Making sense of science today requires not only a grasp of fundamental principles but also the ability to critically navigate uncertainty and complexity. Today’s challenges introduces significant diversity across key dimensions of human existence, including history, culture, politics, societies and economics. Furthermore, there is considerable diversity among scientific sub-communities regarding how we know what we know and how to design actionable solutions. The social sciences, natural sciences, engineering, and medical fields are acculturated into science in widely varying ways, often complicating communication and collaboration. Yet, most challenges we face inherently require collaboration. 

We now live in a world that is struggling to evolve, especially with nations repeating the mistakes of the 20th century that led to two world wars, fomented by nationalism with industrial capacities and advanced technologies.  The complication with planetary-scale considerations on Earth – epitomized by climate and 8 billion humans –  is nations will always first and foremost look after their national interests, which is the biggest risk for the survival of humankind.

In what may be termed a Post-Covid Ongoing Stress Era (POSE), the appeal to reason and scientific knowledge, as we’ve understood these, seems all but cancelled.   

In recent years, UNESCO has played a leadership role in promoting open science. The 2021 Declaration on Global Open Access to scientific publications is a prime example of this commitment. UNESCO has championed the notion of immediate and cost-free access to scientific literature, often referred to as the ‘Diamond model’, where neither the authors nor the readers bear any costs. The Diamond model is one among many with other examples of open access being developed in various parts of the world. Several nations and organizations have adopted open access policies using a diversity of models. Quebec’s Research Fund (FRQ) signed the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) and actively supports Coalition S, advocating for free access to scientific publications in all languages independent of the open access model. While these efforts are laudable, they remain insufficient. We must move to the next phase: measuring compliance and understanding the impact of open access initiatives. Open access is still not secured and policy support to all and any open access model still needs to be implemented by many governments, funders, and institutions that still allow the use of public funds to pay for closed and paywalled science.

In June, the World Economic Forum (WEF) and Frontiers unveiled the awaited Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2024 report. Now in its 12th year, the report continues to spotlight groundbreaking technologies that are poised to influence society and address critical global challenges. This year's report is the culmination of extensive research and collaboration among leading experts and innovators, broadening the scope and deepening the analysis of the findings. It showcases technologies that are not only innovative but also have the potential to drive sustainable development and economic growth within the next three to five years. From revolutionizing connectivity to pioneering new applications of artificial intelligence (AI), the 2024 report offers a comprehensive overview of the technologies set to shape our future. 

The European Parliament, through its standing committee Science and Technology Options Assessment (STOA), commissioned a study on monitoring academic freedom. The study “The state of play of academic freedom in the EU member states” has been led by Peter Maassen, a participant in this Frontiers’ webinar. This follows numerous European and global organizations and networks raising concerns, calling for action, and protection against threats to academic freedom (The European University Alliance (EUA), the League of European Research University (LERU), Scholars at Risk, etc.). Several recent ad hoc events and panels on the subject have also shown the importance and urgency in addressing the matter. Yet, there is still a lack of a permanent forum for factual and constructive dialogue among scholars, academic leaders, civil society groups, and policy makers.  

The human rights case can be made for Open Science – this has been made clear by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in its General Comment No. 25 on science and economic, social, and cultural rights. In this this much-awaited interpretation of the so-called right to science under Art. 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the Committee made clear that Open Science forms part of the right to science in the digital era. Released during the Covid-19 pandemic, the timing could not have been better, for the pandemic not only illustrated in unprecedented ways the importance of science in today’s world, but also the advantages of open research practices in speeding up scientific discovery. Yet, does this legal development mean that access to scientific data and content can now be enforced before courts via the right to science? A closer look reveals that important hurdles in claiming Open Science via the right to science remain. In this short contribution, our aim is to highlight some selected challenges of implementing and adjudicating open research practices via the right to science.  

Sandrine Dixson-Declève rightly denounces the slowness of the pace of work and the deliberations of the COP process in face of the climate crisis. She also says, again rightly so, that the science of climate change is clear, hence the sluggishness of the decision-making process on climate change appears particularly striking. I am paraphrasing Dixson-Declève’s piece, but I think I have it right: we need to act yesterday, we know enough and the current process is not fit for the outcomes we need. If my reading of her piece is correct, I fully endorse her plea for a decision-making process that does justice to the urgent and determined action we must take: reversing the course of adverse changes in our life-supporting climate system.

The International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA) was formed in 2014 under the sponsorship of the International Council of Science’s (ICSU, now the International Science Council (ISC)). Over 220 practitioners and academics at the science-policy interface from more than 40 countries, both developing and developed, attended an inaugural meeting in Auckland. The discussion focused on identifying the issues that challenged the provision of effective science advice to governments, a process which was very patchy across the globe. Ten years later, INGSA held its fifth global conference in Kigali, Rwanda.

Are the climate talks and COP (Conference of Parties) processes failing humanity? Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Co-president of The Club of Rome, recently warned that we are both failing on the Paris Agreement and to deliver action at the speed and scale necessary to avert the worst effects of global warming. She urges the United Nations to shift gears and radically transform the COP process, to ensure a safe and just future for humanity. If we’re going to avoid failure on climate, then safeguarding the global commons must be a focus.

Animal testing has long been a controversial issue in the European Union (EU), with growing public concern over the ethical and scientific limitations of relying on animal models for chemical safety assessments. Despite being seen as a “gold standard” in research and safety assessment, animal studies have limited applicability to human health, and are difficult to replicate due to poor reporting procedures and large variability.

Despite COP's mission to prevent dangerous climate change and keep global warming below 2°C, there is a stark gap between its goals and the inertia it reinforces among member states. We are failing on the Paris Agreement and delivering climate action too slowly to avert the worst impacts of global warming. The United Nations must shift gears to focus all efforts on meeting global goals by 2050, which requires a rapid and radical transformation of the COP process to ensure a safe climate future for humanity.

Collaboration between science, medicine, policymakers, and societies is essential for tackling major health emergencies and pandemics, highlights Brigitte Autran of Sorbonne Université and President of the French Committee for Monitoring and Anticipating Health Risks (COVARS).

Even as enthusiasm grows over the potential of artificial intelligence (AI), concerns have arisen in equal measure about a possible domination of the field by Big Tech. Such an outcome would replicate many of the mistakes of preceding decades, when a handful of companies accumulated unprecedented market power and often acted as de facto regulators in the global digital ecosystem.

Prof. Luis Eugenio Portela Fernandes De Souza underscores the intersection of public health policy and socio-economic factors, illustrating the need for an integrated policy approach that transcends traditional sector boundaries. From a FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data perspective, his piece resonates with the principles of open science and the urgent requirement for more comprehensive data sharing within and beyond public health.