Brussels, 05 Dec 2005
The newly-nominated Scientific Council of the future European Research Council (ERC) has elected its Chairman, Prof Fotis Kafatos, and two Vice-Chairs Prof Helga Nowotny and Dr Daniel Estève. They have been elected by their peers, the 22 founding members of the Scientific Council, following a procedure agreed by them at their inaugural meeting on 19 October. This puts the Scientific Council in a position to start exercising its leading role in the development of the European Research Council. Prof Kafatos holds the Chair of Insect Immunogenomics at Imperial College, London. Prof Nowotny is currently Chair of the EURAB (European Research Advisory Board); Fellow at the Wissenschaftszentrum in Vienna and Professor emeritus of Social Studies of Science at ETH Zurich. Dr Estève is Research Director in the Service de Physique de l'Etat Condensé at CEA Saclay.