A Sustainable Future for Europe - The Contribution of Frontier Research, Brussels

Atomium in Brussel
© Kevin Bergenhenegouwen
date December 3, 2019
city Brussels, Belgium
organisation European Research Council (ERCEA) i

Sustainability is just one of many areas where frontier research can make a real difference: from healthy lives to sustainable cities, from food security to equal societies. This event will be an occasion for scientists and policy-makers to discuss how frontier research can help tackle some of the biggest sustainability challenges facing European citizens. Some ERC grantees will share their exciting findings on renewable energies, biodiversity threats, demographic change and the medicine of the future.

By invitation only. The event will be webstreamed hereunder.

PROGRAMME

Master of Ceremonies: Tony LOCKETT, Head of ERCEA Communications Unit

17:00 - 17:30 | Registration of participants and welcome drink

17:30 - 17:50 | Welcome remarks and Opening statements

  • Prof. Jean-Pierre BOURGUIGNON,

    ERC President

  • Eva KAILI,

    Chair of the Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA), European Parliament

  • Prof. France CORDOVA,

    Director of the US National Science Foundation

    (video message)

17:50 - 18:50 | Panel debate in partnership with EURACTIV

A global perspective on frontier research with a view on sustainability

Moderated by Jennifer BAKER

  • Sir Peter J. RATCLIFFE,

    Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine 2019, ERC Advanced Grant holder, Director for the Target Discovery Institute at Oxford University and Director of Clinical Research at Francis Crick Institute, London

  • Prof. Robbert DIJKGRAAF,

    Director of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, United States of America

  • Prof. Subra SURESH,

    President of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

  • Anita LEHIKOINEN,

    Permanent Secretary in the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture

Q&A

18:50 - 19:35 | Highlights of ERC funded projects

Presentations by 4 ERC grantees:

  • Wolfgang LUTZ, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Austria,

    Advanced Grant, Social Sciences and Humanities - Read the story

  • Sarah Mc CORMACK, Trinity College, Ireland,

    Starting Grant, Physical Sciences and Engineering - Read the story

  • Anne MAGURRAN, University of St Andrews, United Kingdom,

    Advanced Grant, Life Sciences - Read the story

  • Charles BAROUD, CNRS, France,

    Starting Grant, Proof of Concept, Physical Sciences and Engineering - Read the story

19:35 - 20:00 | Closing remarks

  • David SASSOLI,

    President of the European Parliament (video message)

  • Dr Tome Antičić,

    State Secretary at the Ministry of Science and Education. Republic of Croatia

  • Mariya GABRIEL,

    European Commissioner for Research, Innovation, Education, Culture and Youth

  • Prof. Jean-Pierre BOURGUIGNON,

    ERC President

20:00 - 21:30 | Farewell reception for ERC President Jean-Pierre Bourguignon


1.

European Research Council (ERCEA)

The European Research Council (ERC) is part of the EU's Seventh Research Framework Programme (FP7). It is set up by the European Commission to support investigator-driven frontier research and was established in February 2007 on the basis of the FP7 IDEAS specific programme, with a total budget of 7.5 billion Euro (2007-2013).

Its main aim is to stimulate scientific excellence in Europe by supporting and encouraging the very best, truly creative scientists, scholars and engineers, who are invited to submit their individual proposals in any field of research.

2.

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