All 27 EU Member States and the EU Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth have signed the Bonn Declaration on Freedom of Scientific Research. In this way, they show their support for a diverse, creative and independent research landscape for the benefit of our societies.
“We see Europe as a guardian of freedom, equality and the rule of law ensuring democracy,” the document reports. “We understand the European Research Area as the safeguard of freedom of scientific research, as the precondition for a dynamic research and innovation landscape which strives for the advancement of knowledge and the benefit of society.”
The Declaration offers a shared definition of freedom of scientific research which is related to freedom of expression, association, movement and the right to education, among other rights. Researchers must have the freedom to define research topics, determine research methods and select publication platforms. The document highlights also the role of governments and the importance of institutional autonomy of research organisations.
The success of the Bonn Declaration is learnt with enthusiasm by SISSA that has been recently supporting several initiatives in the same direction. The School is one of the 10 high-level science centres based in Trieste and Friuli Venezia Giulia which in 2018 have signed an accord to develop research and study opportunities for scientists forced to flee from war and conflict in their home countries. SISSA was also scientific partner of the EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF) 2020, the pan-European science conference dedicated to scientific research and innovation that last year was held in Trieste. The motto of ESOF2020 was “Freedom for Science, Science for Freedom” and reminded us how we can face the open-ended questions science is facing with method and curiosity, but also about the inclusiveness of science and its language, going beyond conflicts and borders.
The signature of the Bonn Declaration on Freedom of Scientific Research is the result of a process started in October 2020 and slowed down by the pandemic. International partners such as Canada, Israel, Mexico, Norway, Switzerland and Ukraine also support it and other countries are invited to express their endorsement in the future.