Season's Greetings from Academia Europaea

Published 4th December 2025

Our final Newsletter for the year brings festive greetings, as well as our usual roundup of what’s happening at Academia Europaea.

SPECIAL

Reflections from our President and Hub Directors

As 2025 draws to a close, Academia Europaea celebrates a year of transition and achievement. Donald Dingwell, President of Academia Europaea, and our Hub Directors look back at some of this year's successes while wishing all Members peace and inspiration for 2026. Read messages from:

CALLS

2025/26 nominations cycle for new Members now open

The nomination period for AE membership in 2025/26 is open. Academia Europaea Ordinary Members are encouraged to nominate distinguished scientists and scholars with proven international recognition. Please read carefully the updated nomination guidelines before submitting a nomination. Deadline: 31st January

Nominations open for Royal Society medals and awards

The Royal Society has announced that nominations for its annual medals and awards are open. Each year, around 30 medals and awards are presented, celebrating excellence in the biological, physical and applied sciences. Several medals are accompanied by prize lectures. These prestigious awards celebrate researchers from across the UK, the Republic of Ireland, the Commonwealth, and the wider international scientific community. Find out more.

Scientific Grand Prize 2026: Call for nominations

The Institut de France’s Lefoulon-Delalande Foundation invites nominations for its 2026 Scientific Grand Prize. This prestigious award, worth €600,000 (€120,000 for the award winner and €480,000 for their laboratory or institute), recognises a scientist - based in France or abroad - who has made important contributions to cardiovascular physiology, biology, or medicine. Deadline: 19th January. Find out more.

Millennium Technology Prize

The Millennium Technology Prize, the world’s leading award focused on technological innovations for a better life, has opened a call for nominations. The €1 million prize is awarded every two years for a groundbreaking technological innovation, with the next award ceremony taking place in May 2027. How to nominate. Deadline: 27th February

Momentum MSCA Premium Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme

Co-funded by the European Union and the Secretariat of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA), the Momentum MSCA Premium Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme is a 5-year initiative designed to attract and support up to 35 outstanding postdoctoral researchers from around the world. The programme is now preparing to launch its second call. Deadline: 31st January. Find out more.

UCOMING EVENTS

Wikipedia editing workshop: Promoting women researchers’ visibility

11th December, online event
Our Budapest Hub is holding an online Wikipedia editing workshop. This initiative, coordinated by Katalin Solymosi and Eszter Gselmann, focuses on increasing the visibility of women in science through the creation of Wikipedia profiles. The workshop will provide practical guidance on Wikipedia editing, including creating new profiles and improving existing content. Find out more.

PREVIOUS EVENTS

Public trust in science and navigating political tensions

At our annual conference, Building Bridges 2025, held this October in Barcelona, the Young Academy of Europe hosted a panel discussion titled Public trust in science and navigating political tensions. During the discussion, Anna Kuppuswamy FYAE, newly appointed Chair of the YAE, shared insights from her own discipline, neuroscience, noting how political sensitivities can sometimes hinder scientific progress. Find out more.

Standing with Ukraine

Thanks to an initiative led by Ole Petersen MAE and our Cardiff Hub, and with the participation of Torsten Hothorn MAE (University of Zurich), a group of 15 PhD students from Odesa National Medical University successfully completed the full Introduction to Statistical Analysis Using R course and received certificates of participation. The training was very well received by the young researchers, who gained valuable hands-on skills and renewed motivation to incorporate modern statistical methods into their scientific work. Find out more.

From barriers to bridges: Towards a more cohesive European Research Area

This symposium, organised by our Budapest Hub on 5th November, aimed to highlight the current situation of ‘widening’ as a concept in EU research policy. It discussed the possible need to reform its instruments, fostering scientific excellence in regions that are currently underperforming and leading to a more cohesive and competitive European Research Area (ERA). Find out more.

5th ERC Starting Grant Mentoring Event

The Young Academy of Europe, in collaboration with our Budapest Hub, held its 5th mentoring event for ERC Starting Grant applicants on 25th September. One of the main goals of this event series is to promote wider participation among researchers from the EU13, Associated Countries as well as outside of Europe. Find out more.

PUBLICATIONS

S20 South Africa statement on climate change and well-being

Science20 (S20) South Africa has issued its 2025 Statement on climate change and wellbeing, calling for urgent, science-driven action to protect the well-being of people, ecosystems, and the planet. The Statement highlights five areas, each with supporting recommendations.

Academia Europaea has played a pivotal role in the Science20 (S20), an influential platform that bridges the gap between scientists and global policymakers.

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Subscribe to our YouTube channel

We invite you to browse the Academia Europaea YouTube channel, where you’ll find recordings of panel discussions on topics from recent SAPEA reports, lectures from past Building Bridges conferences, and a variety of AE webinars.

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Written and published by the Academia Europaea Cardiff and Bergen Hubs