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Marja Makarow

2025 Year’s End Greetings from the President
Donald Bruce Dingwell#

Dear Academia Europaea Community,#

Allow me to take a few minutes of your time to address you all on the Academia Europaea and its place in Europe as 2025 draws to a close.

In many ways 2025 has been a watershed year for the Academia Europaea. As all but the newest members already know, in the wake of Marja Makarow completing her years of service as AE President, a process of consultation and deliberation was initiated which resulted in a mid-year election in which you, the membership, participated.

Most of what is touched upon below is a legacy of her, and her own illustrious predecessors’ diligent and tireless efforts on behalf of that which the Academia Europaea holds dear.

We have many things to be grateful for in 2025 … and many challenges remain.

The organisation and execution of the Building Bridges 2025 meeting was marvelous by any measure. The quality and depth of the presentations and discussions was maintained at a very high level and the very substantial number of new members who participated were speedily immersed in the workings of the academy and the nature of its debates.

Our thanks go to the organising committee, the program committee, the Barcelona team under the leadership of Jaume Bertranpetit and all the participants.

The HUB structure of the Academy has stalwartly continued to be the hidden champion of its operations with each contributing HUB earning our deepest respect and gratitude for earnestly managing to do better year-on-year in ensuring the range of activities and operations of the AE. They are, to a large extent, the face of AE.

Two major changes are currently underway in the HUB structure of the AE. Firstly, a new HUB based at the Romanian Academy in Bucharest has taken up activities in 2025 and we anticipate novel activities from the Bucharest HUB in the coming months and years. Secondly, the Cardiff HUB retires from its formal status in these weeks. Under the academic leadership of Ole Petersen, a founding member of the AE, the Cardiff HUB has left its indelible mark on the Academia Europaea. So much so that several activities in support of the AE’s commitment to SAPEA will continue at Cardiff under the SAPEA project for the next years.

From all of us members to all of the leadership and staff of the AE HUBS - Bravo.

The Munich operations of the AE are carried on the shoulders of our AE Munich office under the coordination of Friederike Brandthaus who, together with the continuing commitment of our highly experienced David Coates in London, have managed to keep the Academy operations on the tracks despite all the distractions of representing, and trying to be representative of, one of the most diverse bodies of learned individuals in the world, our Academy members. The working climate is excellent. Thank you Friederike, thank you David.

For ensuring the excellence of successful nominations to the Academy, the hundreds of nominators, the section panels, the section Chairs and the board of the Academy receive our deepest appreciation. This year we have revisited the rigour of our process and instituted ongoing improvements. Every link in the chain of this process is crucial and vital to the Academy, to its nominees and to its reputation in Europe and the world and that reputation is key to the legitimacy of the impact that the AE projects into the controversial issues surrounding humanity’s existence in these times.

As we engage, day in – day out, in the building of Europe’s future we also keep our eye on the horizon and Europe’s role in the world. In these times the world community of academic colleagues expects the highest levels of rationality and courage from AE members across the European area which can only be guaranteed by a continuing commitment at all organisational and political levels to the freedom of research. Thus, the AE is increasingly involved in organisational roles to collect and coordinate knowledge in the pursuit of addressing major European and global challenges (SAPEA, G20, EASAC, and more). Together with the core values of excellence, integrity and accountability, it is academic freedom which drives progress in all fields of knowledge.

Finally, as is perhaps most appropriate for a year-end message at a time of year that is marked by festive days associated with the values of peace and humanity, I am certain that you join me in our common hopes for progress, peace and mutual respect amongst all nations and their individuals in 2026.

I wish all of you peace and calm over the turn of the new year, helping you to gather your strength and inspiration for 2026’s activities.

Donald Bruce Dingwell

Past newsletters and statements#



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