Euroscience Open Forum 2012
The Euroscience Open Forum took place at the Convention Centre Dublin and it was officially opened by President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins. More than 500 speakers addressed over 150 science, careers and business to business sessions including Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation & Science; Prof. Rolf-Dieter Heuer, Director General of CERN, Charles F. Bolden Jr., NASA Administrator; and Mary Robinson Former President of Ireland and former UN High-Commissioner for Human Rights. The opening ceremony also featured the first keynote address of the conference by Nobel Laureate Jules Hoffmann entitled From Insects to Mammals, reflections on a European journey through basic research on immune defences. Professor Hoffmann is Research Director of the National Centre of Scientific Research (CNRS), France and winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology.
Professor Patrick Cunningham, Chief Scientific Adviser to the Irish
Government added, “
With ESOF 2012 we are in effect bringing the Olympics of Science to Dublin. With a focus on
careers and business opportunities, this event will be a significant boost for Ireland’s growing
international reputation for science and research. It will create significant opportunities for
both individuals and companies active in key areas of science, technology, engineering and maths.
As the largest event of its kind in the European research and science, ESOF 2012 in Dublin is an
important milestone in Ireland’s science programme.”
Over the four days of the Forum, leading scientists, policy makers,
business leaders and the general public from across the world came together to discuss new
discoveries and debate the direction that research is taking in the sciences in order to strengthen
the links between science and society. The conference covered all of the current major global
scientific challenges, including health, food, genetics and climate change. Each day of ESOF 2012
saw a number of keynote speakers who took attendees on a journey from the deepest depths of the
oceans to the furthest reaches of the universe. More information on
http://esof2012.org/.
Česky
