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Science Europe’s new ‘Practical Guide to Supporting Diversity in Research Environments’ highlights key findings from a membership survey conducted in 2023, showcases good practices, and provides practical recommendations across topics such as positive action measures and the collection and use of diversity data. 

In 2022, Science Europe made significant contributions in various areas, including research culture, research assessment, open science, EU framework programmes, the green and digital transition, and science communication.

Researchers, research services, and other community members at Research Funding and Performing Organisations play a key role in establishing recognition systems through the research assessment processes that they implement. These recognition systems strongly contribute to determining what is understood as research quality and excellence. Based on the Science Europe Values Framework (published in July 2022), this paper provides practical recommendations and good practice examples detailing how research organisations can continuously improve the way they assess research and researchers. The recommendations help to embed our shared values and contribute to the evolution of research cultures in Europe.

This Agreement sets a shared direction for changes in assessment practices for research, researchers, and research performing organisations, with the goal to maximise the quality and impact of research. It includes principles, commitments, and timeframes for reforms and lays out principles for a Coalition of organisations willing to work together in implementing the changes.

For Science Europe, 2021 was a very important year: the association celebrated its 10th year of existence. Founded in 2011, it has grown into a respected and influential voice in the European research policy debate. Moreover, we published a new Strategy Plan for 2021–2026, which maps our collective objectives and sets a specific yet flexible action framework over the next five years.

Science Europe launches a framework of shared values that serve as a guide to contribute to fostering a forward-looking research culture within the European Research Area, and globally.

The Council Conclusions are an important step in recognising the relevance of Open Science and reforming research assessment, which are two essential elements of the cultural shift that are necessary to put research quality and openness are the cornerstones of positive research cultures.

The 2021 High Level Workshop on the European Research Area dealt with the topic of research culture and how to keep the research sector attractive for current and future generations of researchers.

The new statement on Research Culture envisages an ERA that focusses on the quality of research and its processes, supports scientific freedom, and promotes social diversity and inclusion, acknowledging that these conditions will, in turn, foster a productive research system.

The Science Europe Strategy Plan comes at a crucial time for European Research an Innovation (R&I) and includes an updated vision, mission, values, and set of strategic priorities for the association. It supports its Member Organisation in their mission to create world-class scientific knowledge, delivering more benefit for our societies.

This Multi-annual Action Plan proposes a series of framework actions to guide the implementation of the Science Europe Strategy Plan 2021–2026 in line with the association's updated vision, mission, values, and strategic priorities.

The year 2020 saw a global pandemic attest to the value of science. In the race for COVID-19 treatments and vaccines, Science Europe’s Member Organisations were at the forefront of the global response and our association became more relevant and important than ever.

Science Europe calls on research funding and performing organisations to continuously evaluate their research assessment processes to ensure that they are effective, efficient, fair, and transparent.

In 2019, Science Europe conducted a flagship study on research assessment processes and practices. The study was developed and overseen by the Science Europe Task Force on Research Assessment and the Science Europe Office, and implemented by Technopolis Group Vienna.

Interdisciplinarity is increasingly used to tackle complex scientific questions and address large societal challenges. At the same time, the evaluation of interdisciplinary research proposals poses a set of problems, ranging from missing common standards and criteria to shortages of peer reviewers with experience in evaluating interdisciplinary research. At its third Symposium, Science Europe and its Scientific Advisory Committee brought together researchers and other experts experienced in interdisciplinarity with high-level representatives from Science Europe’s Member Organisations, who fund and perform such research.

Released in partnership with the European University Association (EUA), this joint statement demonstrates a commitment to building a strong dialogue between members of both associations, who share the responsibility of developing and implementing more accurate, open, transparent, and responsible approaches that better reflects the evolution of research activity in the digital era.

Science Europe advocates using the notion of ‘value’ of research. This is wider than ‘impact’ and reflects the intrinsic value of scientific research and its capacity to generate new knowledge. This statement provides a series of key principles and actions for policy makers and research organisations to help bring forward a new vision of impact assessment.

This Opinion Paper shows how arts and humanities research is at the heart of innovation processes. In this paper the Science Europe Scientific Committee for the Humanities advocates the need for a wider and deeper understanding of the concept of innovation, in order to better prepare Europe to tackle global challenges. The Committee points out ways to achieve stronger European leadership through the promotion of radical innovation by highlighting the contribution of arts and humanities research.

The Roadmap, approved by the Science Europe General Assembly in November 2013, is Science Europe’s action plan to contribute to the elements of a successful research system. It acts as a framework for voluntary collective activity, providing a long-term strategy for the association. The ‘Priority Action Areas’ are those in which Science Europe members believe that there is a potential to achieve tangible and substantive progress, and where they can add real value by working together.