VUB and other EUTOPIA universities sign Stick to Science campaign
Initiative calls for open cooperation in research and innovation between EU, Switzerland and UK
The European research community has today launched the Stick to Science campaign, calling for open collaboration between those working in research and innovation within Europe. The EUTOPIA European University, of which VUB is a member, is supporting the campaign in line with its commitment to an open and inclusive European Research Area without borders. The initiative is a response to the slow implementation of the association agreement between the European Union, United Kingdom and Switzerland, which is being held up by political obstacles that have nothing to do with science.
“Collaboration is central at VUB. We believe that science knows no borders and that Switzerland and the United Kingdom are an essential part of the European Research Area. Political disputes should not hinder scientific contributions to this. It is in everyone’s interest that our universities share practices in scientific research: only in this way can we build the future together,” says VUB rector Caroline Pauwels.
The signatories of the campaign ask the European Council, Parliament and Commission, the EU Member States and the governments of the UK and Switzerland to recognise that scientific progress in research and innovation is best achieved by working together across geographical borders. They urge the EU, UK and Switzerland to quickly conclude an association agreement so they can join forces to contribute scientifically and financially to European research.
As well as universities, organisations and individual supporters of open scientific research can also sign the petition and thus contribute to an open and inclusive European space driven by academic excellence.
Support the campaign as an institution or an individual
