Dear ALLEA members and friends,

Undoubtedly, we find ourselves in times of rapid and exciting advances in the science and technology. At present few scientific breakthroughs are discussed as controversially as the ones around genome editing. This technological progress has come with major challenges to researchers, policymakers and the public alike, and plenty of open questions about the ethical, legal and wider societal implications of genome editing remain.

ALLEA and our Member Academies are trusted providers of independent science advice to policy makers and society, while encouraging high ethical standards in science and research. Thus, we cannot be absent from those important debates.

To contribute to further, and much needed, interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral exchanges, ALLEA and the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium brought together academics, experts, civil society representatives and policy makers, for a discussion on how to harness the benefits of genome editing while ensuring its wide-spread acceptance in society. A publication synthesising the deliberations from the symposium is under preparation right now and will be published next year. Our activities on genome editing won’t stop there, as we will continue to work on the topic to ensure that the voice of the scientific community is duly taken into account.

Before I let you enjoy the rest of this newsletter, I would not want to miss sending best wishes to the new European Commission, which took office at the beginning of this month. I am particularly glad to see that the Commission responded favourably to the suggestions and pleas from ALLEA and many other research stakeholders in Europe to include the term “research” in the name of Commissioner Mariya Gabriel’s portfolio. We are certainly looking forward to working with her and her fellow Commissioners over the coming years.
 
Kind regards,
Antonio Loprieno
President of ALLEA