Thomas is a Governing Board member of EuroScience and was formerly scientific advisor to the previous ERC president, Helga Nowotny, and is the author of a book on the history of the ERC.
Brexit keeps resounding in the many aspects that its implications may have for European research. In this opinion piece, Thomas König, Austrian social scientist, who was previously scientific advisor to former ERC president Helga Nowotny, examines the consequences of the predicted fall of influence of British scientists on the future of European science. He believes the consequences of Brexit are likely to be felt, not only in UK science itself, but also at the level of pan-European research endeavours, such as ERC-backed activities. This shows that scientists are not sheltered from the vagaries of politics when policies emanating from the popular vote forces them to defend their interests. Read more [...]
Recently, national governments in several European countries have merged their ministry for science and research, with the portfolio of economic affairs. This is true, at least for the moment, in the UK, in Spain, and in Austria. So far, these three countries stand out as an exception in the European map. Does this mean that research has been reduced down to being the object of mere economic considerations? Read more [...]
When it comes to the success of innovation, societal context and individual behaviour matter as much as technological advancement. The European Commission has the ambition to integrate of the social sciences and humanities into the upcoming research framework programme, Horizon 2020 (H2020). This is foreseen particularly for the seven pillars of the Societal Challenges. However, this integration may not be that straightforward. Read more [...]
European science conversations by the community, for the community
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.
EuroScientist journal 