Category: Previous Event

Between 12-15 June, 2024, the EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF) was held in Katowice, Poland. With 3500 participants, 100 thematic sessions led by over 400 speakers, this biannual event is one of the largest science policy related conferences not only in Europe, but all over the world.

YAE alumnus and former Vice-Chair, Toma Susi, was invited as keynote speaker with a talk on Open Science entitled The importance of rewarding good research practices.

The YAE proposed two panels for the event, and was invited as panellist to a third one. The first session was co-organized with the Researcher Mental Health COST Action and was entitled “Personal and systemic responsibility for developing resilience in research workplaces”, and featured Katalin Solymosi (YAE Chair) and Gábor Kismihók (FYAE) as speakers. The second panel about “The 2022 Manifesto for Early Career Researchers and its impact” was co-proposed with Initiative for Science in Europe (ISE) and involved Katalin Solymosi as panellist. In addition, Katalin Solymosi was also invited to contribute to a panel entitled ”Is there room and necessity today in Europe for an organisation that would renovate what EuroScience did in the past: a constructive debate”. This session was very important, as EuroScience, the organisation behind ESOF, recently filed for bankruptcy, thus its future, as well as the future of ESOF is now uncertain.

For more details about the ESOF2024 programme and the book of abstracts see here. 

Friday 28th of June, 12.00-13.00 pm CET on Zoom

In academia, the prevalence of mental health symptoms is a growing concern. There is a notable incidence of mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, and burnout, among early career researchers, and evidence suggests that senior academics also experience the burden of mental health challenges. This trend is alarming for both the research community and policymakers alike. How can we draw support from our community of academic peers for addressing mental health?

In this fourth webinar on mental health (28 June, 12.00-13.00 CET), we bring together a panel of three YAE members who will discuss the role of mentorship – both as mentor and mentee – as an important mechanism for traversing the challenges of academic life, and not least as a way to voice and work through issues affecting our mental health. Join a facilitated conversation between Mar Rus-Calafell, Bhismadev Chakrabarti, and Scott Bremer, as they share their diverse experiences with mentoring, and contribute with your questions and experiences. The event will be moderated by YAE Activities Chair, Viktorija Vaštakaitė-Kairienė.

This mental health webinar series will culminate in a workshop on scientific leadership with attention to mental health, at the AGM in the end of August. Don’t forget to register and join us in Strasbourg on the 26th and 27th of August.

You can join the webinar by following this link.

The webinar was recorded and can be viewed on YAE’s YoutTube channel here.

The video recording of the event is available on the YouTube channel of the Young Academy of Europe here. Below you’ll find the advertisement and description of the webinar.

In academia, the prevalence of mental health symptoms is a growing concern. There is a notable incidence of mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, and burnout, among early career researchers, and evidence suggests that senior academics also experience the burden of mental health challenges. This trend is alarming for both the research community and policymakers alike. The pressing question arises: what factors contribute to this mental health burden in academia?

Importantly, it is not only over to individual researchers to take care of their mental health. In this webinar on the 29th of May, 13:00-14:00 CET, we looked at how academic communities can work together to rebuild the academic structures creating the conditions for workaholism and burnout. To this end, we invited two speakers, Joeri K. Tijdink, psychiatrist from the Amsterdam UMC and the Young Academy from the Netherlands and Gábor Kismihók (FYAE), chair of the Researcher Mental Health Observatory COST Action, to talk about effecting the structural changes we need.

Joeri Tijdink focused on the following questions: What are the potential underlying causes? Is it primarily attributable to individual researchers, or does the research environment play a significant role? Additionally, how do the working conditions for researchers and the broader scientific ecosystem, including recognition and rewards, factor into this complex equation? By exploring these questions, we seek to foster a comprehensive dialogue surrounding mental health in academia and find ways how we can foster a supportive and healthy academia.

Gábor Kismihók talked about how small, bottom-up initiatives can make a change when it comes to improving the poor mental wellbeing situation in academia. These initiatives include networking activities, teaching and learning activities, Artificial Intelligence based learning recommendations for better wellbeing and academic career management skills, and lobbying for better wellbeing policies.

We had a Q&A session at the end of the webinar where we would be glad to hear your opinions on the topic. Register here:

On the 30th of May 2024, between 15:00-16:30, the Young Academy of Europe (YAE) along with Science Advice for Policy by European Academies (SAPEA) organized a webinar about the impact of AI on academic careers and education, specifically focusing on its potential impact on work environments and jobs in academia. The event featured Moniek Tromp (YAE, Outgoing Chair) as moderator and Gábor Kismihók (FYAE) as speaker, along with two other speakers, Anna Fabijańska, Janet Frances Rafner and Mike Teodorescu. For more details and the video recording of the event see here.

The discussions were inspired by a recent advice issued by the Scientific Advice Mechanism to the European Commission on the request of the College of Commissioners. The evidence review report and the Scientific Opinion reports responded to the question on: ‘Successful and timely uptake of artificial intelligence in science in the EU’ and were published on 15th of April, 2024. For this report, Cristina Blanco Sió-López (FYAE) acted as peer reviewer, and Gábor Kismihók (FYAE) was involved in the evidence-gathering workshops preparing the SAPEA-SAM evidence review report about AI. The report has been handed over to Commissioner Iliana Ivanova by Nicole Grobert (former YAE Chair, Chair of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors to the European Commission).

• 

On the 3^rd of June 2024, between 14:00-16:00 hrs (CET), the Young Academy of Europe (YAE) in collaboration with the Academia Europaea (AE) Budapest Knowledge Hub will host an online event on Zoom for researchers from all around the world who would be interested in applying to the next round of the European Research Council’s (ERC) Starting Grant (StG). One of the main missions of this event series is to promote widening participation to researchers from EU13 and Associated Countries.

The online event will include two parts. First, a plenary information session with welcoming words from Prof. László Lovász (ERC Scientific Council member), Péter Hegyi (Academic Director, Academia Europaea Budapest Knowledge Hub) and Katalin Solymosi (Chair, Young Academy of Europe), followed by a presentation by Maria Leptin (President of ERC) about the why and what of the ERC’s recent changes to the evaluation of research proposals, and a talk by Angela Liberatore (Head of the Scientific Management Department at ERC Executive Agency) about the implementation of the recently introduced changes in the grant evaluation procedures. The presentations will be followed by a Q&A to be moderated by Scott Bremer (Vice-Chair, Young Academy of Europe).

The second part of the event will include three parallel sessions by domain, each featuring current YAE members who have recently secured an ERC StG and who will share their pieces of advice about grant proposal writing and oral interview preparation with the audience of the domain-specific break-out rooms: Physical Sciences & Engineering (PE), Life Sciences (LS), and Social Sciences & Humanities (SH).

Programme

Registration is available here. By registering for this event, you agree to the event being recorded on Zoom. Please note, that we are not sending separate confirmation about the registration, but will send the Zoom link to registered participants via email few days before the event. The registration form collects your data with the only aim to manage the registrations for the attendance at the webinar. By registering you consent to YAE’s Privacy Policy and Data Protection Policy as described here.

Information added after the event: The videos of the event are published on the YouTube Channel of the YAE (the video of the plenary part is available here, while those of the domain-specific breakout sessions are available on these links: Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Engineering and Social Sciences and Humanities).

This year’s AGM will be held in Strasbourg, at I.S.I.S. (for more details about the venue, travelling and accomodation see below) and run from 12.30 on Monday the 26th of August until 16.00 on Tuesday the 27th of August, hosted by colleagues at CNRS.

In addition to updates on the YAEs activities and organisation since the last AGM, and electing in the new board, we use the AGM as an opportunity for members to network and hear about each-other’s work, to explore ways for the YAE to contribute to European science-policy and science-for-policy, and to develop their skills in leading innovative research groups. This year we will continue our focus on how scientific research can be represented in engaging and creative ways with the creative arts, and round up this year’s thematic webinar series on mental health with a whole-afternoon session on empathetic research leadership.

Here you can register for the AGM through the Eventbrite registration system. If you require a more detailed invoice you can request one by emailing office@yacadeuro.org. Please note that closer to the AGM all registered participants will be sent more detailed information on the meeting, and how to find the venue.

Below you can find the AGM programme. It will be updated as detailed plans come together and speakers confirm their availability.

We look forward to seeing you in Strasbourg this August for an enriching meeting.

Venue of the event is the Institut de Science et d’Ingénierie Supramoléculaires (I.S.I.S), ISIS-2 meeting room, I.S.I.S.-2 building 2nd floor, Pick-up point I.S.I.S. reception desk in the building from where we’ll be guided to the meeting room.
8 allée Gaspard Monge
FR-67083 STRASBOURG Cedex

How to reach the I.S.I.S. – the building is located 15 to 20 minutes from Strasbourg railway station. You need to take Tram C – Stop « Gare centrale » – Direction Neuhof Rodolf Reuss, leave the tram at “Universités” (15 min). Walk along the building “INSA”. Take the first right “Rue Gaspard Monge”. At the end of the road on the right you will find the ISIS building (5 min).

The AGM dinner will be in Restaurant Maison de Kammerzell (Adresse: 16 Place de la Cathédrale, 67000 Strasbourg, Phone : 03.88.32.42.14). You can reach the restaurant by Tram C from ISIS or the hotel – Direction “Gare centrale” – Stop Homme de Fer. Then walk to the cathedral (5 minutes).

For more detailed information about transportation see this pdf.

The following hotels have been suggested by the host partner as they are close to the university. The hotels are on the tram line leaving the railway station going to the university, the Lufthansa bus stop is next to the railway station.

– Hôtel “aux 3 roses”  https://www.hotelroses-strasbourg.com/en/   – Tram stop “Gallia”Hôtel

– “Esplanade” https://www.hotel-esplanade.fr/en  – Tram stop “Observatoire”Hôtel

– “OKKO” https://www.okkohotels.com/en/   – Tram stop “Winston Churchill”

The YAE Board

Webinar Series on Mental Health in Academia

This years’ YAE webinar series focuses on mental health. In the competitive and demanding world of academia, pursuing knowledge and academic excellence often comes at a price – the mental well-being of academics. To address this crucial aspect of academic life, and break the stigma around mental health, we present a three-part webinar series dedicated to the mental health of early and mid-career researchers and academics.

The first webinar will be on Monday the 25th of March, from 14.00-15.00 CET, on Zoom. Sign up here:

Webinar 1: “Navigating academic pressure: Strategies for self-care and well-being”

25 March 14.00-15.00 CET (On Zoom)

This webinar explores strategies for we as individuals to thrive in academia without compromising our mental health. Two expert speakers will discuss (among other things) approaches to time management, setting boundaries, stress reduction techniques, and the importance of work-life balance, tailored to young academics’ unique challenges. It will also be an opportunity for attendees to share their own strategies. 

Bernadette Kun (Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary): Risk Factors of Work Addiction

The issue of work addiction can impact individuals across various professions, including academia. Personality traits, socio-demographic characteristics, motivations, organizational aspects of the workplace, and other factors may contribute to this phenomenon. All of these factors underscore the heightened susceptibility to work addiction among those employed in academia. The presentation will elaborate on these factors and also propose treatment options.

Darragh McCashin (Dublin City University, Ireland): Mental health in academia – what we know and what we can do.

There have been growing concerns over the sustainability of academic careers due to increasing mental health difficulties. This talk discusses the experience of the ReMO COST Action, with reference to how mental health has become a hot topic at individual, institutional, and policy levels. We will discuss what the evidence indicates, and what individuals can do to address this issue.

The video of the event is available here.

28 November 2023, 15:30-16:30 CET, Zoom

In addition to national and transnational young academies, it is very important to give a voice to early and mid career researchers (EMCRs) at the local, institutional or departmental level.

In the last 23 years, we have seen a positive increase in the number of national young academies (56) and similar bodies (12) which are now present in 68 different countries. There are also 4 regional or global young academies with transnational membership such as the Global Young Academy or the Young Academy of Europe. It is more or less clear now, why it is useful to launch such organisations and what are their roles.

On the other side, surveys conducted among EMCRs often indicate that young scholars feel excluded from strategic decisions of their own institutions or departments. In countries where trade unions have no strong traditions and activities, junior faculties, institutional or university young academies may help EMCRs advocate for themselves. Such organisations also can have more diverse roles, including promoting networking among EMCRs, mentoring or science outreach, or helping improve the university or institute brand and public image.

In this webinar with representatives from institutional young academies, we’ll discuss the best practices of such organisations compared to national and transnational bodies. Please follow the link below (the orange button) to register and we will send you a Zoom link closer to the time of the event.

Speakers and presentation titles: 

• Albert Wong (Chair, Young Academy of the University of Twente): University Young Academies in the Netherlands – the example from the University of Twente
• Shireen Sindi (Chair, Karolinska Institute Junior Faculty, Sweden): Organisation, aims of the Karolinska Institute Junior Faculty
• Alexandra Wennberg (Vice-Chair, Karolinska Institute Junior Faculty, Sweden): Development of Junior Faculties at the department level
• Justin Westerfield (Representative, National Junior Faculty of Sweden) Junior Faculty coalition at the national level – The National Junior Faculty in Sweden

Moderator: Katalin Solymosi (Chair, Young Academy of Europe, former Co-Chair, Hungarian Young Academy)