Dear colleagues,
Dear friends,
We would like to warmly welcome you to the public part of this year’s ALLEA General Assembly, hosted by the Council of Finnish Academies: our symposium on 5 May 2021 on the topic Across Boundaries in Sciences. We are looking forward to hearing from many thought-provoking speakers throughout the day and hope to also get a chance to meet some of you in our virtual get-together in the evening.
The past months have reminded us of the vital importance of scientific exchange between colleagues from all countries and all backgrounds. All pieces of a puzzle need to be included to make a picture whole and, in this symposium, we want to talk about the values and obstacles of interaction across disciplines and sectors, but also about the importance of clear boundaries and distinctions in some cases. We will hear contributions highlighting the importance of learning how to address concerns and fears – resulting in misunderstandings or deliberate misinformation – and discuss how we can improve the communication of our findings and the academic discourse to the world.
Our public symposium begins with a session on interdisciplinary research as the key to the future of science. After a keynote by Academician of Science, Professor Riitta Hari, we will hear different perspectives on interdisciplinarity by Professor Kimmo Nuotio, Strategic Research Council at the Academy of Finland, Dr Mona Mannevuo, Young Academy Finland, Professor Marcel Jaspars and Professor Joyce Tait., both Royal Society of Edinburgh.
We will conclude the morning sessions with group discussions on the theme in smaller breakout groups, focussing on the practical implementation of meaningful interdisciplinarity and the challenges this entails.
In the afternoon, we are honoured to receive a speech from Ms Adrienn Király, Head of Cabinet of European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, and by the Finnish Minister of Science and Culture Permanent Secretary Anita Lehikoinen, who will address the audience with reflections on crossing boundaries between science and politics. To round the day off, we will hear Professor Dan Larhammar, President of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, who will introduce the findings of the latest ALLEA discussion paper on tackling science disinformation, before discussing them with a panel of outstanding experts from politics, civil society, and academia: Erja Heikkinen (Ministry of Education and Culture, Finland), Professor Jane Suiter (Royal Irish Academy), Roman Adamczyk (EUDisinfoLab).
Looking forward to seeing you “in Helsinki”… from all around Europe!
Professor Jukka Meurman, Chair, The Council of Finnish Academies
Professor Antonio Loprieno, ALLEA President
The Council of Finnish Academies is a cooperative body for the four science academies in Finland. The Council works to promote high quality scientific research and the impact of research in society.
The Council of Finnish Academies connects the Finnish and international fields of science
The Council represents the Finnish academies of science in international scientific organizations and promotes the international visibility of Finnish science. The Council acts as a nodal point between the Finnish and international science community.
The Council promotes the use of scientific knowledge in policymaking and governance
The Council of Finnish Academies actively takes part in domestic and international debates on science policies. The Council works to create interfaces for researcher-policymaker dialogues in order to advance the use of scientific knowledge in policymaking.
ALLEA is the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, representing more than 50 academies from over 40 EU and non-EU countries. Since its foundation in 1994, ALLEA speaks out on behalf of its members on the European and international stages, promotes science as a global public good, and facilitates scientific collaboration across borders and disciplines.
Academies are self-governing bodies of distinguished scientists drawn from all fields of scholarly inquiry. They contain a unique human resource of intellectual excellence, experience and multidisciplinary knowledge dedicated to the advancement of science and scholarship in Europe and the world.
Jointly with its members, ALLEA seeks to improve the conditions for research, to provide the best independent and interdisciplinary science advice available, and to strengthen the role of science in society. In doing so, ALLEA channels the expertise of European academies for the benefit of the research community, decision-makers and the public. Outputs include science-based advice in response to societally relevant topics, as well as activities to encourage scientific cooperation, scientific reasoning and values through public engagement.