Empowering Science: The Ottawa Declaration of Science Academies of the G7

On June 2, 2025, the national science academies of the G7, released a joint statement calling for the support and protection of academic research titled “The Ottawa Declaration of The Science Academies of the G7” (the “Declaration”). This Declaration was issued ahead of the 51^st G7 summit which will take place in Kananaskis, Alberta from June 15 to 17. It is the first time that this group has issued such a statement.

The Declaration highlights the benefits and necessity of scientific research and development across the G7 countries, noting that these achievements would not have been possible without sustained investments from governments and the private sector.

The G7 is an informal group of the world’s major industrialized democracies. This Declaration was drafted by the national science academies of the G7, which are:

• Royal Society of Canada (Canada);
• Académie des sciences (France);
• Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften Leopoldina (Germany);
• Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei (Italy);
• Science Council of Japan (Japan);
• The Royal Society (United Kingdom); and
• National Academy of Sciences (United States).

Specifically, the Declaration calls for sustained support in key areas such as academic freedom, institutional autonomy, research integrity, research security, and the responsible conduct of research. The G7 academies commit themselves to defending science and promoting collaboration among the countries and their institutions.

The joint statement was initiated by Dr. Alain-G. Gagnon, president of the Royal Society of Canada and professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Quebec at Montreal.

The Declaration was made following significant directives and substantive changes to research funding by the current United States administration. Historically, Canadian talent and intellectual property rights in the scientific field have often migrated south for opportunities in the United States. Against the backdrop of uncertainty caused by the United States tariffs and Canadian countermeasures, Canadian innovation and improvements to the conditions for investment have been noted as priorities for Canada. The Canadian government recently indicated its commitment to supporting the development of artificial intelligence technology in Canada with the introduction of the Canadian Sovereign AI Compute Strategy and the appointment of Canada’s first-ever minister of artificial intelligence into the Cabinet.

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