Our resources in English

Dear visitor, you will find on this page some of our articles in English. Unfortunately, we are unable to translate all of our documents in English, but we are doing our best to display the most relevant ones. If you want to help us developping this English part by translating some documents, please contact us at equipe@sciencescitoyennes.org.

An engine of emancipation for several centuries, science, now techno-science, is tremendously powerful today. In order to serve the well being of the whole of humanity on our planet, this power must be driven by other motives than merely the quest for knowledge, the desire for power or the logic of profit. So after the era of the « control of nature » must come that of the « control of science », of citizen science.
The Citizen Science Foundation aims at supporting and prolonging the current movement of democratic and civil appropriation of science in order to put it at the service of the common good.

We, as members of Citizen Science Foundation, aim at promoting the democratic elaboration of scientific and technical choices. We support the organization of public debates on public policies regarding research, technology and expertise. We are also vigilant in analyzing the new methods of deliberation that have increased in number during recent years in order to support those that further a genuine technical democracy.
  • The Citizens Convention – A new Democratic Procedure for Decision-Making on Research and Innovation Issues octobre 28th, 2015

    What is a Citizens Convention?

    The Citizens Convention is a participatory procedure aiming at informing people about political decision processes on research and innovation issues. It combines three phases: a prior training (during which a drawn by lot group of 15 citizens are studying), an active intervention (during which these citizens are questioning) and a collective positioning (during which citizens are expressing an advice). A Citizens Convention offers an appropriate setting for general concerns without any geographical restriction. The only limitation is the level of maturation of the dealt topic, which must be high enough.

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  • Redesign progress now! The use of knowledge for a re-conceptualised human progress octobre 28th, 2015

    This articles was written by Claudia Neubauer (FSC) and Matthieu Calame (FPH) in 2013. It was published in the 5th GUNi Report Higher Education in the World: Knowledge, Engagement and Higher Education: Contributing to Social Change, which has been published in February 2014 by Palgrave Macmillan.

    GUNI2013_Redesign progress_CN_MAC

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  • Key note: Media in Responsible Research and Innovation – European Intersectoral Summit on Research and Innovation, 25 et 26 February 2013, Dublin février 4th, 2013

    This key note was held by Dr. Claudia Neubauer, former director of Fondation Sciences Citoyennes, at the EISRI meeting (European Intersectoral Summit on Research and Innovation), Trinity College Dublin – 25-26 February 2013

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  • Opening Up Societal Futures through EU Research and Innovation Agendas septembre 4th, 2012

    The article on  Opening Up Societal Futures through EU Research and Innovation Agendas was written by Les Levidow (Open University, Milton Keynes) and Claudia Neubauer (Fondation Sciences Citoyennes, Paris). It was published in EASST Revue, Volume 31 (3) European Association for the Study of Science and Technology, September 2012.

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  • Sciences Citoyennes and Horizon 2020 juillet 4th, 2012

    FSC and other NGOs have been fighting for more than a year for a fairer and greener program for Horizon 2020, the research and innovation framework program of the European Commission.

    See here the  Open Letter to the European Commission concerning the Common Strategic Framework for EU Research and Innovation Funding (2014-2020), sent by more than 100 organizations of researchers and from civil society : Open Letter on the Common Strategic Framework for EU Research and Innovation Funding

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  • Innovation, Sustainability, Development – A New Manifesto janvier 4th, 2011

    The STEPS Centre from the University of Sussex published this Manifesto  in 2010.

    The Manifesto states at its beginning: « We live in a time of unprecedented advances in science and technology. The world is ever more globalised and interconnected. Yet poverty is deepening, the environment is in crises and progress towards the Millenuim development goals has stalled. »

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  • The pamphlet on citizen scientists septembre 4th, 2010

    This pamphlet is an output of the STACS (Science, Technology and Civil Society) project, funded by the European Commission Sixth Framework Programme (Science and Society-19-044597).

    The pamphlet

    CitizensScientists_Pamphlet

    Preface: Fieldwork

    Consider the cauliflower. The cauliflowers we eat now tend to be big, white and fluffy. They have been bred this way over the last 30 years, taking the place of the various Italian varieties that were once bred on farms. Europe has largely forgotten the other possible shapes, colours – green, yellow, pink and purple – and flavours of cauliflowers. In the fields and village markets of Brittany, a group of farmers, activists and scientists are trying to help us remember.

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  • BANG – a NGO meeting on emerging technologies in 2008 novembre 4th, 2008

    In June 2008, four NGOs – ETC Group from Canada, Bede (Biodiversité – échange et diffusion d’expériences) and Fondation Sciences Citoyennes from France and the What Next ? Institute from Sweden invited international NGOs to participate to a common strategic meeting on emerging technologies – BANG.

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  • Taking European Knowledge Society Seriously décembre 4th, 2007

    Report of the Expert Group on Science and Governance to the Science, Economy and Society Directorate, Directorate-General for Research, European Commission, 2007

    This report is the product of an expert working group acting under mandate from the European Commission Directorate General for Research (DG RTD), on the topic of European science and governance.

    Ulrike Felt (rapporteur) Brian Wynne (chairman) Members of the Expert group: Michel Callon, Maria Eduarda Gonçalves, Sheila Jasanoff, Maria Jepsen, Pierre-Benoît Joly, Zdenek Konopasek, Stefan May, Claudia Neubauer, Arie Rip, Karen Siune, Andy Stirling, Mariachiara Tallacchini

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  • Towards a real partnership with society – NGO alliance on Framework programme 7 of the EC juin 4th, 2005

    European Science Social Forum Network

    The European Science Social Forum Network was a platform of non-profit associations and NGOs as well as individual persons that worked to get a model of scientific and technological progress engaged with a solidary, sustainable and fair society.

    During the third European Social Forum held from the 15th to the 17th October 2004 in London, a number of NGOs and associations working on the field of science and society (i.e., commercial control of science, science and militarism, human genetics, agriculture, science and citisenship, etc) came together. The opportunity was used to stablish an informal network that would help us to coordinate campaigns and organize common actions, as well as to share information, documents, ideas, human resources, etc.

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We aim at stimulating the freedom of expression and debate in the scientific world, at supporting whistleblowers and the development of public controversies and « hybrid forums » on key scientific issues. In total contrast with the fear of public intervention and with technocratic thinking, pluralism and controversy are the source not only of a better exploration of possible worlds and, therefore, of better decisions, but also of an active appropriation of scientific knowledge by the public.
  • Lettre ouverte des organisations sur le mécanisme de règlement des différends entre investisseurs et États (RDIE) et le COVID -19 juin 26th, 2020

    630 organisations de la société civile, dont Sciences Citoyennes, ont signé cette lettre ouverte alarmant les gouvernements sur une vague de plaintes COVID-19 dans des « tribunaux d’entreprise ». La lettre a été envoyée au Premier Ministre français Edouard Philippe. Retrouvez également le communiqué de presse expliquant l’initiative. 

    À l’endroit des gouvernements:

    Aujourd’hui, nous vous invitons, par la présente lettre, à prendre l’initiative pour assurer que les pays du monde ne soient confrontés à une vague de poursuites de règlements des différends entre investisseurs et États (RDIE) en raison des mesures prises pour lutter contre la pandémie COVID-19 et la crise économique qui en découle.

    Partout dans le monde, certains gouvernements prennent des mesures pour sauver des vies, endiguer la pandémie, protéger les emplois,lutter contre les catastrophes économiques et veiller à ce que les besoins fondamentaux des populations soient couverts. L’ampleur de ces mesures est sans précédent dans les temps modernes et la nécessité de ces actions est évidente. Cependant, la portée très étendue du mécanisme de RDIE pourrait exposer ces mesures gouvernementales cruciales à des plaintes avec demande d’indemnisation à hauteur de plusieurs millions de dollars de la part des investisseurs étrangers. Le nombre de ces plaintes pourrait également être sans précédent et imposer des charges financières considérables aux gouvernements qui   croulent déjà sous le fardeau des crises sanitaires et économiques dévastatrices.

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  • Mettre fin aux procès-bâillons : protéger la démocratie et les droits fondamentaux juin 8th, 2020

    Sciences Citoyennes est associé à la coalition de 119 organisations demandant aux institutions européennes de renforcer la législation contre les procès-bâillons.

    Un policy paper, ci-dessous (en anglais) a été publié ce jour :

    Ending Gag Lawsuits in Europe Protecting Democracy and Fundamental Rights

    The problem: gag lawsuits against public interest defenders

    The EU must end gag lawsuits used to silence individuals and organisations that hold those in positions of power to account. Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) are lawsuits brought forward by powerful actors (e.g. companies, public officials in their private capacity, high profile persons) to harass and silence those speaking out in the public interest. Typical victims are those with a watchdog role, for instance: journalists, activists, informal associations, academics, trade unions, media organisations and civil society organisations.

     

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  • Scientists and Civil Society Must Move Together toward a New Science mai 18th, 2016

    Article proposed and written by an advisory board member of Sciences Citoyennes, Christian Vélot1,2,3,4* , about democracy in science and public engagement, illustrated by a concrete example of participatory research. This is an open-access article, originally published here : http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpubh.2016.00096/full.

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  • Conflicts of interest at the European Food Safety Authority : Enough is enough! mars 4th, 2016

    Civil society groups ask the European Parliament’s Budget control committee to postpone EFSA’s budget discharge, as long as it fails to enact a serious independence policy on regulated commercial interests. Our demand is also to provide an additional budget for EFSA to pay independent experts and develop in-house research. 

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  • Non à la directive sur le secret des affaires février 18th, 2016

    La Fondation Sciences Citoyennes s’associe à la campagne de demande de rejet de la directive sur le secret des affaires.

    Une vidéo en anglais sous-titrée en français (sous-titre à activer via le bouton dédié dans la barre de contrôle de la vidéo) explique les enjeux et dangers de cette directive :

     

    N’hésitez pas à diffuser l’information et à retweeter notre appel : https://twitter.com/fsc_infos/status/699559325409243136

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  • European civil society organisations call for the rejection of the EU Trade Secrets Directive février 4th, 2016

    La Fondation Sciences Citoyennes est signataire d’un appel à rejeter la directive sur le Secret des Affaires. En voici le texte en anglais :

    On 28 January 2016, the European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee will vote to accept or reject the text of the EU Trade Secrets Directive agreed in trilogues at the end of 2015. We call on its members to reject it.

    The text is the result of negotiations between the European Commission, EU Member States and the European Parliament, which spent half of 2015 debating and amending it. The negotiators have made clear that further amendment is not welcome. But this text is also a result of the lobbying of multinational corporations from the US and the EU, whose lobbyists helped a few officials at DG Internal Market draft and push for its publication. Of course, right now the companies appearing publicly to defend the text are only European SMEs and innovative start-ups.

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  • A Manifesto For a Responsible Scientific Research janvier 25th, 2016

    As a result of a collective work, here is our Manifesto for a Responsible Scientific Research. Fondation Sciences Citoyennes purpose is to encourage debates concerning the scientific research aims and the means to implement individual and collective accountability in this field.

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  • Mise en liberté de mouches génétiquement modifiées en Espagne juillet 27th, 2015

    Des essais à grande échelle mettent en risque la biodiversité et la production d’olives dans la région méditerranéenne.

    La société britannique Oxitec prévoit la libération de mouches de l’olive génétiquement modifiés, en Catalogne (Espagne). Ces insectes sont modifiés de façon à ce que les descendantes femelles meurent (à l’état larvaire, dans les olives), tandis que les générations mâles survivent. L’objectif de la société Oxitex est de libérer jusqu’à 5000 mouches par semaine, dans une région proche de Tarragone, sur une zone expérimentale d’environ 1000m2. Face aux risques de modification de la biodiversité et de dissémination, y compris dans des productions d’agriculture biologique, des organisations, dont la Fondation Sciences Citoyennes, demandent l’interdiction de toute libération de ces espèces.

    Une information plus complète est disponible en anglais ci-dessous :

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  • Global activist summit on nanotech calls on governments to protect people & environment octobre 21st, 2011

    Some 30 activists representing 14 environmental, technology assessment and consumer organisations from Europe, the United States, Canada and Latin America met for the 4th International Nanotechnology Activist Summit in Berlin on October 6 and 7 2011.

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  • The pamphlet on citizen scientists septembre 4th, 2010

    This pamphlet is an output of the STACS (Science, Technology and Civil Society) project, funded by the European Commission Sixth Framework Programme (Science and Society-19-044597).

    The pamphlet

    CitizensScientists_Pamphlet

    Preface: Fieldwork

    Consider the cauliflower. The cauliflowers we eat now tend to be big, white and fluffy. They have been bred this way over the last 30 years, taking the place of the various Italian varieties that were once bred on farms. Europe has largely forgotten the other possible shapes, colours – green, yellow, pink and purple – and flavours of cauliflowers. In the fields and village markets of Brittany, a group of farmers, activists and scientists are trying to help us remember.

    Continue reading…
We aim at increasing the capacity for research and expertise of civil society, NGOs, consumerists, citizen movements and trade unions. We support the establishment of a “scientific third sector” that is better able to meet the growing social and ecological demands, which are neglected by the major scientific orientations whether they be defined by the state or by private industry.