Why This Group?

Following the success of the Progress Studies Reading Group, I am excited to launch a new format: the Metascience Reading Group. The evidence that science is getting harder is striking: research productivity is falling, papers are becoming less disruptive, and each breakthrough demands more researchers and more money. Europe faces a particular version of this problem. We are proud of our scientific excellence, and that pride can make it harder to ask whether our institutions actually deliver. But none of this is a law of nature. How we fund, organise and evaluate research is a set of choices, and choices can be improved.

Around the world, people are already running experiments on improving scientific progress: Focused Research Organisations, ARIA in the UK, Fast Grants, funding lotteries, and AI systems that generate hypotheses and run labs.

We want to identify what Europe can learn from these and what we should try next. What new institutions should be tried out? How to increase scientific funding and how to make it more effective? How can European science go back to excellence? How can we leverage AI for scienitific progress?

If you're curious about the economics, sociology and practice of science, and want better answers to exist sooner, join us.

What We’re Doing

This will be Berlin’s first Metascience Reading Group – a monthly space to read, discuss, and think about practical lessons from history, economics, and policy.

I imagine this group as a meeting point for people in policy, research, and entrepreneurship who are interested in how better institutions and smarter choices can lead to widespread flourishing. If you’re frustrated with polarized debates that overlook practical paths forward and curious about ways to actually pursue progress that’s both inclusive and ambitious, this might be a good fit.

How It Works

• Each month, we’ll read 4-5 essays (about 60-90 minutes total reading time) around a theme.
• We’ll meet for 90 minutes to discuss the readings, connect them to our own work and experience, and think about their relevance in a European context.
• The discussions will be structured around guiding questions, but informal enough to allow genuine exchange of ideas.

The goal is to leave each meeting not just with new perspectives, but also with insights that connect to our professional and intellectual interests.

Upcoming Sessions

Meeting 1: Is Scientific Progress Slowing Down? Tue, Oct. 27, 19:00-20:30, Location: (tba)

• Patrick Collison & Tyler Cowen: We Need a New Science of Progress
• Patrick Collison & Michael Nielsen: Science Is Getting Less Bang for Its Buck
• Vannevar Bush: Science: The Endless Frontier (Summary of the Report)
• John von Reenen: Are Ideas getting harder to find?
• Jason Crawford: A Techno-Humanist Manifesto (Why progress is not limited by “ideas getting harder to find”)

Who’s This For?

This group is for people who care about moving from ideas to impact. Whether you're working on policy, building a company, or researching how institutions succeed or fail – this is a space to explore practical, evidence-based paths to human flourishing by improving the scientific system.

Get Involved

If this sounds interesting, you can:

• Sign up here to receive readings and venue details.
• Or just send me an email. I’d be happy to answer questions or hear about the topics you’d like to explore.