Defining future directions for open, fair, and sustainable research in Europe

The Global Research Council (GRC) is a virtual organization comprising the heads of science and engineering funding agencies from around the world. Its purpose is to promote the sharing of data and best practices for high-quality collaboration among research funders internationally.

The 2025 European Regional Meeting, convened by Science Europe in cooperation with the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia and the HUN-REN Hungarian Research Network in Belgrade, Serbia, from 20-23 October, provided an important platform for participants to exchange insights and contribute to the preparation of the 2026 GRC Annual Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand. Discussions focused on two central themes:

• Open science and AI for equity, justice, and sustainability
• Sustainable research for sustainable communities

These discussions were framed by a cross-cutting exploration of how artificial intelligence can be integrated into open science practices and how research systems can better contribute to sustainable development.

Several IIASA member countries were also represented through their national research funding and performing organizations that are members of Science Europe and thus part of the GRC network, including Austria, Finland, Germany, Norway, Slovakia, Sweden, the UK, and Ukraine. Their participation emphasized the shared commitment among IIASA and its national and regional member organizations to foster open, equitable, and sustainable research environments.

“Participating in this meeting provided an excellent opportunity to connect IIASA’s global systems perspective with the priorities of our member countries’ research communities,” said Lips. “The dialogue on open science, AI, and sustainability strongly reflects IIASA’s mission to support evidence-based, multilateral cooperation on complex global challenges.”

The outcomes of the European Regional Meeting will feed into the development of a Statement of Principles to be adopted at the 2026 GRC Annual Meeting. For IIASA, this engagement reinforces the Institute’s role in linking international scientific collaboration with the strategic research frameworks of its member countries to advance shared goals for open, fair, and sustainable science worldwide.