STARBIOS2 Archives - Page 2 of 3

STARBIOS2_FEATURES IMAGE - Women in Science University of Gdansk

WOMEN IN SCIENCE – STARBIOS2 events at Gdansk University

Editorial Team 22nd December 2017 STARBIOS2

As a part of the STARBIOS2 activities, the University of Gdansk organised two events, dedicated to Women in Science. Seminar: Women in Science An open seminar dedicated to women in science took place on 1st December 2017 at the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk. The meeting opened by Prof. D.Sc. Krzysztof Bielawski, a supervisor of the STARBIOS2 at the University of Gdansk, was moderated by Prof. D.Sc. Ewa Łojkowska, an outstanding woman researcher and a great supporter of women science career development, both as a head of The Laboratory of Plant Protection and Biotechnology at University of Gdańsk and as a Chair of the Jury of the “L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science” programme. In the first part of the meeting Dr Natasza Kosakowska – Berezecka and Dr Magdalena Żadkowska from University of Gdansk discussed and presented the results of the report Gender gap in Biosciences that they had conducted within STARBIOS 2 actions at the IFB of UG. The second presentation was led by a guest speaker Dr Magdalena Król University Professor at Warsaw University of Life Sciences, a renowned researcher granted several scientific prizes and distinctions including L`Oreal & Unesco “for Woman in Science” habitation fellowship. Dr Magdalena Król presented difficult aspects of women careers’ development in the past and today talking about its challenges and perspectives. The audience raised several questions and issues after both presentations. DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN A TEAM An interactive workshop was conducted the same day by Dr Natasza Kosakowska–Berezecka and Dr Magdalena …

Societal Engagement in Biosciences, University of Bremen

Editorial Team 20th December 2017 RRI, Societal Engagement

How do you understand Societal Engagement in biosciences research? According to our understanding, Societal Engagement in biosciences research is the encouragement of all relevant societal actors for an engagement in the biosciences research and innovation process. The relationship between science and society and the communication between these groups has undergone a great change: from “science” and ‘”society” and the “deficit model of public understanding” (Gross, 1994: 6) to the idea of “science with and for society” and public participation. Two crucial points for investigating as well as fostering interactions between scientists and citizens at the University of Bremen are the technology transfer and the communication of scientific knowledge through contextualization. There are two different ways to transfer concepts, methods, results and applications. Science-internal technology transfer means transfer to the scientific community (as a part of society). Science-external technology transfer refers to transfer into economy and/or society. The diversity of transfer products and target areas requires a broadened concept of technology, since a theoretical concept may well be the starting point of an application development. Research contextualization supports the communication process through emphasizing the particular societal relevance while obliging scientists to take into account ethical and political issues as well as issues of public interest/relevance. What are the current standards and actions to achieve better Societal Engagement in the University of Bremen? The relevance of technology transfer within the research institutes of the University of Bremen seems to be very heterogeneous, so far. This is due to the fact that both basic research as …

Gender in Biosciences research in the University of Gdansk

Editorial Team 13th December 2017 Gender, RRI

How do you understand “gender” in Biosciences research? Our focus on gender is intersectional as it overlaps with other important roles women and men undertake: The gender of the researcher: it is important to bear in mind the number of male and female staff at the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG & MUG (IFB) and of different obstacles to their research careers that might result from gender stereotypes that influence the concepts of what men/women should and shouldn’t do. The gender of the student: we are aware of IFB being a faculty with a majority of women, so we know it is good to design the teaching programmes in such a way as to attract also more male students and give equal chances for both genders. The gender and the management level in institutions: it is necessary to highlight that gender stereotypes have a strong impact on leadership structure, so we understand the meaning of tailored training in leadership skills. The gender and role-models: in our opinion well promoted roles models of both male and female scientists encourage researchers to take up new tasks and that work-life balance has a positive effect on facilitating gender equality in institutions. What are the current standarts and actions to achieve better gender equality in Gdansk University and in Poland in general? The University of Gdańsk has experience in introducing the standards of gender equality policy promoted by the EU. Researchers take part in projects financed by external funders which focus on implementing gender …

Open Access in Biosciences at the University of Primorska

Editorial Team 22nd November 2017 Open Access, RRI

How do you understand Open Access in biosciences research? The open access publications enable the new forms of scientific communication, networking and transfer of knowledge. In the so-called “Open Science” movement, teachers and researchers share their research results and information in real time with each other and with the public. With open access, this information can also be used by those persons and institutions that have not previously access to research results and could not finance such access. Scientists and academics are not the only groups that can benefit from open access publications. The demand from the business sector and individual citizens for access to research results in the form of data in publications is also important. What are the current standards and actions to achieve better Open Access in your University and in your country? The departments of biosciences (Biodiversity, Biopsychology and Applied sciences), at the University of Primorska, aim to raise awareness for accessing and sharing research results and publications. Introduction of Open Access policy is relatively new for our University and also to the other research institutions in Slovenia. A brief overview of Open Access situation is presented on the Open Science website. The Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the National Strategy of Open Access to Scientific Publications and Research Data in Slovenia 2015-2020 in September 2015 (ROARMAP record) and the action plan in May 2017. What are you aiming for with the implementation of the STARBIOS2 actions towards better Open Access standards for your …

STARBIOS2_FEATURED IMAGE_Societal Enagagement iin Biosciences_University of Gdansk

Societal Engagement in Biosciences, seen by the University of Gdansk, Poland

Editorial Team 15th November 2017 Societal Engagement

How do you understand Societal Engagement in biosciences research? Scientists have a responsibility to engage in public dialogue about the implications of biosciences findings and to help distinguish between socially beneficial and socially harmful applications. The relation between science and society, including politics, is the base of social and economical development. The state decides about directions of development by legal and financial instruments, but it also suffers consequences of the lack of social acceptance of new technology. Bioscience is a cutting-edge area of science in which the pace of progress is perhaps faster than society’s capacity to deal with its ethical and social implications – therefore needs to be addressed properly. What are the current standards and actions to achieve better Societal Engagement in your University and in your country? State scientific policy is not consistent in defining the role and function of scientific communication. There is a great discrepancy between ambitious goals set for research units and academics in this area and financial support or the raising of the rank of activity in this field in the periodic assessment of a scientific unit or the processes of scientific career development. Popularization of science is part of the Development Strategy of the University of Gdańsk until 2020 – in the field of strengthening of the university’s ties with the economic and social environment of Pomorskie. What are you aiming for with the implementation of the STARBIOS2 actions towards better Societal Engagement standards for your institute? The Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology …

Steering Committee Meeting of STARBIOS2 partners in Oxford

Editorial Team 3rd November 2017 STARBIOS2

On the 4th – 5th of October 2017, all the partners of the STARBIOS2 project came together for the Steering Committee Meeting at St Hugh’s College of the University of Oxford. Each of the partners presented their updates on the project and plans for the future on implementing 5 key issues of RRI (ethics, education, open access, societal engagement, gender) at their institutions. There are 12 partners involved in the STARBIOS2 project, including 6 Universities, implementing Action Plans, 3 support teams and 3 international partners. The coordinator of the STARBIOS2 project is Prof. Vittorio Colizzi from the University of Rome – Tor Vergata (UNITOV). Work Packages Each of the partners are responsible for different Work Packages within the project: WP Number WP Title Lead beneficiary Country WP1 Ethics Requirement UNITOV Italy WP2 Action Plan for RRI of the University of Tor Vergata UNITOV Itay WP3 Action Plan for RRI of the University of Oxford UOXF UK WP4 Action Plan for RRI of Primorska University UP Slovenia WP5 Action Plan for RRI of the University of Bremen and related road map Uni-HB Germany WP6 Action Plan for RRI of Agrobioinstitute Sofia ABI Bulgaria WP7 Action Plan for RRI of the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG & MUG, UG UG Poland WP8 Technical Assistance LSC Italy WP9 Learning Process on RRI implementation in biosciences and set-up of a RRI model UNITOV Italy WP10 Monitoring and Assessment AU Denmark WP11 Communication and Dissemination SPARKS & CO France WP12 Project Management UNITOV Italy Formal …

STARBIOS2-FEATURES IMAGE - UNITOV- Education

Education in Biosciences, seen by the University of Rome – Tor Vergata, Italy

Editorial Team 25th October 2017 Education, RRI

Dr. Carla Montesano – Assistant Professor of General Pathology and Immunology, member of STARBIOS2 Coordination Team, and responsible for the STARBIOS2 Action Plan of University of Rome – Tor Vergata. Dr. Antonella Minutolo – PhD in Experimental Medical Microbiology and Immunology and Specialist in Microbiology and Virology; member of STARBIOS2 Coordination Team. How do you understand Education, as RRI key? Education is a crucial RRI key, which deeply affect the relationship between scientific research and society. It’s important to enhance current education process and organization so as to provide future researchers and other social actors having the capacity to take responsibility in research and innovations process, and attracting children and youths to maths, science and technology. In the framework of STARBIOS2, through our Action Plan, we seek to develop a specific approach to education, tailored to specific features of biosciences. What are the current actions to achieve better Education, as RRI key, in your Department? In research and teaching activities of the Department of Biology, we have started to deal more systematically, besides the general issues of the topic we work on, also aspects related to social issues. We are trying to enhance what we are already doing in our Department in this regard. The invitation we make to all members of the Department and students is to understand the link between scientific research and society, to avoid self-referential approaches, and to pay attention to the instances of society. This means, among other things, more conscientiously addressing the issues of …

Open_Access-Biosciences_Oxford_University_STARBIOS2

Open Access in Biosciences, seen by the University of Oxford, UK

Editorial Team 18th October 2017 Open Access, RRI

How do you understand Open Access in biosciences research? Open access is a way of eliminating permission and price barriers in order to guarantee free access to biosciences research publications. Open access means that the public can access your work. This facilitates greater exposure and higher citation rates because researchers from other countries can view your work. What are the current standards and actions to achieve better Open Access in your University and in your country? The University of Oxford is very committed to open access and has a webpage dedicated to explaining the University’s position: http://openaccess.ox.ac.uk/ – policy and information. As researchers are actively encouraged to publish open access, this requires a collaborative project that involves many departments such as Research Services, Bodleian Libraries, IT Services, Planning and Resource Allocation Section, Oxford University Press, and Academic Divisions. There is also an open access policy in institutions of higher education throughout the United Kingdom due to the Research Excellence Framework (REF). In order to receive higher education funding (HEFCE), REF requires journal articles to be made Open Access. The aim of the policy is to increase the amount of UK research which is freely available – and more articles open access means higher REF scores in 2021. What are you aiming for with the implementation of the STARBIOS2 actions towards better Open Access standards for your institute? The University of Oxford is a leading institution in open access and led a strong communication strategy to engage researchers. We aim to …

Feature_Image_Societal_Engagement_University_Primorska_STARBIOS2

Societal Engagement in Biosciences, seen by the University of Primorska, Slovenia

Editorial Team 11th October 2017 RRI, Societal Engagement

University of Primorska, Department of Biodiversity Sandra Hasić – research assistant at the Department of Biodiversity of the University of Primorska. How do you understand Societal Engagement in biosciences research? Societal engagement for us is not just the involvement of the department’s work in the local environment, but it is one of the most important factors for the long-term influence of our research. Nature conservation can be successful only in collaboration with different stakeholders involved in the processes, such as the local population, representatives of the authorities, NGOs, national institutions, the economy, and policy makers. Therefore, raising awareness regarding biosciences research is an important part of the process. Only with the transfer of knowledge and technologies, as a structural change in field of nature conservation, goal can be achieved. What are the current standards and actions to achieve better Societal Engagement in your University and in your country? University of Primorska is a very young University and we are still establishing our position at the local environment, and public engagement is one of the crucial points of gaining recognition in the area. The societal engagement should be focused on future collaborations with different stakeholders in the region and on promotion and integration of biosciences departments. At the national level, we can achieve progress in societal engagement with the establishment of specially designed project scheme for funding the collaborative projects between the University and local stakeholders, the economy and NGOs. Our faculty is very successful in applying for grants in schemes. …

Ethics in Biosciences, seen by the University of Bremen, Germany

Editorial Team 27th September 2017 Ethics, RRI

University of Bremen – Faculty of Biology & Chemistry Dr. Doris Elster – Head of the Department of Biology Education at the Institute of Science Education. How do you understand Ethics in biosciences research? The term “research ethics” comprises a set of values, norms and institutional regulations that support and regulate scientific activities. Research has a fundamental ethos, namely the search for truth. At the same time, research ethics emphasizes that research has a – more general -responsibility for the society. In this area of tension between researcher’s curiosity and responsibility towards humans and the environment research ethics in biosciences occurs. What are the current standards and actions to achieve better Ethics in the University of Bremen? At the University of Bremen ethical issues are determined within the “Regulations assuring good scientific practice” (German Research Association) and complied within the “Principles of good scientific practice”, adopted by the Academic Senate on February 23, 2002. The nine members of the “Committee for the Investigation of Allegations of Scientific Misconduct” are elected by the Academic Senate of the University of Bremen and investigate and evaluate any concrete suspicion of scientific misconduct. What are you aiming for with the implementation of the STARBIOS2 actions towards better Ethics standards for the Faculty Biology and Chemistry at the University of Bremen? Our aim is to raise awareness of ethical issues in general and to promote good research practice based on already existing and guidelines as well as further specific guidelines for the biosciences. At the University of …

Page 2 of 3
←
1
2
3
→