The European National Young Academies (ENYA) Meeting 2026 took place on 27–29 May in Warsaw, Poland, bringing together representatives from young academies across Europe to strengthen collaboration and advance shared priorities. Participants came from 24 young academies and similar organisations from all over Europe, again making this the largest ever ENYA meeting to date. Organised and hosted by the Polish Young Academy, this year’s meeting focused on academic freedom and trust in science.
The GYA was represented by 2025/26 Executive Committee member and GYA YASAS Observer Carina Geldhauser (Switzerland), YASAS Delegate Stella Tsani (Greece), and Senior Project Officers Anna-Maria Gramatté, while GYA member Jovana Milic (Finland) attended for the Swiss Young Academy.
Led by the hosts from the Polish Young Academy, the ENYA session focused on discussions about “Threats and challenges to academic freedom”, with participants discussing various aspects in several breakout sessions. Delegates also discussed the current existence of both YASAS and ENYA and exchanged ideas on the potential future of these networks. The meeting also saw a short presentation by the Young Academy Belgium on an update of the 2022 Brussels Charter on Young Academy Member Exchange.
Next year’s ENYA meeting will be hosted by the Young Aacdemy of Scotland, the Young Academy Ireland, and the UK Young Academy in Edinburgh.
CoARA-GYA side event
A workshop on “Values in Transition: an intergenerational dialogue on research assessment reform” was co-organised by ALLEA as part of the CoARA Boost project and the GYA to bring together early-career researchers and established scholars for an open and structured exchange on the values, priorities, and expectations that shape contemporary research assessment. GYA EC member Carina Geldhauser was one of the panellists.
YASAS-ALLEA science advice workshop
A workshop on “Diversity in science advice” was organised by YASAS & ALLEA. GYA member Jovana Milic acted as the moderator for the session, which asked whether science advice can be trusted if those who give it are too alike. Participants discussed who takes part in science advice, who feels able to speak, and how diversity strengthens both the quality and the legitimacy of the advice that scientists offer to policymakers. You can read a short report here or watch a video-recording here.
2026 YASAS General Assembly
The ENYA meeting was again held in conjunction with the General Assembly of YASAS – the Young Academies Science Advice Structure in Europe on 29 May 2026. Key discussions during the assembly centred on the activities of YASAS and SAPEA (Science Advice for Policy by European Academies) over the past year as part of the European Commission’s Science Advice Mechanism (SAM). The GYA was represented by GYA AlumnusPlus Markus Prutsch (European Parliament, Belgium), whose term on the YASAS Board came to an end at the meeting, and by GYA YASAS Observer Carina Geldhauser.
During the General Assembly, elections for one YASAS Board position took place, with Jaak Sikk from the Estonian Young Academy of Sciences being elected. The YASAS Board 2026/27 comprises the following members:
- Noel de Miranda (President; Dutch Young Academy)
- Jennifer McMahon (Board Member; Young Academy Ireland)
- Jovana V. Milić (Board Member; Swiss Young Academy)
- Jeroen van Schependom (Board Member; Belgian Young Academy)
- Jaak Sikk (Board Member; Estonian Young Academy of Sciences)
2026 ALLEA Conference
For the third time since an inaugural joint meeting in 2022, the 2026 meeting was held in conjunction with the ALLEA General Assembly and Public Symposium on “Towards a Future of European Research Area: Boosting Trust, Integrity and Resilience”, which provided fantastic opportunities for joint discussions and planning of future joint activities. Joint workshops on Research integrity, Resilience of science systems, Science diplomacy, and on Careers and mobility provided ample opportunities for exchange and learning. The Conference opened with a keynote by ISC incoming President Robert Dijkgraaf and featured a rich panel discussion to which GYA member Emilija Stojmenova (Slovenia) contributed as a panellist. The day closed on a celebratory note, with Nobel laureate Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard delivering the laudation for this year’s Madame de Staël Prize, awarded to Maria Leptin, President of the European Research Council. For more details see alleageneralassembly.org.