Science Europe commits to changing its research culture

The culture of science needs to change to meet growing demands as research becomes more complex and puts greater stress on the research community, according to a recent statement from Science Europe, an association of 38 research organizations in 28 European countries. The declaration presents a goal of moving toward a science community that emphasizes research quality while recognizing each participant’s contributions, improving training and ethics, and promoting diversity and inclusion. It also makes several pledges to foster such a culture. For instance, member organizations will revisit their incentive and reward structures for scientists and will recognize a broader range of research roles—especially those of early-career scientists in collaborative and team research. “Research culture influences how research is performed, communicated, and evaluated,” Science Europe president Marc Schiltz says in a press release. “We, as funding and performing research institutions, have now more than ever a responsibility to create together a common understanding and a long term vision for a research culture of the European Research Area,” which is made up of the countries in the European Union.