Conference to discuss the prospect of a European Research Council

Brussels, Jan 2003

UNESCO is to host a meeting, in Paris on 19 February, on the prospect of establishing a European Research Council (ERC) to support high quality basic research in Europe.

The purpose of the meeting is to generate a scientific perspective on the possibility of establishing an ERC complementary to the European Commission's framework programmes and the national research council programmes.

'It is important that scientists, as the primary users, get actively engaged in the discussions very early in the process. This meeting will present an excellent forum for doing so,' says Luc van Dyck, executive coordinator at the European Life Sciences Forum (ELSF).

The meeting is being organised by ELSF in association with the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO), the Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS), and the division of basic and engineering sciences at UNESCO (United Nations educational, scientific and cultural organisation).

The event is open to all life scientists, journalists and interested parties.

Among the speakers at the meeting will be four Nobel Prize laureates, who will give their personal opinions on the prospect of a European council for research. Participants will also hear from three panels of prominent life scientists and representatives from national funding agencies, international organisations and the European Commission.

//CPA To register for this event, please consult the following web address:
http://www.elsf.org/

CORDIS RTD-NEWS / © European Communities