Address of the Presidents of National Academies of Sciences of the EU Member States

Science and innovation are the essence of the European Union’s freedom and resilience, its global competitiveness and its prosperity – with such an appeal to candidates in the 2024 European Parliament elections was made by the presidents of the national academies of sciences from all 27 European Union Member States.

The signatories of the letter highlighted four key demands common to the entire scientific community of the European Union – to ensure that the European Union is a world leader in science and innovation, to promote an open and free science system, to invest in science and education and to use up-to-date scientific knowledge in policy.

– Our letter is an expression of our wish to draw the attention of decision-makers and voters to the need to maintain the Community’s current position as a global leader in in the field of science and innovation – emphasises the President of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Professor Marek Konarzewski. – Increasing investments in science and technology sectors, thanks to which a united Europe will be able to meet the challenges of civilisation, are essential for this. In today’s world, we consider it necessary to promote an open and free system of science and to use the knowledge and competences derived from it to make key decisions for the EU, including for Poland – he points out.

In their joint appeal, the researchers point out that our continent is now at the forefront of global research and innovation, with researchers from EU countries involved in in research and development worldwide. However, they remind us that in a changing world, it would be naive to believe that the position of European science is unshakable. In this context, stressing the need for systemic investment in science, they call for member states, as well as the EU itself, to allocate the equivalent of at least 3% of their GDP to research and development. According to the signatories of the appeal, the new EU research and innovation framework programme should also be strengthened in budgetary terms.

The heads of the national academies of science also emphasise that one of the main strengths of European science is international cooperation and the free and open exchange of knowledge and the mobility of researchers and students that serves this.

Harnessing the results of scientists’ work requires the continuous implementation of scientific achievements into policy processes. – Future challenges – including climate change and biodiversity loss, international migration, food security, energy transition – are so complex and urgent that they cannot be addressed effectively without science and a trusting dialogue between science, policy, civil society and economic actors, the appeal also reads.

Full text of the address:

Appeal by the Presidents of Academies of Sciences of the EU Member States

Ensure European Union’s global leadership position in science and innovation

European science operates at the forefront of global research and innovation. Scientists across the European Union are engaged in research and development on fundamental, practical, and societal problems. Science and innovation are quintessential for the European Union’s freedom and resilience, for its global competitiveness, its prosperity and well-being. This should not be taken for granted. It is essential to safeguard the open and international collaborative character of the scientific endeavour, invest in the full breadth of science and scholarship, and guarantee the uptake of scientific insights into policies that address the major challenges of our democratic societies.

Promote a robust, open and free science system

International cooperation and the open exchange of knowledge, researchers and students are the major asset of the European Union, while the sharing of insight is a key prerequisite for scientific and technological advancement. Open international scientific cooperation is also important for international relations beyond academia. Decision makers should refrain from raising discouraging barriers to this. They should protect the principles of academic freedom, the academic institutional autonomy and the open international exchange of people and information, while ensuring safe and sustainable working conditions for scientists and students at all times.

Invest in science and education

Science and scholarship are not only important for economy and prosperity; they bring independent critical thinking and reflection, and these are fundamental to vibrant and resilient democracies. Securing Europe’s global leadership in science and innovation requires stable investments in research, innovation and education. To keep pace with other parts of the world, the European Union and its Member States should deliver on the mutually agreed ambition to invest 3% of GDP annually in research and development. In addition, and with the decisive contribution of the European Parliament, they should reinforce the European Union’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation and the top-level quality of European education.

Use current scientific knowledge in policy

The European Parliament bears enormous responsibility for the advancement of science and innovation in the European Union with its Framework Programme and its European Research Area. We urge Member States and the European Union institutions to use scientific evidence continuously and wisely in their policymaking. The challenges ahead – including climate change and biodiversity loss, international migration, food security, energy transition, to name only a few – are so complex and urgent that they cannot be addressed effectively without science and without a trustful dialogue between science, politics, civil society and economic actors.

Signatories (by country):

Based on communication by Polish Academy of Science.