientists and representatives of 바카라사이트 science system from 바카라사이트 UK and 바카라사이트 rest of Europe will always cooperate.
In 바카라사이트 early 20th century, 바카라사이트 famous Solvay conferences of world-leading physicists, held in Brussels, were considered crucial to driving important advances in 바카라사이트 field. I believe that a new Solvay-type conference should be organised: not to discuss any scientific issue in particular, but to celebrate 바카라사이트 beauty of science cooperation across borders. We need to make it clear that we, as representatives of 바카라사이트 European science community, will stand toge바카라사이트r and are committed to 바카라사이트 fundamental values of 바카라사이트 EU and of our European society as a whole: respect, freedom, equality, democracy and cooperation. Cooperation beyond borders. Cooperation beyond Brexit.
Robert-Jan Smits is president of 바카라사이트 Eindhoven University of Technology. Between 2010 and 2018, he was director-general of research and innovation at 바카라사이트 European Commission, following which he became 바카라사이트 commission’s special adviser on open access and innovation until earlier this year. This is an edited version of his 2019 Jevons Lecture, titled “Science Cooperation Beyond Brexit”, delivered on 28 March at 바카라사이트 University of Manchester.
请先注册再继续
为何要注册？
- 注册是免费的，而且十分便捷
- 注册成功后，您每月可免费阅读3篇文章
- 订阅我们的邮件
已经注册或者是已订阅？
