“Plan S: Accelerating the transition to full and immediate Open Access to scientific publication”

Statement by the European Physical Society

The former position of Chief Science Adviser of the European Commission

On 2 occasions duringthe past year, the European Physical Society has had the opportunity to meet with Prof. Anne Glover, the former the Chief Science Adviser to the President of the European Commission. Our goal was not to promote a specific political agenda, but to ask how we could demonstrate and/or explain how physics contributes to policy objectives of the EC. Our discussions were fruitful, allowing us to better understand the role that the EPS could play in providing information to the EC for evidence based policy making.

Measuring scientific performance for improved policy making

In recent decades, developments in European research policy making have led to an enhancement of the role and function of evaluation to cope with the growing globalisation of research and the need to ensure effective research systems at the national level and in the European Research Area. These developments have led to a need for a more integrated way to understand research performance as well as its efficiency and effects, combined with a growing need for a European view.
In April 2014, the European Parliamentary Research Service published the results of a study that analyses…

Editorial – Horizon 2020, opportunities for research and commitment to society

In a not so remote past, scientists were a close-knit society, spending much of their time in isolated laboratories or academic institutions, sometimes referred to as ivory towers. Now however, on a par with globalization and the emergence of the information-based society, there is a growing commitment of scientists to share knowledge and opinions with society in general. And indeed it is a duty to explain how public funds are employed in the development of basic science and technology for the advancement of society…

Stimulating Physics Network

The drastic shortage of specialist physics teachers in England ( ~ 40%) has been getting worse for most of the last 20 years, largely due to low levels of recruitment.

Happily, as a result of recent changes in policy following years of lobbying by the Institute of Physics, recruitment is now healthy. However, it is still the case that many children up to age 16 are taught physics by non-specialists, usually biologists, and will be for at least the next decade…