Through their joint activities, the Leopoldina and the Académie des sciences foster continuous discussion on the latest developments in various scientific fields. The two institutions also collaborate to provide international policy advice, for instance by contributing to scientific statements for the G7 and G20 summits. A cooperation agreement signed in 2012 reflects the close and friendly bilateral collaboration.
The Leopoldina has had strong ties with France for a long time: The first French member, the physician Charles Patin, was elected to join the Leopoldina as early as 1679 and around 50 of today’s Leopoldina members are based in France.
The Leopoldina and the Académie des sciences regularly organize symposia in different scientific fields, including emerging topics. The events always attract high-profile audiences, with subjects ranging from the humanities, (e.g. the role of European academies during the First World War, a joint project with The Royal Society), to medicine, to natural and technical sciences.
The two institutions frequently work together to provide policy advice, for instance by preparing joint statements in the run-up to the G7 summits of Heads of State and Government. Under the leadership of the Leopoldina, in 2017, the academies of the G20 countries prepared their first joint recommendation for the G20 summit. This was in response to the German Federal Government’s mandate to establish a Science20-Dialogue during the German G20 Presidency, in order to strengthen the role of scientific expertise in the G20 format.
The Franco-German partnership provides policy advice not only in the context of major international networks but also at the national level in France and Germany. Deliverables include a joint statement by the Leopoldina and the Académie des sciences on “Functionality and Organizational Structure of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services” (IPBES) (2012) and the “Joint Statement on the Energy Transition in France and Germany”. The latter was jointly prepared by the Leopoldina, the German Academy of Engineering (acatech), the Académie des sciences and the Académie des technologies for the 2015 Paris Climate Conference (COP 21) and was handed over to the governments of both countries.
Science policy is another area in which the two institutions adopt joint positions, for example through a working group of The Royal Society, the Académie des sciences and the Leopoldina, which examined ways to ensure the quality of scientific publications and journals, given the vast number of scientific publications.
Robotics AI. Data Science versus Motion Intelligence Symposium of Leopoldina and Académie des Sciences, Paris, 5 September 2018 Programme (pdf)
European Academies in World War I (1914 – 1925) – international symposium of the Académie des sciences together with the Université de Lorraine, based on a project by the Leopoldina, the Académie des sciences and the Royal Society, Metz, 8 – 9 June 2017
Aufklärung: Gestern, heute, morgen / Les Lumières: Hier, Aujourd´Hui, Demain / Enlightenment: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow – joint symposium of the Académie des sciences, the Académie des sciences morales et politiques, the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities and the Leopoldina on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Elysée Treaty, Paris, 7 – 8 February 2013
Gala event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Elysée Treaty (2013)